WUNU launches unique local environmental monitoring system
In line with the 2021-2025 Development Strategy of West Ukrainian National University and the objectives of the Green University concept, an environmental monitoring system has been installed on the campus of WUNU.
This milestone was the result of three years of effort by researchers in Ternopil to build the components of the monitoring system and train a team to support the project.
To this end, at the initiative of Rector Oksana Desyatnyuk, the Education and Research Institute of Innovation, Nature Management and Infrastructure collaborated with the strategic programme of Agricon-Pivden LLC and Western Ukrainian Innovation Hub to modernise the laboratory of chemical analysis and environmental research and provide it with modern equipment and facilities. The laboratory's staff underwent training at leading laboratory institutions in the region and mastered the necessary techniques for environmental research.
As part of the cooperation with SAVE DNIPRO, in particular the Environmental Marathon project, two SaveEcoSensor 3.0 stations were set up on the territory of WUNU to monitor air quality, with its data displayed in the all-Ukrainian environmental monitoring network.
WUNU's planned environmental monitoring system includes the following components: air quality and analysis of the impact of vehicles and heating systems; noise level measurement; water quality (determination of the quality of drinking water from the water supply system and open surface waters of the Ternopil reservoir and the Seret river); soil quality (determination of parameters and level of pollution); biodiversity (monitoring of flora and fauna species on campus); household waste research (analysis of the composition of waste with division into different groups: paper, plastic, glass, metal, organic).
The monitoring data will be used to assess the environmental condition of the campus, identify problem areas and develop measures to address them, develop waste management plans, optimise energy supply, and assess environmental factors for the quality of life of students and staff.
WUNU's environmental monitoring system also focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and the development of practical skills by students within the framework of the educational programmes 'Environmental Safety and Protection', 'Ecology and Bioeconomy', 'Agronomy', 'Food Technologies' and others.
The environmental information obtained will also be used in the preparation of WUNU's annual report as part of the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings.
Data from air quality stations are available at the following links:
