Target: Environmental Success - Bob Fynan Senior Environmental Officer Infrastructure & Operations 22 October 2015
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Target: Environmental Success
Bob Fynan
Senior Environmental Officer
Infrastructure & Operations
22 October 2015
latrobe.edu.au CRICOS Provider 00115MTargets are important…but they’re only one part of a management
system
Setting objectives and targets is only one
element of a management system
approach to improving environmental
performance.
Without appropriate and related
programs, resourcing, monitoring and
management commitment setting targets
is pointless.
Today’s focus is on relatively short-term
improvement targets, which should
ideally fit into a pathway of
improvements required to achieve
Environmental management system model - longer-term objectives.
AS/NZS ISO 14001: 2004
La Trobe University 2Group Discussion
i. Define environmental sustainability – then expand the
definition to include operational guidance for an
organisation. Try to be specific.
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). Our common future
(Brundtland report) (1987)La Trobe’s Initial Environmental Performance Targets Developed through reviewing other people’s targets & using existing standards and guiding documents (Rauch & Newman, “Defining sustainability metric targets in an institutional setting” 2008). Target Area Improvement Target Greenhouse gas emissions – tCO2-e/m2 of GFA or FTE 30% reduction (Facility & Staff business travel) Energy consumption – GJ/m2 of GFA 30% reduction Car use – single occupant - % based on annual surveys 30% reduction Water use -kL/EFTPL 10% reduction Waste to landfill - kg/EFTPL 30% reduction Recycling rate 30% improvement Paper use – Reams/EFTPL 30% reduction Baseline year: 2010, target year: 2022 All are intensity-based (normalised to account for growth or contraction of operations) Limited detail on actions that would/could be implemented to achieve the targets - reliance on EREP and Watermap programs La Trobe University 4
Reviewing & Resetting The Targets
1. Analyse available historical data & forecast future performance;
2. Incorporate identified performance improvement opportunities into forecasts;
3. Confirm which improvement opportunities will be implemented within the target
period;
4. Lock in a realistic target based on forecasts.
La Trobe University 5Updated Targets Target Area Improvement Target Greenhouse gas emissions – tCO2-e/GFA & tCO2-e/FTE 25% reduction (Facility & Staff business travel) Greenhouse gas emissions 25% reduction (Absolute reduction in scope 1 and 2 annual emissions) Energy consumption – GJ/m2 of GFA 30% reduction Car use – single occupant - % based on annual surveys 20% reduction Water use -kL/EFTPL 10% reduction Waste to landfill - kg/EFTPL 40% reduction Recycling rate 40% improvement Paper use – Reams/EFTPL 60% reduction Baseline year: 2010, target year: 2022 Additional GHG emissions target to ensure LTU’s reductions in direct & energy indirect emissions are in line with IPCC recommended emissions reduction trajectory. La Trobe University 6
Reviewing & Resetting The Targets
IPCC fifth assessment report details that change in emissions compared to 2010
required for a likely chance of staying below 2°
C of global warming over the 21st
Century are a 41%-72% reduction by 2050 leading to a 78%-118% reduction by 2100.
La Trobe University 7What Are Other Universities Committing To?
26 universities were able to provide details on current targets
15 committed to greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of which 10 were
absolute-based and 5 intensity-based – 6 were in line with or greater than the IPCC
recommended reductions;
14 committed to energy consumption reduction targets of which 3 were absolute-
based and 11 were intensity-based – What is the point of an energy reduction
target?
15 committed to water consumption reduction targets of which 4 were absolute-
based and 11 were intensity-based – How do you judge what is a sustainable level
of water consumption?
15 committed to landfill waste generation reduction targets of which 11 were
absolute-based and 4 were intensity-based;
10 committed to specific recycling improvement targets of which all were absolute-
based;
- What about biodiversity?
La Trobe University 8Group Discussion
i. What types of targets should be set to transition to
environmentally sustainable operations?
“Environmentally sustainable organisations use only natural resources that are
consumed at a rate below the natural reproduction, or at a rate below the development
of substitutes. They do not cause emissions that accumulate in the environment at a
rate beyond the capacity of the natural system to absorb and assimilate these
emissions. Finally they do not engage in activity that degrades ecosystem services.”
Thomas Dyllick and Kai Hockerts (2002)Absolute-based Targets Relation To Enviro
Sustainability
Greenhouse gas Reductions at a rate aligned with current scientific consensus Do not cause emissions that
emissions i.e. IPCC or Australian CCA. accumulate in the
environment at a rate beyond
Travel to campus Reductions in number of staff and student commutes to the capacity of the natural
campus by single occupant cars at a rate commensurate with system to absorb and
forecast performance incorporating viable improvement assimilate these emissions.
opportunities.
Decarbonisation of Increase in the percentage of energy supplied by renewable Use only natural resources that
energy supply sources at a rate commensurate with forecast performance are consumed at a rate below
incorporating viable improvement opportunities. the natural reproduction, or at
a rate below the development
Water consumption Reductions to transition to sustainable amount of water of substitutes.
consumption at individual campus watershed level. (See T. E.
Graedel, 2002, “Quantitative sustainability in a college or
university setting”)
Significant materials Reductions at a rate commensurate with forecast
consumption performance incorporating viable improvement
opportunities.
Biodiversity Net annual improvement across key biodiversity metrics at Do not engage in activity that
individual campus level. degrades ecosystem services.
Landfill waste Reductions at a rate commensurate with forecast
performance incorporating viable improvement
opportunities.
La Trobe University 10Thank you for participating!
Email b.fynan@latrobe.edu.au if you would like a copy of the
survey results on the quantified environmental performance
targets of Australian universities.
latrobe.edu.au CRICOS Provider 00115MYou can also read
