Towards Low Carbon Strategies - Carbon Footprint Calculation of Asian University for Women of the FY2022

Abstract

Carbon Footprint (CF) is referred to as the total amount of direct and indirect emissions from various anthropogenic activities being done on a daily basis. It is normally expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). Asian University for Women (AUW) plans to modify its Environmental Policy and missions to move towards a green campus. This was the second time the carbon footprint was calculated after 2017. The first step was to understand the guidelines incorporated by the GHG protocol and the Campus Carbon Calculator™ v9.0 (CCC). Next step was the data collection for different activities from different departments and populations of the university. Data calculated was converted into specified units by the CCC and then inputted. The results showed purchased electricity is the greatest contributor of carbon emissions at the university, representing 81.14% of the total carbon footprint, followed by international students’ air travel to/from home at 5.37%, solid waste at 2.63%, other on-campus stationary at 1.78%, and other sources represented less than 1%. The total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from three scopes (1, 2, and 3) in FY2022 was 13914.70 metric tons of carbon dioxide (MTCO2), which is equal to 9.5 MTCO2/person/year. Findings from both the carbon footprint report of FY2017 and FY2022 was compared. The findings can be used to find solutions to reduce the emissions and build awareness among the community members of the university.