Comparative analyses of sustainable campuses as living laboratories for managing environmental quality

Abstract

Purpose

Despite an emerging trend in the higher education sector toward sustainable campuses, comparative analyses that span multiple themes across multiple campuses are still limited. The purpose of this paper is to reduce such a gap by comparing universities that are members of the International Sustainable Campus Network across themes that are related to environmental quality.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 34 universities are included in the sample. Indicators are systematically reviewed and clustered into ten themes. Common indicators (CIs) are identified in seven themes for at least seven and at most 20 campuses. At the absence of CIs, the given theme is assessed based on the measures applied. The results indicate the average levels of performance in the sample and/or the scope of the measures that are undertaken.

Findings

According to related values, an average campus spent 233,402 MWh of energy in buildings, 838,317 m³ of water on campus, generated 4,442 tonnes of waste, and emitted 75,354 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. The average recycling rate was 50 percent, the average single occupancy vehicle rate in campus commuting was 34 percent, and on average, there were 152 sustainability-oriented courses. Best practices from the measures included energy audits for data centers, retrofit of water intense laboratories, and on-site renewable energy projects.

Originality/value

In addition, a unified monitoring framework is proposed to improve subsequent comparative analyses of campuses. Universities must focus on the use of the campus as a living laboratory to guide society toward a more sustainable future.

Citation

Kılkış, Ş. (2017), "Comparative analyses of sustainable campuses as living laboratories for managing environmental quality", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 681-702. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-06-2015-0107