HKUST Annual Report 2016-17

-6.6% 52,800 -1.5% 53,600 3,190 2,980 133 356 +167% +2,254% -1.4% 95,800,100 94,486,400 186 7.9 56 HKUST 2016-2017 Annual Report SUSTAINABILITY The University is seeking to integrate sustainability into all its activities and serve as a living laboratory for eco-advancement and awareness In 2016, the University adopted the sustainability mission “to become a global leader in sustainability education by transforming the Clear Water Bay campus into a living laboratory for experiential learning, demonstrating cutting-edge research and sustainable operations within a vibrant and engaged community” and set out the HKUST 2020 Sustainability Challenge strategy to achieve specific goals, targets, and priorities. In 2016-17, there was good progress on the four pillars of the strategy: sustainable operations; sustainable communities; sustainability research and demonstration; and sustainability education. SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS The Sustainable Operations Executive Committee oversaw a significant spike in activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and landfill waste. Several important investments were made in waste reduction strategies, including food waste collections from canteens and office pantries, installing recycling bins on all floors of residence halls, modifying cleaning contracts to gain accurate daily weight data, and conducting waste audits to provide a clearer picture of sources and causes of waste. Recycling rates were nearly doubled which resulted in an overall Performance of sustainable operations 2016-2017 2015-2016 * The performance data in 2015-16 was revised with changes of scope and baseline calculation. Trash (ton) Recyclables (ton) Food waste recycling (ton) Electricity (kWh) Greenhouse gas (ton CO 2-e )