People are central to sustainability—and citizen involvement is a crucial part of KAUST’s sustainability initiatives. We actively engage with our academic and neighboring communities to raise awareness of the social, cultural, environmental, and economic aspects of sustainable development.
SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS
The first step toward change is awareness. Our operational, research, engagement, and community departments routinely collaborate to deliver several projects, programs, and initiatives that tackle sustainability-related topics.
Initiatives include celebrations of international awareness days such as Earth Day, World Environment Day, World Food Day, and World Water Day, and activities such as Bike Week that engage the community and encourage climate-related awareness and action.
KAUST’s Community Life department promotes responsible consumption and production of goods across our community by organizing initiatives such as farmers’ markets and community yard sales.
The community-based Second Chance Thrift Shop allows residents to buy used items at discounted rates, with all revenue dedicated to funding local social projects. Community members can also grow their own food by joining the Community Garden Club.
INCLUSIVITY
KAUST is committed to inclusivity. Our international community brings together people from more than 120 nations—a cultural and ethnic diversity that we celebrate with several events throughout the year, involving community members of all ages.
We also provide high-quality education to children in our community through The KAUST School (TKS), a K-12 school offering an International Baccalaureate program.
The multicultural diversity of TKS combined with its engaging programs and its deep connection to the university expose students to contemporary topics on sustainable development that include climate change, food and water security, renewable and clean energy, and environmental protection.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
In KAUST, we celebrate the rich Cultural Heritage of our community, both local and international. Each year, we host events that honor the traditions of our global community, as well as those of Saudi Arabia:
- International Heritage: The annual Parade of Nations is our community’s favorite event, bringing all residents, and more than 120 different nations, together to celebrate their global citizenship and share their cultural traditions, preserving intangible aspects of diverse global heritages.
- National Heritage: KAUST celebrates Saudi National Day and Saudi Founding Day every year, in the neighbouring village of Thuwal, providing an opportunity for both communities to come together and appreciate the Kingdom’s history and heritage. Additionally, our Explore Saudi Arabia program organizes trips for our multi-national community to explore the rich cultural and natural beauty of Saudi Arabia. We also offer a Community Arabic Program that introduces expats to the rich language and intangible spoken culture of Saudi Arabia, teaching them to understand and speak the Hejazi dialect, as well as read and write Arabic.
- Local Heritage: To celebrate the cultural richness of the region, KAUST regularly invites local artisans and artists to share traditional crafts such as embroidery, pottery, henna, and Arabic calligraphy, recording intangible culture by preserving and documenting traditions, stories, and skills that reflect the unique heritage of our community and the Arabic region.
QUALITY OF LIVING
KAUST is more than a university – it is a complete community designed to inspire and motivate our faculty, students, staff and their families. The Community Life Division helps create the landscape that allows KAUST to be a vibrant place to live, work and thrive.
Learn more here.
