Dukes Elizabeth, Cheng Selina, Mogen Samuel, Galloway James, Leach Allison, Trimble Andrea Ruedy, Pettit Andrew, Compton Jana, Pennino Michael
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Sustainability Institute, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA.
Sustain Clim Chang. 2023 Feb 1;16(1):48-63. doi: 10.1089/scc.2022.0067. Epub 2023 Feb 23.
Evaluating sustainability stewardship at higher educational institutions is essential to working towards improving our environment. Many institutions have used environmental footprint indicators as a way to evaluate, track, and improve their impact on the environment. In this article, we present the web-based Integrated Environmental Footprint Tool (IEFT), which allows users to test how changes in certain activities impact nitrogen (N), greenhouse gases (GHG), phosphorus (P), and water (W) footprints for a university campus. This study uses the University of Virginia (UVA) as a model to show the impacts of their existing sustainability plans on multiple footprint indicators. Strategies from the University of Virginia's (UVA) two exisiting action plans, the GHG Action Plan and the N Action Plan, are evaluated to determine their impact on each of the footprints (GHG, N, P, and W). Based on the 2025 goal year, the strategies in these action plans are estimated to reduce the GHG, N, P, and W footprints by -38%, 32%, 25%, and 2.7% respectively. The damage costs associated with GHG and N footprints are assessed and reveal a 38 percent reduction in damage costs for GHG and a 42 percent reduction in costs for N. Using the IEFT to evaluate the impact of these action plan strategies, UVA optimized environmental outcomes. The model shown here can be used at other institutions to evaluate the environmental impact of planned changes to an institutions' operations.
评估高等教育机构的可持续发展管理对于致力于改善我们的环境至关重要。许多机构已将环境足迹指标作为评估、跟踪和改善其对环境影响的一种方式。在本文中，我们介绍了基于网络的综合环境足迹工具（IEFT），该工具可让用户测试某些活动的变化如何影响大学校园的氮（N）、温室气体（GHG）、磷（P）和水（W）足迹。本研究以弗吉尼亚大学（UVA）为模型，展示其现有可持续发展计划对多个足迹指标的影响。对弗吉尼亚大学（UVA）现有的两项行动计划，即温室气体行动计划和氮行动计划中的策略进行评估，以确定它们对每个足迹（温室气体、氮、磷和水）的影响。基于2025年目标年份，这些行动计划中的策略预计将分别使温室气体、氮、磷和水足迹减少-38%、32%、25%和2.7%。对与温室气体和氮足迹相关的损害成本进行了评估，结果显示温室气体损害成本降低了38%，氮成本降低了42%。通过使用IEFT评估这些行动计划策略的影响，弗吉尼亚大学优化了环境成果。此处展示的模型可用于其他机构，以评估机构运营计划变更对环境的影响。
