Yuan Ze University Won Three TSAA Awards, Leading Sustainability Innovation and Social Well-being

Yuan Ze University actively promoted sustainable development and social responsibility, achieving remarkable results at the 5th Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards (TSAA) in 2025 by winning three honors. The projects “Intergenerational AI: Warm-hearted Inclusion” and “Forever Yuan-Chuang” received Silver Awards, while “Brewing Green Dreams, Shaping a Sustainable Future” earned a Bronze Award. These achievements showcased the university’s interdisciplinary innovation and strong social impact.

The project “Intergenerational AI: Warm-hearted Inclusion”, led by Chuqing Lin of the Department of Art and Design, won a Silver Award. Centered on the theme of “intergenerational co-creation with intelligence,” the project built a collaborative learning ecosystem across three generations—university students, high school students, and the elderly. Partnering with Zhongli Daycare Center, the team conducted long-term observations and interactions to better understand seniors’ needs, and subsequently developed health-care and companionship devices integrating voice recognition, generative AI, and motion tracking technologies. These applications were repeatedly tested in real-life settings, turning technology into a tool for care and connection. The initiative not only reduced the digital divide but also fostered intergenerational communication and inclusion, realizing the sustainable vision of “technology with warmth.”

Another Silver Award went to “Forever Yuan-Chuang”, a project promoted by Wanwen Huang of the Department of Art and Design. The initiative focused on three pillars—community co-creation, artisan collaboration, and youth empowerment—at the Matsu New Village Cultural and Creative Park in Taoyuan. The team launched diverse activities such as the “Ma Village Academy,” skills-exchange workshops, markets, art exhibitions, and park landscape renewal. By integrating art into the community, the project advanced the preservation and revitalization of military dependents’ village culture, emphasized environmental material reuse and gender equality, strengthened residents’ confidence and cohesion, and became a model of local revitalization and cultural sustainability.

The Bronze Award project “Brewing Green Dreams, Shaping a Sustainable Future” was led by Huaijie Chen of the College of Management. Focusing on agricultural surplus reuse, the team transformed “imperfect” farm produce into high-quality craft beverages while introducing carbon footprint analysis and vermiculture composting to achieve “zero waste” in agricultural byproducts. Students participated in the full process, from raw material acquisition and product design to reinvesting profits in tree planting. This initiative not only promoted responsible consumption and production (SDGs) but also increased farmers’ income and supported local industries, making it a successful case of campus-based circular economy.

Yuan Ze University emphasized that it would continue to realize the Sustainable Development Goals through innovative actions, working together with faculty, students, and society to advance sustainability transformation in education, industry, and communities. The university also noted that, beyond these award-winning projects, many faculty members had continued to promote USR (University Social Responsibility) and sustainability practices in their respective fields, expanding their influence and collectively shaping a resilient and caring society.