The current report discusses the aspect of sustainability management in context of University of Bedfordshire. This report will take into consideration the initiatives that are related to sustainability and complemented by outreach activities in aspects of academics, operations and stakeholders. The report will discuss the elements of sustainability, management systems and key performance indicators of the University of Bedfordshire. Discussions will be meet regarding current practices and compare it with other organisations having better rank in sustainability index. The impact as well as aspect of sustainability practices will be discussed in order to identify the opportunities as well as challenges that University of Bedfordshire faces. Recommendations will be suggested by taking into account the different aspects of sustainability management in University of Bedfordshire.
The most potential catalyst for implementing sustainable development ideologies for the upcoming generations is higher education. The importance of sustainability has begin to emerge as a commercialized entity as people believe that higher education institutions and Universities are the key to bringing a sustainable future (Figueiró and Raufflet, 2015). In order to bring about the pace for the increasing and exponential magnitude of Technology growth and development,The human beings have interacted with a number of factors which in turn has resulted in threatening the sustainability of the societies. The current generation of human beings uses half of the freshwater available in the world and the activities have affected weather as well as climate. Major natural system existing in earth have a touch of human activity.
Over the last several decades, International initiatives as empathetically emphasised on the fact that education is critical and vital for societies trying to become sustainable. According to Hoover and Harder (2015). this change in perception has affected universities as well as other Institutions in Higher Education. These institutions have align their principles and practices with the concept of sustainability. The universities Have a very significant impact in the transformation of the society towards sustainable practices. As the natural system of the planet weakens due to the increasing human activity due to the inability of the existing institutions available to meet the challenges to do long term planning as they are dominated by individual interests and the Bureaucracy is fragmented by authority as well as responsibility which is much more suitable for allocating resources when in abundance but not when in scarcity.
The four primary dilemmas that the society faces today can be essentially considered as moral choices. These dilemmas are to alleviate poverty, to remove and the gap between the rich and the poor by controlling the use of political violence and manipulation and to change the existing pattern of consumption as well as production in order to achieve transition to sustainable model (Stough et al. 2018). The current generation is an prepared both philosophically as well as institutionally to respond to the above mentioned challenges which in turn will affect the world for the future generations. The need of the hour for educational institutions such as University of Bedford is to prepare the students to live in a world as it will be in future by encouraging the individual students to embrace the responsibilities of a sustainable future.
In order to systematically as well as comprehensively document the impact of an organisation on the environment, environment management systems and KPIs are used. According to Viegas et al. (2016), the primary and most important function of environmental management systems are to reduce the impact of the activities of Organisation on the environment. University of Bedfordshire cited the same reason for implementing search management systems across all the campuses of the Institution. Previously The university was chosen for implementing a management system which was aligned with the environmental management systems of British Standard and this means that the institution has been certified to the above mentioned standard in the year 2013. Recently the institution has transition from the British Standard to Eco campus environmental management system which is one of the more recognised systems operating in the sector of Higher Education.
The Eco campus has been selected as a national management system which makes use of award schemes for supporting sustainability development and implementation in the sector of Higher Education. This scheme allows University of Bedfordshire to be responsible for addressing the key issues pertaining to environmental sustainability which also includes carbon reduction. The institution has received the external certification for Eco-campus in the year (2018) and has continuously strived to obtain better certification. In order to benchmark the implementation of Sustainable ideas it is necessary to keep track of the key indicators of performance that will help in defining the result in a physical as well as numerical fashion. Few necessary key performance indicators that are tracked by University of Bedfordshire consumption of utility, flow, waste, water, education, transportation and lastly energy and changing climates (Dlouhá et al. 2017).
University of Bedfordshire has extensively undertaken numerous initiatives that helps the institution to follow a plan of sustainability. The University has a dedicated waste disposal system that collects renewable and nonrenewable waste generated from the campus and keeps it for further segregation. The institution also takes part in recycling activities and makes use of combi heating for the heating needs of the university. University of Bedfordshire has also installed solar panels which are essential for cutting down on electricity from traditional energy source which makes it a greener and more efficient system for lighting and air conditioning needs.
The institution also has a very systematic and dedicated rainwater harvesting system which makes use of the rooftop area of the university building for rainwater collection and this rainwater is further collected in a tank which has a capacity of 600 thousand litres. A fraction of the water collected is used for flushing toilet and other cleaning activities. The rest of the water is further purified and fitted with antimicrobial agents to make the water potable or drinkable. In order to minimise energy consumption due to using Elevators, University of Bedfordshire has initiated a lift campaign which asks the individuals getting in the elevator if they can use the stairway. The environmental management system implemented by the University of Bedfordshire helps in monitoring the numerical data in order to tweak with the existing setup tour greatly increase the efficiency.
University of Bedfordshire has attained Global recognition due to its attempt to implement the sustainable practices in higher education. However, according to the ranking system of the sustainability index, the institution ranks 11 in the United Kingdom. The top performer mentioned in the index is the Nottingham Trent University and is closely followed by Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Brighton. The environmental General Manager of Nottingham Trent University has proclaimed that the reason the institution’s commitment for reducing carbon emissions go beyond the paradigm of environment is because the students believe that they have an edge in terms of career opportunities if they consider the environmental challenges that they may face in the future. However the individual performance of the Institutions does not summarise the commitment of Higher Education institutions in the United Kingdom towards sustainable practices and development (Wood et al. 2016).
It should be noted that quarter or even less number of universities present in United Kingdom are committed towards their promise of carbon reduction In the coming years. This inability to commit to the targeted figure has declined to nearly 40% Even though that 42 institutions based in United Kingdom have already made commitments to divest from endowment in future from companies dealing with fossil fuels. It should be noted, as observed by Christie et al. (2015), that the reason commitment from such institutions have been shaky is due to declining Government support as well as incentives complemented with decreasing number of University staff who are dedicated to environmental and sustainability activities. The government environmental initiatives have also declined overtime and this has lead to serious issue in commitment of higher education institutions in the United Kingdom.
By reviewing the literature it is clear that a sustainable University Campus actually implies good balance between the environmental, social as well as economic goals in terms of policy making as well as long term impact of the present day activities on the campus. Sustainability has been characterized by growth in economy which is in turn based on the Social Justice as well as efficiency while using natural resources (Ceulemans, Lozano and Alonso-Almeida, 2015). Hence, the sustainability practices should include division that in order to achieve sustainability goals it is needed that all the stakeholders corporate and participate in the same. Just like cities the universities also have a wide range of complex activities as well as operations that have significant environmental impacts which until recently has been overlooked from the perspectives of social as well as environmental responsibility. According to Lozano et al. (2015), the activities as well as operations related to University required constant monitoring in order to identify the potential impact on the environment. Use of laboratory and workshops, energy as well as chemical used, ground and building maintenance all required hands-on monitoring and review.
Since the universities are responsible for significantly contributed to the development of the society, they hence have a special responsibility towards the society particularly in context of Sustainable environmental protection as well as resource use. By demonstrating sustainable practices in the University Campus, there is a chance that it will become a model for the alumni of the Institution to take sustainable initiatives elsewhere in the society (Schoolman et al. 2016). Hence it is necessary for University of Bedfordshire to promote a development pattern that is compatible with biodiversity, environmental safety, ecological balance as well as integrational equity. According to O’Byrne, Dripps and Nicholas (2015), the concept of sustainability needs to be served as a way to configure the campus as well as the various activities of the university so that the members present in the institution are able to meet their economic and intellectual needs by expressing their greatest potential in the present as well as in the future.
|
Aspect |
Impact |
Current practice |
Recommendation |
|
Biodiversity |
? To create more than 2000 square metres of green spaces by the year 2020. ? To protect and increase the growth of the flora and fauna that has been identified in the biodiversity audits. |
? A phase II Ecology audit has been commissioned for all the main campuses which is expected to be completed by 2020. ? In order to create new habitats and encourage the concept of biodiversity the institution has ensuring that all the Constructions that are being Incorporated make use of green roofs. ? Collaborative work with the ground maintenance staff has been initiated in order to ensure that the best practices for maintaining conserving as well as enhancing the ecology as well as associated habitats. |
? It is recommended to maintain relationship with the local bodies such as wildlife trusts. ? This also necessary to ensure that necessary gadgets are made available for promoting biodiversity improvement work. |
|
Recycling |
? Constitution has committed to recycle hundred percent of the total generated waste by the year 2020. ? The rate of internal recycling has being projected to increase from 45 to 60% by the year 2020. |
? Density tuition providers external waste recycling points for the staff members as well as the students. ? Campaigns and trainings have been conducted to raise Awareness of waste and recycling. ? The institution has also increase the facilities for the staff as well as the students so as they can recycle the waste. ? The University of bedfordshire as also implemented the waste hierarchy comprising of reduce reuse and recycle. |
? In order to minimise packaging waste, the institution needs to take part in sustainable procurement practice which comply with the European as well as UK standards of waste regulation. |
|
Sustainable procurement |
? The carbon emissions from the supply chain network is projected to decline to 25% by the year 2020. ? Assisting the local economy as well as the community with sustainable development. |
? The institution is trying to minimise the impact of the procurement process on the environment. Introduction as per the TBL in terms of philosophical turning around for less carbon emission ? Training and information are provided internally to encourage sustainable procurement practices. ? The contractor only awarded to the suppliers who comply with the requirements of the environmental PPQ. ? The institution also ensure that the supplies that are purchased are procured from sustainable sources. |
? It is recommended that institution uses ecologically friendly products when and where available as the first option. ? The purchases should be made from local suppliers if practical. ? In order to make sure that the procurement process is sustainable it is necessary to develop the full life cycle cost procedure for the product. ? The Institution of on its to promote the policy of reducing the delivery schedule which defines as Russia’s the best practices for raising the Venice pertaining the issue. ? It is also recommended that the institution identifies suppliers who are accredited to ISO 14001, ISO 9001 for use of recycled products. |
|
Solar panels |
? The building will be subjected to building research establishment environmental assessment methodology for Quality Assurance. ? The project will investigate carbon neutrality possibility for the institution. ? Investigations are being made in context of generation of renewable energy with a minimum 10% being generated from combi heating and power plants. |
? The existing campus and infrastructure has been proposed for improvement by refurbishing the existing department as well as construction of new buildings which will try to incorporate methods of micro generation of energy like use of photovoltaic cells. |
? All the project need to be designed in such a manner that day the lowest quantity carbon emissions. |
|
Water resources |
? All the known water leaks have been repaired within 72 hours. ? Regular audit have been conducted which are reviewed by the corporate management team. ? Rainwater harvesting is also being considered for conducting major refurbishment projects. |
? The University of bedfordshire has implemented water saving measures that will help in reducing the annual water consumption of the university. ? The university measures monitors as well as reduces water consumption across the campuses. ? Rainwater harvesting systems have been incorporated and used in all the new building. |
? In order to provide your and safe water it is necessary to ensure that the local water course as well as the water that is being controlled is protected from pollutants. ? It is also necessary to make students as well staff members aware of the requirement for using water sparingly. |
|
Emissions and discharges |
? There has been a reduction of scope one carbon emission generated by combustion of the fossil fuel in the boiler. ? Investigations have been made to make the boilers to have a minimum operating combustion efficiency of 90% or above. |
? There is a annual monitoring of the emissions from the combustion equipments. ? The food waste has been redirected from incinerators to the local anaerobic digestion plants. |
? It is necessary to ensure that the copper coil interceptors will be regularly empty in order to prevent control water pollution. ? It is also necessary to identify as well as mark the water drains on the surface in order to ensure that only rainwater is being discharged in these channels. |
University of Bedfordshire enjoys a healthy campus environment which it has developed by minimising the negative activities occurring in the campuses which essentially means elimination of substances of toxic nature by reducing waste and effluent generation which in turn will help in minimising emission activities polluting the environment. The transition of Bedford University to adapt a sustainable approach has helped the economy of the university to prosper by conservation of energy and resources as well as utilisation of raw materials which are renewable in nature and is complemented by and environment management which is both appropriate and efficient (Blowfield, 2012).
The fair learning environment in the University of Bedfordshire has greatly improved the general well being of the existing University community and also promises to be equally Beneficent for the future community members. Sustainability practices will help in providing equal opportunities to the variety of research and teaching ideas existing in the university so that they can participate in activities of Campus development as well as sustainability. Hence, as mentioned by Young and Dhanda (2013), it is necessary to make use of professional as well as systematic management approach for environmental aspects which will help in minimising wasteful consumption of resources as well as the negative impact of the activities in the campus which will help in promoting campus sustainability. Since this type of approach and commitment is lacking from most of the universities, the concept of sustainability and achieving sustainability goals has become very difficult.
In order to deal with the growing crisis of lacking commitment towards sustainable development, it is recommended that the University of Bedfordshire needs to formulate an integrated approach that will help in improving the current level of campus sustainability (Casarejos, Gustavson and Frota. 2017). Since the environmental issues have become much more complex as well as interconnected two aspects of environmental sustainability it is very critical to implement a systematic as well as integrated approach in the process of decision making, management as well as investment. It is also necessary for setting certain sustainable objectives that conform to the existing standards of Sustainable practices in higher education.
Hence it is recommended to reduce waste generation which in turn will help in reducing depletion of resources as well as pollution. In order to have a positive result on the identified key performance indicators it is necessary to promote awareness among the university employees as well as the university community by providing a platform to those who wish to demonstrate the commitment towards protection of environment. This will help the management to pursue continual improvement in aspects of environmental sustainability performance. It is also recommended to promote a voluntary and consensus approach while dealing with the environmental issues which will help in providing a worldwide focus on the aspects of environmental management. University of Bedfordshire needs to go beyond the regulatory compliance in order to demonstrate their resolve towards sustainability.
Conclusion
In the present report the various aspect of sustainability management from the perspective of University of Bedfordshire has been discussed. In order to have a greater understanding, the report takes into consideration the several initiatives that have been undertaken by the University of Bedfordshire for improving sustainability score by conducting outreach activities which encompass the Academics, the operations as well as the stakeholders. In the present report the discussions have been made pertaining to the several elements of sustainability, use of environmental management system and review of the key performance indicators for University of Bedfordshire. Comparison have been also drawn between University of Bedfordshire and other higher education Institutions which have a greater rank in the sustainability index. The impact and aspect of the implemented sustainability practices have been discussed which helped in identifying the challenges and opportunities that the institution faces. On the basis of the overall summary of environmental sustainability practices of University of Bedfordshire, certain recommendations have been suggested.
References
Blowfield, M. (2012) Business and Sustainability. Chapter 1, Business and Sustainability Overview.
Casarejos, F., Gustavson, L.M. and Frota, M.N., (2017). Higher Education Institutions in the United States: Commitment and coherency to sustainability vis-à-vis dimensions of the institutional environment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 159, pp.74-84.
Ceulemans, K., Lozano, R. and Alonso-Almeida, M.D.M., (2015). Sustainability reporting in higher education: Interconnecting the reporting process and organisational change management for sustainability. Sustainability, 7(7), pp.8881-8903.
Christie, B.A., Miller, K.K., Cooke, R. and White, J.G., (2015). Environmental sustainability in higher education: What do academics think?. Environmental Education Research, 21(5), pp.655-686.
Dlouhá, J., Henderson, L., Kapitulcinová, D. and Mader, C., (2017). Sustainability-oriented higher education networks: Characteristics and achievements in the context of the UN DESD. J. Clean. Prod.
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Lozano, R., Ceulemans, K., Alonso-Almeida, M., Huisingh, D., Lozano, F.J., Waas, T., Lambrechts, W., Lukman, R. and Hugé, J., (2015). A review of commitment and implementation of sustainable development in higher education: results from a worldwide survey. Journal of Cleaner Production, 108, pp.1-18.
O’Byrne, D., Dripps, W. and Nicholas, K.A., (2015). Teaching and learning sustainability: An assessment of the curriculum content and structure of sustainability degree programs in higher education. Sustainability Science, 10(1), pp.43-59.
Schoolman, E.D., Shriberg, M., Schwimmer, S. and Tysman, M., (2016). Green cities and ivory towers: how do higher education sustainability initiatives shape millennials’ consumption practices?. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 6(3), pp.490-502.
Stough, T., Ceulemans, K., Lambrechts, W. and Cappuyns, V., (2018). Assessing sustainability in higher education curricula: a critical reflection on validity issues. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, pp.4456-4466.
Viegas, C.V., Bond, A.J., Vaz, C.R., Borchardt, M., Pereira, G.M., Selig, P.M. and Varvakis, G., (2016). Critical attributes of Sustainability in Higher Education: a categorisation from literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 126, pp.260-276.
Wood, B.E., Cornforth, S., Beals, F., Taylor, M. and Tallon, R., (2016). Sustainability champions? Academic identities and sustainability curricula in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 17(3), pp.342-360.
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