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Carbon footprint of a university campus from Colombia
Abstract
In the past 50 years, higher education institutions worldwide have progressively implemented sustainability policies focused on improving their environmental indicators and institutional image. This trend also occurs in Colombia, both in private and public institutions. One of the issues associated with sustainability that has experienced increasing interest by these entities is Climate Change, which is reflected in an increasing number of inventories of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) of an organizational nature. Following this trend, the Technological University of Pereira (UTP), as a state higher education institution, quantified its organizational carbon footprint of 2017. Through the application of the GHG Protocol methodology, direct emissions (Scope 1), indirect emissions associated with electricity (Scope 2) and other indirect GHG emissions (Scope 3) were established. In total, in 2017 UTP emitted 8969 t CO2-eq, of which 97% were scope 3 emissions, mainly due to the daily mobility of students and officials, and the construction of infrastructure. Likewise, in 2017 each member of the university community emitted 0.4 t CO2-eq. Compared to other universities in the rest of the world, the carbon footprint per person at the UTP is low, among other reasons, because the campus does not generate electricity or use heating and furthermore, in terms of proximity, UTP students and employees residences in relation to the campus are close, which allows that the daily commuting is mostly short. Additionally, the impact on total emissions of the years 2017 and 2018 of three strategies in favor of reducing the carbon footprint of UTP based on better management of water, electricity and the mobility of students and teachers was evaluated. If these strategies had been implemented in both years, the carbon footprint would have been decreased 3.1% on average in a conservative scenario and 4.8% on average on an optimistic scenario.
... In addition to the measures reported in Table 2, there are other strategies that affect specific aspects of the institutions. At the buildings level, strategies, such as designs for low-energy buildings are proposed by Baboulet and Lenzen (2010) and Ozawa-Meida et al. (2013), infrastructure interventions are carried out using techniques and materials with a low carbon footprint by Varón-hoyos et al. (2021) or minimising the construction of new buildings by Jung et al. (2016) and Riedy and Daly (2010). Moreover, establishing a structured sustainability office/group responsible for monitoring, tracking and advocating for sustainability initiatives is proposed by Riedy and Daly (2010) and Bailey and LaPoint (2016), and integrating an environmental management system, is proposed by Rodríguez-Andara et al. (2020), since it will facilitate the calculation of emissions and their mitigation. ...
... ,Butt (2012),Güereca et al. (2013),Ozawa- Meida et al. (2013),Vásquez et al. (2015),Gómez et al. (2016),Jung et al. (2016),Criollo et al. (2019),Mendoza-Flores et al. (2019),Rodríguez- Andara et al. (2020),Ullah et al. (2020),Yañez et al. (2020), Iskandar et al. (2020,Varón-hoyos et al. (2021), Naderipour et al. use of electric scooters within the universityNaderipour et al. (2021) Increasing the number of parking spaces for bicyclesGómez et al. (2016),Naderipour et al. (2021) Installing charging facilities for electric vehiclesGómez et al. (2016),Varón-hoyos et al. (2021) Implementing the policy of charging for parkingIskandar et al. (2020) Regulating the entry to campus parking Varón-hoyos et al.(2021)Users need to take a survey in order to receive a parking permitBailey and LaPoint (2016) Promoting carpooling (car sharing)Güereca et al. (2013), Ozawa-Meida et al. (2013), Criollo et al. (2019), Ullah et al. (2020), Yañez et al. (2020) Providing university buses or sign an agreement with the service providers Ologun and Wara (2014), Gómez et al. (2016), Ridhosari and Rahman (2020), Syafrudin et al. (2020), Ullah et al. (2020); Naderipour et al. (2021) Providing dormitories to reduce transportation needs Ridhosari and Rahman (2020), Yañez et al. (2020) Avoiding the use of air travel for short trips Mendoza-Flores et al. (2019) Water Building facilities for processing and storing rainwater and grey-water Iskandar et al. (2020) Promoting the reduction of water consumption Varón-hoyos et al. (2021) Renewing the water pipeline system Ullah et al. (2020) Waste Reuse or recycling of waste before sending it to landfill Larsen et al. (2013), Ozawa-Meida et al. (2013), Gu et al. (2019), Mendoza-Flores et al. (2019), Iskandar et al. (2020), Ridhosari and Rahman (2020), Stephan et al. (2020) Ullah et al. (2020) Sending the waste to a waste bank Iskandar et al. Lenzen (2010), Thurston and Eckelman (2011), Larsen et al. (2013), Gómez et al. (2016), Stephan et al. (2020), Ullah et al. (2020), Naderipour et al. (2021), Varón-hoyos et al. used in the laboratory Mendoza-Flores et al. (2019) Switching to/encouraging a more vegetable-based diet Baboulet and Lenzen (2010), Gómez et al. (2016), Gu et al. (2019), Mendoza-Flores et al. ...
... ,Butt (2012),Güereca et al. (2013),Ozawa- Meida et al. (2013),Vásquez et al. (2015),Gómez et al. (2016),Jung et al. (2016),Criollo et al. (2019),Mendoza-Flores et al. (2019),Rodríguez- Andara et al. (2020),Ullah et al. (2020),Yañez et al. (2020), Iskandar et al. (2020,Varón-hoyos et al. (2021), Naderipour et al. use of electric scooters within the universityNaderipour et al. (2021) Increasing the number of parking spaces for bicyclesGómez et al. (2016),Naderipour et al. (2021) Installing charging facilities for electric vehiclesGómez et al. (2016),Varón-hoyos et al. (2021) Implementing the policy of charging for parkingIskandar et al. (2020) Regulating the entry to campus parking Varón-hoyos et al.(2021)Users need to take a survey in order to receive a parking permitBailey and LaPoint (2016) Promoting carpooling (car sharing)Güereca et al. (2013), Ozawa-Meida et al. (2013), Criollo et al. (2019), Ullah et al. (2020), Yañez et al. (2020) Providing university buses or sign an agreement with the service providers Ologun and Wara (2014), Gómez et al. (2016), Ridhosari and Rahman (2020), Syafrudin et al. (2020), Ullah et al. (2020); Naderipour et al. (2021) Providing dormitories to reduce transportation needs Ridhosari and Rahman (2020), Yañez et al. (2020) Avoiding the use of air travel for short trips Mendoza-Flores et al. (2019) Water Building facilities for processing and storing rainwater and grey-water Iskandar et al. (2020) Promoting the reduction of water consumption Varón-hoyos et al. (2021) Renewing the water pipeline system Ullah et al. (2020) Waste Reuse or recycling of waste before sending it to landfill Larsen et al. (2013), Ozawa-Meida et al. (2013), Gu et al. (2019), Mendoza-Flores et al. (2019), Iskandar et al. (2020), Ridhosari and Rahman (2020), Stephan et al. (2020) Ullah et al. (2020) Sending the waste to a waste bank Iskandar et al. Lenzen (2010), Thurston and Eckelman (2011), Larsen et al. (2013), Gómez et al. (2016), Stephan et al. (2020), Ullah et al. (2020), Naderipour et al. (2021), Varón-hoyos et al. used in the laboratory Mendoza-Flores et al. (2019) Switching to/encouraging a more vegetable-based diet Baboulet and Lenzen (2010), Gómez et al. (2016), Gu et al. (2019), Mendoza-Flores et al. ...
Higher Education Institutions (HEI) or universities, as organisations engaged in education, research and community services, play an important role in promoting sustainable development. Therefore, they are increasingly linked to the initiative of calculating their carbon footprint (CF), which is a tool to assess sustainability from the perspective of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review of the current situation of CF assessment in academic institutions by analysing different key elements, such as the time period, methodologies and practises, calculation tools, emission sources, emission factors and reduction plans. The review protocol considered articles published until March 2021. Of the articles reviewed, 35 are aimed specifically at calculating the CF of HEI, while the remaining articles consist of review, activity-specific CF assessment or GHG emission reduction articles. Clear differences have been identified when results are compared for the normalised CF (average of 2.67 t CO2e/student, ranging from 0.06 to 10.94) or the percentage of carbon offsetting, only considered in 14% of the studies and ranging from 0.09 to 18%. The main reason for this is the lack of standardisation as regards the time metric (year, semester), functional unit (student, employee, area) and data collection boundary (scope 1, 2, 3), the emissions sources and emission factors, mainly for scope 3 (water consumption and treatment, waste treatment, office, ICT and laboratory consumables, commuting and travel, construction materials, canteens, etc.), and the inclusion or not of the effect of carbon offset projects to offset the CF (aim of the project and absorption sources and factors). However, despite the differences, a reduction over time is clearly observed. Therefore, CF in HEI requires further improvements and solutions to a number of challenges, including the definition of representative emission sources, the creation of a robust emission factor database and the development of tools/methodologies that cover all the needs of this type of organisation.
Graphic abstract
... (UNFCCC) ve onun Kyoto protokolü kapsamında iklim değişikliğini "Doğal iklim değişkenliğine ek olarak, küresel atmosferin bileşimini değiştiren insan faaliyetlerine doğrudan veya dolaylı olarak atfedilen bir iklim değişikliği" olarak tanımlamaktadır [2]. 19. yüzyılda sanayi devriminin büyük rol oynamasıyla birlikte nüfus artışı, teknolojik gelişmeler, sanayileşmedeki rekabet, yaşam kalitesinin artması, enerji ihtiyacını artırmakta böylece atmosferdeki sera gazlarının konsantrasyonları da çarpıcı bir şekilde artmaktadır. ...
... Literatürde üniversitelerin karbon ayak izi değişimine yönelik yapılan çalışmalar giderek artmaktadır. Çalışmaların bir kısmı eğitim dönemi süresince kampüs içindeki öğrencilerin aktiviteleri kaynaklı [10,11], öğrenci ve çalışanların aktiviteleri kaynaklı [12,13], akademisyen ve idari personel kaynaklı [14], üniversitelerin enerji tüketimi ve/veya atıkları kaynaklı [15][16][17][18][19] Üniversite birimlerinden ısınma amaçlı kullanılan doğal gaz/kömür, aydınlanma ve sınıf/ofis araç gereç kullanımları için elektrik ayrıca üniversiteye ait araçların benzin/mazot tüketim verileri talep edilmiştir. ...
Bu çalışmada Erzincan Binali Yıldırım Üniversitesi (EBYÜ)’nin 2019 ve 2020 yılına ait karbon ayak izi önce Hükümetler arası İklim Değişikliği Paneli (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change–IPCC) Tier 1 yaklaşımıyla sonrasında ise İngiltere Çevre, Gıda ve Köy işleri Bakanlığı (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs–DEFRA) dönüşüm faktörleri kullanılarak hesaplanmıştır. EBYÜ’nün birincil karbon ayak izi IPCC Metodolojisi Tier 1 yaklaşımıyla 2019 yılı için 2753,2 tCO2e ve 2020 yılı için 2383,74 tCO2e emisyonu hesaplanmıştır.2019 yılı ile karşılaştırıldığında emisyon miktarında %13,42 azalma görülmektedir. DEFRA dönüşüm faktörleriyle ise 2019 yılı için 2314,53 tCO2e ve 2020 yılı için 1826,54 tCO2e emisyonu hesaplanmıştır. 2019 yılı ile karşılaştırıldığında emisyon miktarında %21,08 azalma görülmektedir. IPCC Tier 1 yaklaşımı ile DEFRA arasındaki bu fark IPCC Tier 1 yaklaşımı hesaplamalarında kullanılan emisyon faktörlerinin genel olması ve DEFRA’nın İngiltere’nin ulusal verilerini kullanmasından kaynaklanmaktadır. Karbondioksit emisyonundaki azalmaya 2019 yılına kıyasla 2020 yılında iklimin biraz ılımanlaşmasının yanı sıra Covid-19 pandemi süreci nedeniyle 2020 yılında eğitim-öğretime uzaktan eğitimle devam edilmesinin etki ettiği düşünülmektedir.
... Emission from student and employee mobility were also calculated using Equation 5. In order to approximate the average distance traveled per student and employee for the entire year, an online survey was conducted following the method of Varón-Hoyos et al. (2021). In the survey, respondents were asked to describe their usual route during their daily commute to and from UPC. Questions such as the origin of travel, frequency of travel on a daily and weekly basis, and type of vehicle used were asked. ...
... For the student survey, the movement from their hometown to Cebu at the start of the semester was also considered as part of the GHG emissions. Similar to the method of Varón-Hoyos et al. (2021), the distance traveled by students at the start of the semester was also doubled to account for the trips taken as they went back to their provinces at the end of the semester. For people who transported to the university on foot or by bicycle, zero-emission was set. ...
Estimating the carbon emission of a university is a key step towards carbon neutrality in the education sector and in contributing to the national greenhouse gas emission (GHG) inventory. Following the guidelines of the Philippine Climate Change Commission (CCC), this study examined the university GHG profile using the University of the Philippines Cebu (UPC) as a case study. The main goals were to create a GHG inventory that could serve as a model for other educational institutions in the Philippines and evaluate mitigation strategies that could potentially reduce emissions. Total emission of UPC in 2018 was estimated to be 1,520.6 tCO2e, equivalent to 1.1 tCO2e/capita/yr. The highest contributor to the UPC emission was student mobility, which accounted for 47.2% (717.5 tCO2e) of the total. As the university progressed through the K-12 transition years and assuming a business-as-usual scenario, it was projected that GHG emission had increased by 9.1% (151.4 tCO2e) in 2019 and by 13.6% (238.3 tCO2e) in 2020. If UPC had mitigated its emission in 2018 such as reducing its purchased electricity consumption to 7.5% by shifting to solar energy, total emission could have been reduced by 1.8% or 27.4 tCO2e. If there had been 10% less travels such as by opting to videoconferencing, UPC could have reduced its emission by 0.3% or 5.2 tCO2e. Finally, if UPC had reduced 10% of its solid waste disposal to landfills such as by recycling, carbon emission would have been lessened by 0.3% or 4.7 tCO2e. Through this research, UPC is the first national university in the Philippines to measure its carbon emissions using CCC guidelines. An understanding of the university carbon footprint could significantly raise awareness among stakeholders of their roles and responsibilities in creating a sustainable campus. Moving forward, it is recommended that the inventory would be continued for the succeeding years.
... Similar to international studies, the CF assessment in Colombian HEIs has been performed with different details, scope, aims, and estimation methods (Varón-Hoyos et al. 2021); however, the majority of the reports have been used as undergraduate work and internal communication reports but not as scientific research. and electric energy consumption (43%) as the most representative. ...
... and electric energy consumption (43%) as the most representative. One of the most recent CF research studies in a university campus in Colombia explains how scope 3 includes 98% of total GHGs (Varón-Hoyos et al. 2021). Colombian HEIs exhibit the lowest ton of CO 2 eq . ...
Higher education institutions (HEIs) transfer skills and knowledge between industries, the government, and the public, playing a vital role at educating future leaders in creating a globally sustainable system. Therein, evaluating greenhouse gas emissions from an educational institute is the first step towards the proposed reduction targets at the local, national, and international levels. In this research, we report the first approximate carbon footprint calculation of emissions corresponding to scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 emissions for the main urban campuses of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, using the UNE-ISO 14064–1 and WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol Corporate standard. The carbon footprint in 2019 was approximately 7250.52 tons CO 2 eq , and 0.432 tons CO 2 eq per person. Scope 1 emissions accounted for about 2.84% of the carbon footprint, while scope 2 and 3 emissions each contributed nearly 14% and 83%, respectively. The largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions were the transportation process (58.51%), the wastewater process (17.01%), followed by electricity consumption (14.03%), and the e-mails that are sent (6.51%). It is suggested some proposals and strategies for mitigating and reducing emissions. Colombian HEIs exhibit the lowest ton of CO 2 eq . per person compared to the other HEIs. Several reasons explain this behavior across the document such as geographic location (climate and topography), cultural factors (consumption patterns and types of transportation), population size, typology (public or private), gross domestic product (GDP) of each country, and methodology implemented. Results cannot be extrapolated to the Colombian case for the differences in the local conditions; therefore, it is not possible to get solid conclusions on the CF behavior in the Colombian HEIs. In this research, we provide for the first time a carbon footprint calculation where the sociological, political, and geographic conditions not extrapolated representing a valuable contribution to the HEI’s of the country. This research can be a benchmark in the carbon footprint calculation and a methodological contribution to HEIs in the country.
... Similar to international studies, the CF assessment in Colombian HEIs has been performed with different details, scope, aims, and estimation methods (Varón-Hoyos et al. 2021); however, the majority of the reports have been used as undergraduate work and internal communication reports but not as scientific research. and electric energy consumption (43%) as the most representative. ...
... and electric energy consumption (43%) as the most representative. One of the most recent CF research studies in a university campus in Colombia explains how scope 3 includes 98% of total GHGs (Varón-Hoyos et al. 2021). Colombian HEIs exhibit the lowest ton of CO 2 eq . ...
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) transfer skills and knowledge between industries, the government, and the public, playing a vital role in the education system for a globally sustainable future as “future leaders.” Therein, evaluating greenhouse gas emissions from an educational institute is the first step towards the proposed reduction targets at the local, national and international levels. In this research, we report the first approximate carbon footprint calculation of emissions corresponding to scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 emissions for the main urban campuses of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, using the UNE-ISO 14064-1 standard. The carbon footprint in 2019 was approximately 7250.52 tons CO 2 eq , and 0.432 tons CO 2 eq per person. Scope 1 emissions accounted for about 2.84% of the carbon footprint, while Scope 2 and 3 emissions each contributed nearly 14% and 83%, respectively. The largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions were the wastewater process (20.46%), followed by electricity consumption (14.03%) and sent emails (7.83%). We suggested some proposals and strategies for mitigating and reducing emissions. Colombian HEIs exhibit the lowest ton of CO 2 eq . per person compared to the other HEIs. The reason may be income conditioned by the GDP of each country. Literature reviews do not exhibit a clear contribution to the carbon footprint of Colombian HEIs. This research is the first carbon footprint calculation used as a methodological contribution to HEIs in the country because the method’s implementation is not extrapolated for socioecological, political and geographic conditions
... The carbon emissions determined in this category were similar to the results of another related study carried out by Carvalho et al. (2017) in Gávea Campus of the PUC-Rio, where the main source of GHG generation (98% of total emissions) was related to commuting between the campus and the residences of the estimated 20,000 people who frequented PUC-Rio daily in 2011. Other studies in educational institutions also showed that the mobility of the campus community was the activity that most influenced total emissions (Cano et al., 2022;Gonçalves & Pozza, 2016;Mendoza-Flores et al., 2019;Varón-Hoyos et al., 2021). These findings demonstrate that it is necessary to neutralize and/or drastically reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels in places with a high number of visitors. ...
There is a growing demand for institutions and organizations to adopt actions aimed at combating climate change and its impacts. The objective of this study was to carry out inventories of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon removal by afforestation of the Nova Venécia Campus of the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo (IFES-NV), Brazil. Emissions from scopes 1 (stationary combustion, mobile combustion, fugitive emissions, and wastewater), 2 (electricity), and 3 (commuting to campus, work travel, and solid waste) were accounted for in 2019 based on the methodology proposed by the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program. The GHG emissions were then compared to the annual rate of carbon removal by trees growing on the campus to determine net emissions. In total, 1,148.878 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO 2e) were quantified. Commuting to campus was responsible for more than 93% of total emissions, demonstrating that it is necessary to neutralize and/or drastically reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels in places with a high number of visitors. Although the campus afforestation only neutralized the equivalent of 1.7% of total emissions in 2019, it was able to neutralize approximately 50% of emissions from scopes 1 and 2, which are the emissions most directly managed by the institution. For future studies, it is recommended to also quantify carbon removal by tree roots and soil, as these may represent an important carbon sink.
... The respondents were also asked in the survey to indicate their movement during the suspension of classes and lockdown due to COVID-19 so as to determine pandemic-related emission. The survey method, including the type of questions asked and assumptions, was adopted from the protocol of Varon-Hoyos et al. [20]. ...
The Philippines entered its most prolonged lockdown in 2020 when the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a pandemic. Additionally, there has been a shift from physical to online classes at all education levels. Against this backdrop, the restrictions imposed on the education sector could have environmental impacts, including on the carbon emission structure. Here, we compare the carbon footprint before and during the pandemic, determine how the pandemic changed the activities that directly affected carbon emissions, and present reduction methods to minimise emissions in the new normal. We calculated emissions before and during the pandemic to achieve these goals, using the data obtained from University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu. The total CO 2 emissions of UP Cebu in 2019 were estimated to be 1420.7 tCO 2 e, which did not significantly differ from the 2018 emissions. In 2020, the total CO 2 emissions were estimated to be 555.8 tCO 2 e, equivalent to a 60.9% decrease from the 2019 emissions. The per capita emissions in UP Cebu for 2019 and 2020 were estimated to be 0.9 tCO 2 e and 0.3 tCO 2 e, respectively – both below the national average. The pandemic caused a significant decrease in emissions per activity, except for emissions from fuel, which increased 305.8%. In the post-COVID-19 world, especially when in-person classes return, UP Cebu must consider concrete strategies to curb its emissions. Specific decarbonization methods for each activity were simulated and discussed. The results and reduction strategies presented are relevant to UP Cebu and other higher education institutions in the Philippines and Asia with the same characteristics.
... Information related to daily commuting was collected based on a survey developed by the authors and applied to 1287 students, 210 professors, and 70 administrative employees (Varón-Hoyos et al., 2021). From this survey, an origin-destination matrix was developed with the distances traveled from homes to campus and the type of vehicle in specific public or private services (size, manufacturer, Euro standard, and type of fuel). ...
Protection of water resources implies the responsible consumption, and the return of this resource with the best physicochemical conditions. In organizations, water is consumed both directly in their facilities and indirectly in the products or services acquired for their operation, requiring a water accounting based on the life cycle perspective. This study aims to assess the comprehensive water footprint of the main campus of the Technological University of Pereira (Colombia), based on the ISO 14046:2014 standard, and analyze the influence of wastewater treatment. Impacts on water scarcity were evaluated using the AWARE method, while the impacts on human health and ecosystems were evaluated using the ReCiPe method. Specific modeling of the wastewater treatment plants on campus was conducted. A total of 102,670 m³.y⁻¹ of water scarcity was accounted for. Water consumption per person was 17.8 m³ of which 86.2% corresponded to indirect activities. Similarly, indirect activities were responsible for more than 98% of the impacts on human health and ecosystems, where more than 95% were due to infrastructure construction and 2% due to electricity consumption. Although the wastewater treatment on campus reduced the impact on ecosystems by 14%, if a tertiary treatment was added, these impacts would have a 40% of additional reduction. Efforts in recycling programs were also quantified in 712 m³ of avoided water scarcity for secondary users. The findings suggest focusing actions on sustainable construction and purchases to improve water management in organizations.
... First, there is a strand of the literature including articles that rely on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), a bottom-up accounting scheme that allows an indepth breakdown of emissions using physical information. Some examples of this methodology applied to universities covering different scopes categories can be found in Achten et al. (2013), Li et al. (2015), Varón-Hoyos et al. (2021) and Ridhosari and Rahman (2020). These contributions measure with appropriate detail level some categories of direct emissions but fail to consider the value chain upstream ones. ...
The global contribution of all kinds of organizations to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is noteworthy. Calculating, reporting, reducing, and compensating for carbon footprints are the appropriate steps to take to guide companies toward a path that is compatible with their country's objectives for the fulfillment of the Paris Agreement. In Latin American countries, carbon footprint reporting is limited and incipient. This paper aims to start closing this gap by assessing the carbon footprint of a university operating in the city of Bogotá, Colombia. Based on a city input-output table (IOT) nested in a multiregional input-output (MRIO) table framework, we estimate the three categories of the carbon footprint (scopes 1, 2, and 3) identified by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol using an improved multiregional tiered hybrid analysis of the university's energy and other input expenditures. Our results show that 94% of the entire institution's footprint is attributed to scope 3, which represents indirect emissions linked to the upstream value chain. The results allow us to identify emission hotspots and their impact on the supply chain, which can be helpful for reducing costs and encouraging organizations, users, and suppliers to make more sustainable decisions.
... In recent years, an increasing number of worldwide universities have begun to make inventories of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through the assessment of the carbon footprint to evaluate and improve the sustainability of their activities (Bertolin et al., 2019;Clabeaux et al., 2020;Mendoza-Flores et al., 2019;Varón-Hoyos et al., 2021). These footprints are indicators of the total direct and indirect GHG emissions produced by universities. ...
Students commuting to and from university campuses have important social, environmental and transportation impacts. Based on a questionnaire conducted with 686 students from the University of Minho, Portugal, this study analyses the transport modes used in their commuting trips, the potential to shift towards more sustainable modes and the respective CO2 savings. Although 54% of students travel less than 5 km and 62% travel less than 20 minutes, 42% of them prefer to drive to university. Considering the students’ travel distances and times, 55% of the trips could potentially be carried out by active modes of transport, while motorised trips could decrease from 70% to 45%. Depending on the scenario analysed, the modal shift can reduce the emissions of CO2 from 8% up to 27%. The findings described in this study can help university campus managers and urban planners in adopting planning policies to make mobility more sustainable.
... Clabeaux et al. [47] evaluated the carbon footprint of Clemson University's campus using life cycle-based assessment methodology, providing a baseline for future mitigation. Varón-Hoyos et al. [48] reported the use of the GHG Protocol to calculate the carbon footprint at the Technological University of Pereira, Colombia, for the year 2018. In the local context, Aristizábal-Alzate and González-Manosalva [49] used the NTC-ISO 14064 standard to calculate the GHG emissions and the carbon footprint for the Robledo campus of the Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano ITM located in Medellín. ...
This paper addresses the path followed by two private higher education institutions (HEI) in Colombia towards achieving carbon neutrality. The methodology followed by these universities to achieve a carbon-neutral certification, based on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, is first described. The process of developing the GHG inventory, projected towards the carbon neutrality of these organisations while using the standard ISO 14064:2006, involved a series of steps that were consolidated in three phases: (i) definition of the scope, collection of data and emissions quantification; (ii) analysis of results and mitigation actions; and (iii) verification and compensation strategies. Results for the HEIs are shown in terms of the organisational context, carbon footprint measurement, reduction, verification, and compensation. The case is presented for Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, a multi-campus university that became the first carbon-neutral university in Latin America in 2017, and Universidad Ean, a single-campus university that became the second carbon-neutral university in Colombia in 2021, as verified by the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and Certification (ICONTEC). This work shows that universities can play a key role in regional and global agendas with their contribution through the incorporation of sustainability strategies, since HEIs can not only achieve carbon neutrality, but they can help other organisations by delivering graduates who are aware of sustainability and provide specific training towards building a sustainability culture, which is needed for regenerative development.
Introducción:
los gobiernos, las empresas y las personas han incrementado su preocupación por el aumento en las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, producido en su mayor parte por las actividades humanas. Para mitigar el impacto ambiental se han creado una serie de herramientas, objetivos, y acuerdos para su respectivo control. Una de las herramientas que se presenta para dar solución a esta problemática es la huella de carbono, ya que permite estimar las emisiones de CO2 generadas a la atmósfera a causa de actividades a nivel personal u organizacional.
Objetivo:
el objetivo del presente estudio es medir la huella de carbono corporativa en una Institución de Educación Superior; promover acciones correctivas en la optimización del uso de combustibles fósiles, el consumo de energía, el papel, entre otros que permitan mitigar su impacto; y generar unos lineamientos para que otras Instituciones de educación superior puedan realizar sus mediciones de Huella de carbono corporativa. Como eje fundamental de la formación, las Instituciones de Educación Superior deben ser entidades líderes en la realización de estrategias de sostenibilidad ambiental.
Materiales y métodos:
el presente estudio se desarrolla en una importante institución de educación superior colombiana, comprometida con el medio ambiente y su respectiva mitigación de gases de efecto invernadero, haciendo uso de la huella de carbono corporativa bajo los lineamientos de la norma ISO 14064-1/2006.
Resultados:
los resultados muestran que las fuentes de emisión clasificadas en los alcances 1, 2 y 3 generaron el 5,4 %, el 60,6 % y el 34,1 %, respectivamente de las emisiones totales.
Conclusiones:
el alcance 2, producto del uso de la energía, es el que mayor impacto genera, seguido del alcance 3, denominado como otras emisiones indirectas, que en este caso se generan por los viajes que realizan los empleados, en su mayoría el personal docente a congresos, estancias de investigación, entre otros. Finalmente, el alcance 1, tiene un impacto bajo en las emisiones totales.
Clarifying the nexus between water, energy, and carbon has great importance regarding regional sustainable development. A university campus is a multifunctional comprehensive community attribute suitable for exploring campus–scale water–energy–carbon nexus and its spatial heterogeneity. In this study, a theoretical framework of the water–energy–carbon nexus at campus scale was established, the spatial patterns of carbon sources/sinks were estimated, and the characteristics of the water–energy–carbon nexus of different functional areas were investigated. Results showed that campus carbon emission and absorption was 32,119.92 and 557.04 t, respectively. Heat and electricity consumption were the main sources of carbon emissions. Monthly energy–water consumption and carbon emission showed fluctuating trends. Spatial visualization revealed that the highest (lowest) carbon emission was related to the residential (experimental) area. The water–energy–carbon nexus varied among different functional areas, determined primarily by the properties of buildings, energy structure, population density, and human behavior. This research outlines a new policy for low–carbon emission campuses management. Formulating integrated strategies that could help reduce carbon emissions and enhance energy–water saving would contribute to multiobjective realization and promotion of campus sustainability.
The paper presents a review of carbon management in relation to UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), forms part of a wider study on the ongoing reliance on fossil fuels in Scotland 's public sector with focus on Universities and Local Government Authorities. It compares the CF (carbon footprint), emission sources, and the fossil fuel contribution to the CFs reported in 3 identified articles relating specifically to the estimation of CF for HEIs. The consumption of fossil fuels results in human induced climate change however, fossil fuels boosted the industrialization process and remains the dominant source of global energy consumption. Action in tackling climate change has led to organizations coming under increasing pressures to monitor and report their CFs. HEIs have a key role to play in reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions through delivery of scientific research and innovative carbon management solutions, increase in its uptake of renewable energy technologies, educating and training future leaders, and raising public awareness, in contribution to a sustainable society. This paper highlights the need for a shift of focus to reducing fossil fuel reliance in response to climate change and demonstrates how HEIs can impact GHG reductions.
Este artículo presenta el nivel de institucionalización del compromiso con la sustentabilidad de las universidades colombianas. El estudio aborda cinco ámbitos institucionales: gobierno y participación; docencia y formación ambiental; investigación ambiental; extensión o proyección social ambiental; y gestión y ordenamiento ambiental. Se realizó mediante la aplicación de una encuesta a 60 instituciones de educación superior de Colombia. Para el análisis se utilizaron los indicadores de la estadística descriptiva, cuyos resultados muestran que las universidades colombianas han avanzado en el compromiso con la sustentabilidad, pero aún se encuentran en un nivel bajo de la escala utilizada en la investigación. Solo el ámbito de docencia y formación ambiental se encuentra en un rango medio.
El propósito de este artículo es presentar una visión actualizada de los avances logrados por instituciones de educación superior [IES] del país en el proceso de institucionalización del compromiso ambiental. Se indaga por la inclusión de los temas ambientales en ámbitos que incluyen, además de las funciones sustantivas de docencia, investigación y extensión, las políticas institucionales y la participación, gestión y ordenamiento ambiental. La encuesta fue diligenciada por 60 IES públicas y privadas, ubicadas en diferentes regiones del país. El carácter de la investigación es cualitativo, de tipo exploratorio, apoyado en análisis de estadística descriptiva y elaborada con base en una escala establecida para cada ámbito a partir de porcentajes que definen los niveles de compromiso ambiental de cada una de las IES. El ámbito de desempeño más alto fue el de gobierno y participación, lo cual muestra el interés de las IES por fortalecer las políticas ambientales. El más bajo fue el de gestión y ordenamiento del campus. Estos resultados establecen la necesidad, de generar estrategias de autorregulación y mejoramiento institucional, y promover procesos de continuidad de esta investigación.
A través de este trabajo se pretende identificar aspectos de la institucionalización del compromiso ambiental en un grupo de universidades colombianas a partir de cinco ámbitos establecidos: gobierno, docencia, investigación, extensión y gestión. Para esto se aplicó una encuesta de 25 preguntas, planteadas a partir del proyecto RISU: “Definición de indicadores para la evaluación de las políticas de sustentabilidad en universidades latinoamericanas”. El análisis, de carácter estadístico descriptivo, se elaboró con base en una escala entre 1 y 25 puntos, con cinco intervalos de igual magnitud para medir y clasificar el nivel de compromiso ambiental de las universidades. La encuesta fue respondida por 36 universidades del país. El nivel promedio hallado del compromiso de las IES colombianas es alto, con un valor de 18 puntos. Los ámbitos en los que el compromiso es más alto, son los de investigación y docencia, con un mismo valor promedio de 4,0 entre 5,0 posibles. Les siguen en su orden los de extensión (3,6), gestión (3,5) y gobierno (3,3).
Organizations are under increasing pressure from governments and stakeholders to reduce carbon emissions from their business operations for climate change mitigation. Universities are not exempt from this challenge and are operating in a complex external environment, not least responding to the UK government's Climate Change Act 2008 (80% carbon reductions by 2050 as per 1990 baseline). In 2012-2013, the UK Higher Education (HE) sector consumed 7.9 billion kWh of energy and produced 2.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions. This indicates the scale of the challenge and carbon management is central to reduce carbon emissions. However, effective processes for implementing and embedding carbon management in organizations in general, and universities in particular, have yet to be realized. This paper explores the critical success factors (CSFs) for embedding carbon management in universities and, more widely, in organizations. This exploratory study adopted a mixed-methods approach including the content analysis of universities' carbon management plans alongside semi-structured interviews in the UK HE sector. The paper identifies six key factors for successfully embedding carbon management that are pertinent not just for the HE sector, but to organizations broadly: senior management leadership; funding and resources; stakeholder engagement; planning; governance and management; and evaluation and reporting.
Las universidades, como instituciones de educación superior, deben asumir compromisos ambientales, y estos compromisos requieren políticas claras y acertadas, así como la adopción de estrategias que involucren la cuantificación de sus impactos. En este estudio se presenta el inventario de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) en la Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano (Utadeo), sede Bogotá, correspondiente al año 2015. Mediante la identificación y clasificación de las principales actividades desarrolladas en la institución y la posterior colección de datos de entrada de materia y energía se cuantificaron las emisiones de GEI en CO2 equivalentes, acorde con la norma ISO 14064-1 (2006). En los límites organizacionales de la Utadeo se establecieron diez fuentes de emisión. En el alcance I se calcularon 138.163 t CO2e, atribuido a procesos de combustión de diésel y gas natural en el funcionamiento de plantas eléctricas, cafeterías y laboratorios; en el alcance II, 628.833 t CO2e, que corresponden a las emisiones indirectas por consumo de energía eléctrica en diversas actividades educativas y académicas. Además, en emisiones indirectas del alcance III se cuantificaron 921,368 t CO2e, asociadas a la infraestructura, transporte aéreo, consumo de papel, agua y generación de residuos. El inventario de GEI de la Universidad fue de 1688.36 t CO2e, y las emisiones comprendidas en el alcance III fueron las que hicieron mayor aporte.
The carbon footprint calculation of a university is considered a model role for the rest of other organizations to follow.
It is because that a university is full of talented people with diverse experience, advanced research facilities and it
consists of many resources that we need to measure, manage and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [1]. In this
study, tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and setting boundaries method of
the World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) are
applied for calculating GHG emissions from Esentepe Campus of Sakarya University (SAU) in 2015. In the
calculation of this study, the last updated Global Warming Potential (GWP) from the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report,
2014 was used for converting greenhouse gases into CO2 equivalent [2]. As a result, Esentepe Campus of Sakarya
University released 12,330.73 tons of CO2 equivalents (Expressed as tCO2e) and scope 2 indirect emissions of
purchased electricity is the most important emission source, followed by emissions from student and employee
commuting. In order to reduce CO2 on Campus, some solutions are also suggested for efficiently consuming
electricity and energy.
This paper presents the preliminary results of a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory prepared for the campus of PUC-Rio, located in the district of Gávea, south zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. GHG emissions have been identified in scope 1 (stationary and mobile combustion, fugitive emissions), scope 2 (electricity consumption) and scope 3 (transport, travel, generation and disposal of solid waste), according to the methodologies recommended by the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program. Among the sources of emissions, the main generator was the most difficult to quantify, and it was related to the commuting between the campus and the residences of estimated 20,000 people who frequented PUC-Rio daily in 2011.
This paper reviews the evolvement of water footprint assessment (WFA) as a new research field over the past fifteen years. The research is rooted in four basic thoughts: (1) there is a global dimension to water management because water-intensive commodities are internationally traded, so we must study virtual water trade and the effects of countries externalizing their water footprint; (2) freshwater renewal rates are limited, so we must study the development of consumption, production and trade patterns in relation to these limitations; (3) supply-chain thinking, previously uncommon in water management, can help to address sustainable water use from the perspective of companies and final consumers; and (4) a comprehensive approach requires the consideration of green in addition to blue water consumption, the traditional focus in water management, and the analysis of water pollution in the same analytical framework as well. The quick emergence of the new field and wide uptake of the water footprint concept in society has generated substantial discussion about what the concept in narrow sense and the research field in broader sense can offer and what not. The paper reflects on the main issues of debate.
Organisations of all types are significant contributors to international greenhouse gas emissions. The business case for supporting low-carbon practices is gathering pace, alongside the regulatory demands imposed through carbon emission compliance reporting. Despite this, guidance for generating carbon footprints through hybrid environmentally extended input-output analysis is under-developed and under-researched. Higher Education Institutions are key components of education systems across the globe, transcending international borders, socio-political regimes and economic systems. As an internationally significant sector beginning to address climate issues through carbon reduction policies on and off the estate, very few research articles have been published that document emissions arising from all directly and indirectly attributable activities. This study outlines a number of key elements to standardise the organisational carbon footprinting process by reconciling and evaluating the methodological steps in six selected internationally reputable guidelines (published by the Global Reporting Initiative, the Carbon Disclosure Project, the United Kingdom's Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the International Standardisation Organisation and the Higher Education Funding Council for England). A systematic review is undertaken which relates the four principles of carbon footprinting (boundary-setting, identification of activities, collecting of data and reporting/verification) to the academic literature. Then, via consultation with university environment managers, a number of recommendations are made to address and improve i) the potential to avoid double-counting, ii) the financial and resource cost of carbon footprinting and iii) the reliability and comparability of data compiled by institutions. We introduce a methodology for a universal, standardised footprinting standard for higher education (that could also apply to all organisations regardless of sector or region) with cut-off criteria that excludes paid-for products and services typically included in the ‘Scope 3’ proportion of the footprint. In proposing this methodology, carbon footprinting is made more applicable to higher education institutions (since existing standards are designed for generality and for profit-driven organisations) and the practical issues, associated with externally owned data and non-expert staff, are broadly overcome.
Este documento tiene como propósito revisar los aspectos teóricos e instrumentales de la implementación de la sostenibilidad en las universidades y realizar una propuesta para la gestión de la misma. A través de la revisión de literatura científica alrededor de la relación que existe entre la sostenibilidad y las funciones operativas y sustantivas de las universidades, se plantea un mecanismo lógico-instrumental para lograr la puesta en marcha de los componentes del desarrollo sostenible, definiendo el sistema universitario de manejo ambiental, el manejo de los grupos de interés y la docencia e investigación de las universidades como el camino para que hagan tránsito hacia la sostenibilidad. El trabajo presenta un aporte en relación a la sostenibilidad en las universidades ubicadas en países emergentes con el planteamiento de un modelo de implementación denominando "Campus Sostenible".
To describe and measure the apparent pressures humanity poses to functioning of the crucial Earth systems, scientists have long strived to develop comprehensive indicators, of which environmental footprints are probably the most popularly recognized and employed. Since the inception of environmental footprint accounting in the 1990s, the concept has evolved to comprise, next to the ecological footprint, many other environmental and socio-economic issues. However, there is not yet a generally accepted definition of what (environmental) footprints are and how should they be calculated. Thus, most people have only a vague idea of what the footprint results entail, which seems to hold for the scientific community as well. This paper sets to critically overview the various methodological approaches to the most eminent footprinting methodologies, and to conceptually analyze the, often opposing, views on what footprint indicators are or should be; thus providing a key to current footprint research literature and debates. Starting with the ecological footprint, it is shown how footprints started and evolved, but also how the original concept is heavily criticized. The carbon footprint is the most well-known indicator; however, it is also the one where the chaos is most apparent, with a multitude of differing definitions and approaches. The evolution, as well as the debate of the opposing views and methodologies are described regarding water footprint. Also, other evolving concepts, such as land or material footprints are analyzed, as well as how environmental footprints are grouped to a Footprint Family. Then, the general environmental footprint concept is analyzed, regarding the most eminent debates and opposition to life cycle assessment. Finally, the relationship of footprints to the planetary boundaries concept is analyzed.
Given the need to actively address the challenges of climate change, university leaders have a growing interest in reducing their campuses' environmental impact. This article carries out a comprehensive literature review on the implemented actions and initiatives in university campuses reported in scientific publications. In addition, case studies carried out in universities are also reviewed, giving particular attention to the methods and tools used, targeting the current trends in sustainable campus scientific research. Key actions and initiatives were identified and categorized according to Energy, Buildings, Water, Waste, Transportation, Grounds, Air and Climate, and Food. Results show that the increase in energy generation on campus and the decrease of energy consumption in buildings are by far the leading policies adopted, however with limited dissemination of their impact. Moreover, there seems to be a tendency for countries with higher income economies to engage in initiatives that involve greater investment, such as the adoption of renewable energy systems or efficient buildings systems. The need to establish an integrated framework to disseminate and monitor the impact of key actions and their feasibility is suggested, in order to leverage strategic programs and actions, helping to optimize investments, and leading advances towards a sustainable university campus.
The Cuajimalpa campus of the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM) is located in the western region of Mexico City. In 2016, its global average population (students, faculty and staff) was around 2750 people. Campus policies include sustainability as one of its main aims. To evaluate and eventually reduce the environmental impact of the campus, its greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory was assessed and the carbon footprint was calculated, using the GHG protocol (GHGP): Scope 1: direct GHG emissions; Scope 2: indirect GHG emissions; and Scope 3: other indirect GHG emissions, on a calendar year basis. Scope 1 includes mobile and stationary sources and leakage of refrigerants; Scope 2 includes electrical energy usage; Scope 3 includes consumption of paper, food, water, gases, cleaning products, solvents, wastewater treatment, municipal and hazardous wastes and academic travel. In 2016, the campus produced around 3000 tons of CO2 equivalent, with Scope 1, 2 and 3 accounting for 4%, 24% and 72%, respectively. Emissions analysis by activity indicated 51% for commuting; 24% for electricity usage; 14% for academic travel; 11% for other activities. The inventory will aid the establishment of policies for reduction and mitigation of GHG, resulting in environmental and potential economic benefits.
Increasingly, universities are taking responsibility for climate protection. While there has been a growth of activities and studies on greening campus operations and curricula, student lifestyles may also be interesting to look at. This study focuses on student carbon emissions from consumption at the University of Applied Science in Konstanz, Germany. The study includes almost 10% of the university's students. Data on student lifestyle and emission patterns was collected via questionnaires and calculated with a web-based carbon calculator. The study analyzes personal carbon emissions and influencing factors from four consumption categories; housing (including heating and electricity), mobility (including private car use, public transport and aviation), food and other consumption. The findings show average students’ carbon footprint to be 10.9 t CO2 equivalent per year and of the same order of magnitude as the German average. While students cause less emission through heating because of smaller living space per person, they cause considerably more emission by aviation. A relatively small group of frequent flyers dominates aviation emissions. The study shows that the correlation between low income/expenditure and low carbon emissions is not valid for students due to high long-distance mobility.
The increasing concern about the environmental performance and sustainability of firms and organizations also involves educational institutions. If universities aim to become leaders in sustainability aspects, they must adopt strategies that involve the entire university system. As a useful tool for this purpose, the objective of this study was to calculate the carbon footprint for the University of Castilla-La Mancha for the period 2005–2013. The calculation of the university carbon footprint was accomplished through a hybrid environmentally extended input–output model in a multiregional framework, which constitutes a novelty of the analysis. The proposed tool also allows the calculation of the potential for emissions reduction of abatement measures. The carbon footprint induced by the consumption of university employees' wages is also undertaken as a way to increase awareness and university outreach to society. The results show the relevance of both imports and indirect emissions and highlight the significance of energy-related emissions enabled by sectors such as renting, electrical and optical equipment, manufacturing or even services.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) can play a key role in facilitating the transition to a low carbon economy, where reporting greenhouse gas emissions is an important step in this process. While most UK HEIs are required to report estate emissions, engagement with supply chain emissions has been inconsistent. This research examined emissions arising from the air travel of international and study-abroad students and their visiting friends and relatives (VFR). Survey results demonstrated that flight frequencies were substantially higher than those assumed in sector guidance. An analysis of 25 UK HEIs found student and VFR flight emissions were significant, each being greater than other Scope 3 travel and comparable to Scope 2 emissions. Scenario analysis suggests that by 2020/2021, increases in flight emissions are likely to exceed reductions in estate emissions unless HEIs reinvigorate efforts to achieve reduction targets, and/or there is close to zero growth in inbound and outbound student numbers. It is thus imperative that HEIs develop an accurate picture of these emissions in order to inform their carbon management and internationalization strategies. In doing so, the risk of a rebound-type effect must also be considered, where if action is taken to reduce student flights, VFR flights may increase.
Progressively, higher education institutions have been incorporating sustainable development strategies and actions into teaching, research, infrastructure and campus operations. Recent years have witnessed a resurgence in environmental sustainability networks in universities in Latin America. A group of Chilean universities, including the Universidad de Talca, signed a Cleaner Production Agreement with the National Agency for Cleaner production in Chile. The measurement of corporate greenhouse gas emissions is included among the objectives of this agreement. For developing countries there are few peer-reviewed studies that analyze greenhouse gas emissions generated by universities. The scarcity is most evident in Latin American universities. In this context, this study presents the evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions for the Curico campus of the Universidad de Talca. The emissions are classified according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol standard into scopes 1, 2 and 3. The total emissions for the campus in 2012 was 1.0 tCO2e/student, of which 68% correspond to scope 3, 16% correspond to scope 1 and 16% to scope 2. The principal contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions are student commuting, staff commuting and electricity consumption. The comparison with other higher education institutions worldwide, mostly situated in developed countries, indicates that for the Curico campus the greenhouse gas emissions value is below average. Moreover, an analysis was carried out for four scenarios with emissions reduction proposals. The most effective scenario is related to students using bicycles rather than motor vehicles. This study may be a useful guide for the application of emission reduction options in other countries, particularly in Latin America, where there are universities that have similar characteristics and lack environmental information.
While video conferencing is often viewed as a greener alternative to physically travelling to meet in-person, it has its own energy, carbon dioxide and time costs. In this paper we present the first analysis of the total cost of videoconferencing, including operating costs of the network and videoconferencing equipment, lifecycle assessment of equipment costs, and the time cost of people involved in meetings. We compare these costs to the corresponding costs for in-person meetings, which include operating and lifecycle costs of vehicles and the costs of participant time. While the costs of these meeting forms depend on many factors such as distance travelled, meeting duration, and the technologies used, we find that videoconferencing takes at most 7% of the energy/carbon of an in-person meeting. This comparison changes when the time cost is taken into account, with videoconferencing potentially costing more than in-person meetings in a worst-case scenario. We also analyse the sensitivity of the energy and carbon costs to various factors and consider trends in energy and carbon usage to predict how the comparison might change in the future.
This paper presents a consumption-based carbon footprint study for a UK university including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions under the classification of the WRI/WBCSD Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard. Data was collected from different departments of the University to estimate emissions and identify carbon hotspots. The scope 3 emissions comprised around 79% of the total university’s greenhouse gas emissions, which supports the rationale for the consumption-based methodology. Procurement emissions were 38% of the overall estimated footprint and 48% of total scope 3 emissions which, as the largest emissions sector, highlights the need to implement policies that address the supply chain of the products that universities consume. It presents the most comprehensive analysis to date of the consumption-based emissions associated with a UK higher education institution. The consumption-based methodology developed in this project can now be applied to other universities to gain a better understanding of their major greenhouse gas emissions and the actions that they need to take to reduce these emissions.
In spite of a number of Sustainable Development (SD) initiatives and an increasing number of universities becoming engaged with SD, most higher education institutions (HEIs) continue to be traditional, and rely upon Newtonian and Cartesian reductionist and mechanistic paradigms. As a result many universities are still lagging behind companies in helping societies become more sustainable. This paper analyses the texts of eleven declarations, charters, and partnerships developed for HEIs, which can be considered to represent university leaders’ intentions to help improve the effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The analysis was done against two sets of criteria: (1) the university system, including curricula, research, physical plant operations, outreach and engagement with stakeholders, and assessment and reporting; and (2) the texts’ complexity, number of bullet points, and number of words. The analysis was done continuously; whenever a new element was found in a text it was added to the university system (first criteria set) and applied to the analysis of the other texts. In this way, the system was augmented with the following elements: collaborating with other universities; fostering transdisciplinarity; making SD an integral part of the institutional framework; creating on-campus life experiences; and ‘Educating-the-Educators’. The authors of the paper propose that for universities to become sustainability leaders and change drivers, they must ensure that the needs of present and future generations be better understood and built upon, so that professionals who are well versed in SD can effectively educate students of ‘all ages’ to help make the transition to ‘sustainable societal patterns’. In order to do so, university leaders and staff must be empowered to catalyse and implement new paradigms, and ensure that SD is the ‘Golden Thread’ throughout the entire university system.
Universidad y sostenibilidad: una aproximaci on te orica para su implementaci on [University and sustainability: a theoretical approach for its implementation
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[University and sustainability: a theoretical approach
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Calculating the carbon footprint of universities
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Urban ecological footprints: why cities cannot be sustainable -and why they are a key to sustainability
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Institucionalizaci on del compromiso ambiental de las universidades colombianas
- O S Aenz
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S aenz O, Plata AM, Holgu ın MT, et al.
Institucionalizaci on del compromiso ambiental de las
universidades colombianas [Institutionalization of the
environmental commitment of colombian universities].
Universidades y sostenibilidad: experiencias de las instituciones de educaci on superior en Colombia/Segundo Foro Colombiano de Universidades y Sostenibilidad [Universities and sustainability: experiences of higher education institutions in Colombia/Second
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educaci on superior en Colombia/Segundo Foro
Colombiano de Universidades y Sostenibilidad
[Universities and sustainability: experiences of higher
education
institutions
in
Colombia/Second
Estimación de la huella de carbono producida durante el año 2013 en la Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, sede calle 100. [Estimation of the carbon footprint produced during 2013 at the Nueva Granada Military University
- J P Barragán
Barrag an JP. Estimaci on de la huella de carbono producida durante el año 2013 en la Universidad Militar
Nueva Granada, sede calle 100. [Estimation of the
carbon footprint produced during 2013 at the Nueva
Granada Military University, 100th street headquarters] [thesis]. Bogot a (Colombia): Nueva Granada
Military University; 2014. Spanish.
Determinación de la huella de carbono de la universidad de La Salle sede Candelaria [Determination of the carbon footprint of the University of La Salle Candelaria headquarters
- Reyes Salazar
- Panche Cano
Reyes Salazar DS, Panche Cano LT. Determinaci on de
la huella de carbono de la universidad de La Salle
sede Candelaria [Determination of the carbon footprint of the University of La Salle Candelaria headquarters] [thesis]. Bogot a (Colombia): University of La
Salle; 2019. Spanish.
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An alisis de emisiones de CO 2 para diferentes combustibles en la poblacion de taxis en Pereira y Dosquebradas [Analysis of CO 2 emissions for different fuels in the taxi population
- J Mosquera
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Mosquera J, Fern andez S, Mosquera JC. An alisis de
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[Analysis of CO 2 emissions for different fuels in the
taxi population in Pereira and Dosquebradas].
Una aproximaci o a l'impacte ambiental de l'Escola d'Arquitectura del Vall es. Bases per a una pol ıtica ambiental de l'ETSAV
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l'impacte ambiental de l'Escola d'Arquitectura del
Vall es. Bases per a una pol ıtica ambiental de l'ETSAV.
[MIES report. An approach to the environmental
impact of the Vall es School of Architecture. Bases for
an ETSAV environmental policy].
Invent ario de Emissões de Gases de Efeito Estufa no Campus G avea da PUC-Rio
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Huella de Carbono en la Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena: En Busca de la Ecoeficiencia Curso 2013-2014 [Carbon Footprint at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena: In Search of Eco-efficiency Course
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Hermosilla A. Huella de Carbono en la Universidad
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La huella de carbono de la Universitat de Val encia: diagn ostico, an alisis y evaluaci on [The carbon footprint of the University of Valencia: diagnosis, analysis and evaluation
- M Puchades
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Puchades M, De la Guardia A, Albertos J. La huella de
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Dataset Information (UPR) market for transport, regular bus, GLO
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Cuantificación general de emisiones de dióxido de carbono generadas por las actividades en la Universidad Industrial de Santander y propuestas de mitigación [General quantification of carbon dioxide emissions generated by activities at the Industrial University of Santander and mitigation proposals
- M Rojas
- Y Chacón
Anuario estadístico mundial de energía 2019
- Enerdata
Pereira (Colombia): Gestión Ambiental Universitaria. Construyendo un campus sustentable
- A García
- Y Agudelo