Chapter 18: Resource Conservation and Environmental Preservation

Effective Date: July 1, 1997 (Issue No. 2)

Last Updated: September, 2024

A. Introduction

Resource conservation and the corollary of energy efficiency are two major environmental issues of our time. It is arguable that devising ways to make our society use energy efficiently, and in a sustainable manner, is the most important of the environmental challenges we now face. Energy efficiency is a rapidly evolving environmental issue and few many societies are devising comprehensive energy efficiency and conservation strategies. To help foster greater energy efficiency, HKUST is committed to promoting a conservation culture across the campus. In support of this commitment, HKUST strives to achieve optimum energy conservation in its buildings and operations, and faculty, staff and students can contribute in this area as well as helping to conserve other natural resources by good practices of waste minimization (Chapter 17) and protection of the watershed and seacoast surrounding our campus, and water quality therein that we are responsible for.

 

B. Responsibilities

There is a worldwide need to reduce the amount of energy consumed, and everybody has their part to play, whether in industrial sector, commercial sector, construction industry, transport, at home or in the University. Within the University management scheme, responsibility for energy management rests with the Campus Management Office (CMO) and Campus Development Office (CDO).  In particular, CDO designs buildings and facilities with energy efficiency considerations, and the CMO Building Services Section conducts operations in a manner intended to balance use of the facility with the need to conserve energy.  Responsibility on a broader scale rests with the departments and offices, and personnel of the University. Each individual can and should contribute to the conservation of energy by HKUST.

 

C. Approaches

The wise use of energy at HKUST (as currently practiced by CMO Building Services in managing our utility systems) is a key area in resource conservation. In this operation, a computer system is used to balance the year-round needs of campus building occupants for heating and cooling, with the goal of optimizing consumption of energy in on and off duty hours.

All members of HKUST can contribute to energy conservation by turning off lights, computers, and other office and laboratory appliances when not needed, and by turning off room air conditioners when the area will not be occupied. All staff should remember to close all the windows of a room where air conditioning is in use. If the ambient temperature of a room is too cold, any staff member can send a defect report to the Campus Management Office to have the thermostat setting adjusted, rather than opening windows to admit hot air from outside. Whenever feasible, all staff and students should strive to meet the 25.5 °C target indoor temperature recommended by the Government. All staff and students should use the staircase to ascend one level or descend two levels. This practice will save time, reduce overall use of the lifts, and be healthier for members.

One very large consumption of energy is the use of fume cupboards in laboratories at the University. The exhaust flow of fume cupboards is very high and this huge amount of conditioned air is completely discharged to the atmosphere. Hot and humid fresh air from outside the building is required to replenish the expelled air. A great amount of energy is consumed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the intake air. To reduce fume cupboard usage, the fume cupboard should only be used for actual operations with chemicals. Volatile chemicals should be kept in sealed containers to prevent vapour loss, instead of storing them in a fume cupboard. Fume cupboards should never be used for long term storage of any articles. Objects inside a fume cupboard distort the laminar flow pattern of the moving air, and can easily compromise vapor containment. The correct practice is to properly seal containers and to store them outside the fume cupboard, such as within the solvent cabinet under the fume cupboard. Finally, continuous operation of the exhaust fan of a fume cupboard at normal or high speed will require more frequent maintenance and result in more service interruption.  Most of the fume cupboards now are equipped with sensors that help to optimize energy use by adjusting exhaust air velocity, or lowering of sash, or both. Lab users should not temper with the functioning of these sensors, and promptly report any defects to CMO.

Other areas of conservation practice available to the HKUST campus community include the avoidance of goods which are made of scarce materials, such as certain hardwoods, and the intentional procurement of recyclable or recycled goods where available and practical. Potable water is a scarce and valuable resource in Hong Kong. Whenever possible, excessive use of the tap water should be avoided. Leaky faucets and taps should be reported to CMO. In laboratory operations, water can be conserved by the use of small pumps to provide vacuum instead of water suction. Use pumps to circulate icy water for cooling purposes if frequent operation will discharge large amount of tap water to the drain. HKUST practices other recycling efforts to minimize consumption of natural resources such as exchanging reusable chemical reagents, collecting toner cartridges for reuse, recycling aluminum cans, and other metal items, waste paper, plastics, glass, and food waste.  The diligent practice of waste minimization (Chapter 17) by all staff, students and residents in procurement and use of products, especially consumables will significantly contribute to the conservation of resources.

 

D. Environmental Preservation

A final area of resource conservation and environmental preservation is the protection of the natural environment surrounding our campus, including flora and fauna (plants and animals) that inhabit the watershed where our campus is located, and along the HKUST seacoast. Every effort should be made to minimize physical, chemical and biological alternations of the land and aquatic ecosystems.

Members must dispose of trash properly when visiting the coastline for observation or other recreation. Marine life should be respected when low tides allow access to coastal tide pools, and the small amount of remaining sea animals should be sustained to reproduce and replenish the depleted stocks that once inhabited the fruitful coastal areas. The continual gleaning of all life forms along the seacoast is a destructive practice that has greatly reduced the capability of the different species to reproduce, and many species that were once plentiful in this area have disappeared altogether. Members and visitors to HKUST should refrain from collecting marine life along the seacoast, and should limit themselves to normal fishing pursuits with fishing poles.

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