Environmental Performance

PolyU spares no effort in pursuing environmental excellence. Holistic policies and measures have been formulated in alignment with the University’s sustainability aspirations and strategies to enhance environmental performance and maintain a resource-efficient campus. The sustainability performance is closely and regularly monitored so as to keep track of the progress and help devise future plans, campaigns and initiatives, with a goal to drive campus sustainability on an ongoing basis. An annual budget of over HK$3 million has been allocated for these initiatives for the past few years. During the reporting year, PolyU took proactive actions to improve environmental performance, with a main thrust on waste, energy consumption and carbon emissions, water and effluents, as well as material consumption. Meanwhile, the University has made steady progress in achieving environmental excellence on various fronts, including carbon footprint reduction, waste reduction, resource conservation, and promoting green living. For more details of our achievements, please refer to PolyU Achievements and Targets.

Waste

Waste has long been a major challenge and environmental issue in developed cities. PolyU, having one of the busiest campuses in Hong Kong with a considerable amount of daily waste production, is keenly aware of its responsibility to minimize all types of waste to be disposed of at landfills. On this account, the University has established the Waste Management Policy with a corresponding waste management strategy that follows the Waste Management Hierarchy principles, which runs from high to low priority – reduce, reuse, recycle, replace, and dispose.

PolyU has been supporting external charters and pledges in relation to waste reduction actively for the past few years. Following the signing of the Food Wise Charter in 2013 and the Waste Check Charter in 2015, PolyU stepped forward once again to embrace the Green Event Pledge launched by the Environmental Protection Department in September 2018, demonstrating the commitment in adopting green event measures to reduce waste at source and encourage waste recycling.

To put this commitment into action, the Guideline for Green Promotion and Campus Activities was formulated as a key pillar of the University’s sustainability guidelines. In addition to providing directions and tips on minimizing energy consumption, the Guideline places a special focus on waste management during campus events. Event organizers are encouraged to minimize printing and replace it with electronic means for promotion, online registration and feedback collection. In addition, they are also recommended to consider better event planning to reduce food waste, and to recover food leftovers for donation and collect unavoidable food waste for recycling. Moreover, event organizers can liaise with relevant offices of the University on how to reuse, recycle or donate unwanted gifts, promotional materials and other recyclables.

PolyU is dedicated to implementing measures and providing a wide variety of supporting facilities and programmes. In 2018/19, PolyU successfully diverted a total of 185.7 tonnes of waste materials from landfills by reusing and recycling, including paper, plastic, metal, glass bottles, food waste, electrical and electronic equipment, fluorescent tubes and lamps, and other unwanted items.

Energy and Carbon Emissions

Proper energy management and carbon emission controls have been a significant part of the University’s Campus Sustainability Policies. An Energy and Greenhouse Gas Policy was formulated to enhance energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions of all facilities, development initiatives and activities. To maximize energy efficiency in the premises, PolyU strives to integrate energy saving equipment or designs into new and existing buildings, while seizing every opportunity to showcase new technologies on campus. Reviews on energy performance of operations and activities are performed regularly, so as to identify potential areas for enhancement to improve energy efficiency.

PolyU is committed to playing our part in contributing towards the city’s energy conservation and carbon emission reduction. The University has pledged support to the Charter on External Lighting, the Energy Saving Charter on “No Incandescent Light Bulbs”, and the Carbon Reduction Charter. As a signee of the Energy Saving Charter initiated by the Environment Bureau and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department in 2013, PolyU has maintained an average indoor temperature of between 24 and 26^oC from June to September each year as well as purchase energy-efficient appliances. In addition to the Energy Saving Charter, the University also pledged to support the 4Ts Charter in 2019 by setting an energy saving target of reducing 3% energy consumption in 2019 as compared to 2018, and ensuring transparency of relevant energy data.

Apart from optimizing energy consumption, PolyU proactively explores the possibilities of introducing renewable energy on campus, as an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Solar power systems have been installed at the rooftop of the covered walkway on the Podium, the rooftop of Lee Shau Kee Building, and on the 18/F of Li Ka Shing Tower. In 2018/19, the solar energy systems generated 24 MWh of electricity, equivalent to reducing 12.3 tonnes of carbon emissions. During the reporting year, the annual electricity consumption per capita on Main Campus was 3.30 MWh. Major direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) per capita totalled 1.80 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, representing a reduction of 6% from the baseline in 2014/15.

Water and Effluents

Water in the University is drawn from Hong Kong’s municipal water supply, while wastewater is discharged into the municipal drainage system. Effluents from swimming pool, dental clinic, workshops and laboratories are treated in the University’s wastewater treatment facilities before discharge to meet the corresponding standards stipulated in the Hong Kong Water Pollution Control Ordinance.

Reckoning fresh water as a precious natural resource, PolyU developed the Water Conservation Policy in 2014 to conserve water and minimize water wastage. The University has been deploying proper approaches and measures to manage and monitor water consumption. For example, dual-flush toilets and touch-less faucets, and other water-saving features have been retrofitted in various facilities. Moreover, condenser water is reused as makeup water for cooling towers, while bleed-off is used for toilet flushing and rainwater is harvested for irrigation. Friendly reminders are posted in prominent areas to boost students and staff members’ awareness for water conservation. During the reporting year, PolyU consumed 606,482 m³ of water, equivalent to approximately 22.0 m³ per capita.

Material Consumption

As a component of our Campus Sustainability Policies, the University’s Green Procurement Policy sets forth internal sustainable purchasing principles under which goods and services acquired by PolyU should have either minimal or no adverse impacts on the environment. When purchasing office supplies, products demonstrating energy saving features, recycled or biodegradable contents with relevant environmental labels, such as the Energy Label and the FSC, rank higher in priority. For instance, PolyU has been purchasing paper towels with recycled content since 2014/15 and A4 paper with 100% recycled content since 2008/09.

When it comes to seafood selection, PolyU signed the Say NO to Shark Fin Pledge in 2016 to ban shark fins in events or entertainment functions. Associated requirements have also been included in the University’s Guideline for Green Promotion and Campus Activities, which also stipulates that no bluefin tuna or black moss should be consumed for any official banquets on campus.