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HKUST 2011-2012 Annual Report
related activities, it encompasses renewed functions in
financial management, procurement and purchasing,
human resources, payroll, student financials, and
admissions. Other existing administrative systems / services
not covered by the packaged solutions were modified to
integrate effectively.
All system modules have now undergone a full annual cycle
of operations, well in time for the immediate objective
of supporting new 334 activities and operations. The
University has started to extend the information system
infrastructure to cover additional business / functional
areas. It has also begun to explore using the information
collected to build up a business intelligence data warehouse
which will provide measurements and metrics to support
management decisions and resource planning.
Growing green awareness
In line with the goal to move toward “A Greener UST”,
the University continued to actively monitor and track
campus carbon emissions by calculating its carbon
footprint.
During the University’s Environment Week, sustainability-
related posters and presentations were produced through
the joint efforts of the participants of several semester
courses. These included “FACES of Sustainability”, a look
at how different members of the Hong Kong community
view sustainability and “Say Something”, featuring
students’ opinions on various local sustainability issues.
HKUST kept up its commitment to going green with a
series of environmental measures on carbon reduction
at the 19th Congregation. Measures included providing
additional recycling bins, supplying biodegradable
cutlery, composting used cups and plates, making use
of recycled paper for printing the congregation program
as well as encouraging public transport use. The total
carbon dioxide emissions for the Congregation were thus
substantially reduced. Students were further motivated
into action by their peers in the Live Green! Learning
Community. The group focused on organizing student
sustainability awareness activities, including Beach
Cleanup, No Air Conditioning Day, Vegetarian Day, and
established a green rooftop on Hall VI.
HKUST’s Eco Park entered its second year of operation,
providing opportunities for organic farming by students,
staff and community groups, cultivation of a Chinese
herbal garden, and green slope projects. Renewable
energy set-ups are also in progress. Resources from the
government’s Environment and Conservation Fund are
being sought.
To share know-how, the Sustainability Unit piloted a
program introducing and training primary and secondary
school students in carbon auditing and footprinting. As
part of the program, HKUST students gave presentations
and delivered workshops to help each school to calculate
its own carbon footprint.
