SUSTAINABLE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONS: DETERMINATION OF GASES GREENHOUSE EFECT IN A UNIVERSITY CENTER AND STRATEGIES TO DECREASE THEM

Abstract

The objective of this work is to determine the carbon footprint of a university building. This work is considered as a contribution aimed at integrating sustainability in its management, determining the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions and proposing solutions to reduce its environmental impact. This educational center houses 1064 students of Engineering and is located at the campus of the University of the Basque Country in Vitoria-Spain. The methodology applied to calculate greenhouse gas emissions follows the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain (MAPAMA). It was found that an adequate environmental management system eases the calculation of these emissions and the source identifications. It was assessed that the carbon footprint for the studied institution was 0.558 t CO2 eq/ person-year and 0.635t CO2 eq/student-year. With regard to direct emissions, 205.15 t CO2eq / year and indirect 392 t CO2eq / year were detected, for the last year studied. For this edifice, it is proposed that the appropriate measures to reduce the carbon footprint should focus on changing the current energy source used for the air conditioning of the building, what is now natural gas, and improving the insulation system. The calculation method depends on emission factors that are representative. Thus, it is recommended to continue researching in order to set emission factors, which can be applied specifically for university buildings. In this way, the methodology would be standardized and more accurate comparisons could be established between related studies. Keywords: Global Change, Carbon Footprint, Sustainability, Responsible university management, decrease carbon dioxide emissions.