1 The NCUE campus is known for its beautiful environment, with a total of 43.5 hectares of green space across both campuses. It is permanently open to the public free of charge, providing leisure green spaces and sports areas for the community.

The campus is open to the public, providing visitors campus spaces for strolling, with specially designed pedestrian walkways allowing for walks through the flower garden paths or along the shores of Baisha Lake. Visitors can also use facilities such as water dispensers and restrooms (Figures 1-7). Notably, NCUE places a great emphasis on creating an accessible campus environment. The campus has 23 main buildings, each of which is equipped with accessible elevators and restrooms, achieving a 100% installation rate. Buildings and campus facilities are regularly inspected and improved in accordance with accessibility regulations, ensuring the availability of elevators, restrooms, ramps, and guidance facilities installed to accommodate individuals with disabilities (Figures 8-9).

(1) Campus Landscape and Green Space.

(a) Jinde Campus (Figures 1-3)

Figure 1. A View of Baisha Lake

Figure 2. Crape Myrtle Forest

Figure 3. Library Garden

(b) Baoshan Campus (Figures 4-7)

Figure 4. Entrance to the Baoshan Campus

Figure 5. Campus Walkway

Figure 6. Norfolk Island Pine Walkway and Lawn Area

Figure 7. Japanese-styled Garden near the College of Engineering

(c) Campus Accessible Facilities (Figures 8-9)

Figure8. Accessible Ramp

Figure 9. Accessible Restroom

(2) Sports fields and Courts:

The sports venues and facilities of NCUE are freely available not only to teachers and students but also to the public. This includes access to the tracks and fields of the university, as well as the volleyball court, basketball courts, and football fields on the Baoshan campus, promoting community engagement and encouraging physical activity for exercise for all (Figures 10-11).

Figure 10. Free access to Sports Venues on Campus

Figure 11. Free access to Courts and Fields on campus

2. In response to the ecological crisis of global warming, NCUE proposed the Department of Fine Arts USR project "Ecological Homelands and Urban-Rural Sustainability: A Changhua Ecological Art Project" and implemented it in 2023-2024. With "Local Care" as the main focus, this project aimed to realize the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: "Sustainable Cities and Communities." Activities conducted free of charge in 2024 are listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Free Activities and Number of Participants in 2024

(1) Collaboration with O-Bank Education Foundation to organize the "Arctic Green Ark" Ecological Art Exhibition.

(a) On August 23, 2024, an opening event and guided tour were held, with ecological art experts and scholars invited to participate in an ecological-themed symposium.

(b) During the exhibition period, two ecological-themed horticultural therapy workshops were organized. One of which was conducted at Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center, inviting medical staff and patients to participate; and the other was an elementary school ecological education horticultural therapy workshop, inviting students from Neihu Elementary School to participate in hands-on experiences. During the exhibition period, ecological guided tours and online ecological-themed psychological testing games were conducted, providing participants with deeper understanding of how greening can lower temperatures and reduce carbon emissions, serving as the best solution to urban heat island effects.

(c) The exhibition period lasted over one month, from August 19 to September 27, 2024, with more than 300 participants (Figures 12-13).

(d) Links to related news:

i. https://www.o-bankef.org/events/1142

ii. https://artemperor.tw/tidbits/16892

Figure 12. Group Photo from the Horticultural Therapy Workshop Results with Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center

Figure 13. Group Photo of Artists, Distinguished Guests, and Participants at the Opening Event

(2) The project emphasizes using urban greening to heal the ecological environment and accompanying senior citizens through horticultural courses. Therefore, collaboration with the Changhua Lifelong Learning Center was established for the " Horticultural Therapy/Green Healing: Horticultural Therapy Active Aging Workshop," with 31 participants (Figures 14-15). Additionally, 5 sessions of Green Spirits series workshops were organized, with a total of 134 participants (Figure 16). Links to Activity videos:

(a) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuF0q1cvMoY

(b) https://www.youtube.com/@USR-p7m/videos

Figure 14. Students Instructing Elderly Participants

Figure 15. Group Photo of Student Teams with Elderly Participants

Figure 16. Elderly Participants Sharing Their Thoughts on the Workshop

3. In 2024, NCUE applied for the Ministry of Education's "Campus Green Hedge Project" subsidy, hoping to construct green hedges with Taiwan native plants to diversify the campus environment with plants native to Taiwan. Through conducting general education courses and environmental education courses, students were able to have deeper understandings of the importance of environment greening. At the same time, the programs increased the green coverage area on campus, creating an environment that helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Activities held conducted free of charge in the 2024 projects are listed in Table 2.

Table 2. Free Activities and Number of Participants in 2024

No.	Activity	Number of Participants
1	"Fern Awakening" - Micro Forest Handicraft	47
2	Green Living - Walking into Campus Green Life	41

(1) Faculty and Student Participation

The "Fern Awakening - Micro Forest Handicraft" workshop was organized to help participants understand plant cultivation and fern ecology. Participants planted ferns in bottles by hand. Through creating miniature plant worlds in their bottles, participants were able to gain a deeper appreciation for the importance of sustainable growth. In addition, the process of learning how to care for bottled plants helped participants relax and enjoy the course. (Figures 17-18)

Figure 17. Introducing the Plants to Participants

Figure 18. Hands-On Activities

(2) Providing Tree-Caring Education to the Local Community

The "Green Living - Walking into Campus Green Life" course was organized by NCUE, featuring a walking tour of the campus to enable participants learn about various plants. Participants in this free activity included not only NCUE faculty and students but also 5 local residents, totaling 41 people. The group of participants learned about different species of plants and trees at NCUE, which further helped them understand the benefits of environment greening environment. The activity also allowed participants to cultivate love and respect for plants and trees. (Figures 19-21)

Figure 19. Learning about Green Hedge Plants and Native Tree Species on Campus

Figure 20. Surveying Plant Types and Functions

Figure 21. Surveying Plant Types and Functions