NTNU Institute of Environmental Education Restarts the Rooftop Garden, Returning to the Peak

In 2014, students at the Institute of Environmental Education of National Taiwan Normal University, through their own spontaneous efforts and research, rebuilt a new garden on the rooftop, something that had not existed since 2011. Starting on a small scale, learning while experimenting, they planned to re-establish the rooftop garden and once again make it a sustainable living center for the school and the community.

The rooftop garden of the Institute of Environmental Education at National Taiwan Normal University was established in 2004 with a subsidy from the Ministry of Education's Sustainable Campus Project. Soil was spread over the rooftop space to grow melons, fruits, and vegetables, and a solar-powered shower area and cooking equipment were also installed, making this a place for concretely practicing sustainable living. Students used solar cookers to prepare crops they had grown with their own hands, taking part personally in everything from planting to eating, experiencing what sustainable living means.

This place has become the center of life and education at the Institute of Environmental Education, with a knock-on effect on the NTNU campus and nearby communities, and was even listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a recommended site for practicing sustainable living.

However, in 2011, because the building's structure was old, experts assessed that the weight of the rooftop garden would affect safety, and after repeated discussions it was decided to dismantle it. Then in 2014, through the passion and efforts of first-year master's students at the Institute of Environmental Education, the plan to revive the NTNU rooftop garden and practice sustainable living was quietly beginning to sprout…

The Driving Force Behind Practicing Sustainable Living - The ECO Group of the NTNU Institute of Environmental Education