Eco Footprint Tut.

My Ecological Footprint

Food - 56%
Mobility - 6%
Shelter - 10%
Goods/Services - 28%
Global Hectares - 4.1
Number of Planets - 2.3

Really rather inaccurate calculation due to the limited nature of the options. Very difficult to play apply to a Singaporean lifestyle...

1. What can you do to reduce your own ecological footprint?

Seeing as that majority of my footprint is food consumption, i suppose that's the best are to target in bringing down the figure for the number of global hectares used. I'm not too sure about the accuracy of the tests though, since even the 'detailed' questions only involved frequency but not amount.

Another way might be to consciously look for recycled alternatives to paper and plastic packaging. Already, recycling papers and plastics, but it's possible to go one step further to make the switch to consumption of recycled material without too much trouble...

There doesn't seem to be any other way of cutting down that can be exercised on an individual level, since a lot of things here are controlled on a state or government agency level; such as buildings and power.


2. What are some of the resource inputs and waste outputs of universities like the ANU and NUS and how do these contribute to their overall footprint?

The ones that come to mind first are electricity and paper. The first is pretty much basic to keeping facilities running, while the 2nd one is just a norm of most academic/ semi-beauracratic systems that involves tonnes of paper that may or may not be of much use.

As already mentioned by the other members, the air-conditioning is likely to be the primary energy guzzler. It's likely to be supplemented by students' use of plug points for their laptops in the process of transferring points from their own carbon footprint to the schools'.


3. List some innovative strategies that the educational institutions like the ANU and NUS are doing to reduce their overall ecological footprint. Do any of these strategies challenge social or institutional "norms"? (That is, Change the way people behave or think?)

The first major step taken by NUS would be the separation of the Office of Environmental Sustainability into an independent department. One of the more useful strategies implemented was the change of submissions from single sided paper to double sided, as well as the allowance for online submissions. This should cut down the amount of waste paper as report drafts and notes are no longer thrown away with only one side printed on. This is quite contrary for an academic institution as most universities are still built on paper despite technological advancement. While many are still wasting paper at present, it's a step in the right direction that should eventually lower te carbon footprint of NUS.


4. Devise 2 strategies that ANU or NUS could implement to reduce their footprint, and enhance sustainability. Who is responsible? Individuals changing their behaviour, the univerisity changing the way it conducts business, or both? Why?

The universities could go one step beyond allowing online and digital submissions to actually encouraging it. In time it could phase out paper submissions, saving on printing costs and reducing the necessary amount of paper inputs that contribute so much to the carbon footprint. For this it might be necessary for the academic population to change their mindsets and accept more than just the hardcopy reports that they have been hardwired into viewing as the norm.

Universities could also require their vendors to use local or unprocessed food in canteens to reduce food miles. Traditionally, institutional food has never been particularly good, so standards are not necessarily an issue if local produce proves a less appetising alternative.

In the first case it would be up to the university, since students are actually quite willing in general to forgo the usual paper mess. It's mostly professorial staff who will need to be persuaded to make the switch.

The second case requires effort from the university, its contracted vendors and the students. On one hand, they need to ensure the local and unprocessed food sources. On the other, people who eat in school must be willing to support the change and actually continue eating so that the switch will not be rendered useless.