Through my specialism in management, I have learnt much about effective supply chain management and how it can significantly impact the day to day running of a firm or institution. For this report, I shall be investigating how the control of DCU can instigate changes in their supply chain that will, in turn, lead to an improved level of energy and waste management by those interacting with the supply chain within DCU (staff and students). Below I have outlined critical readings from my literature review comprising of examples of useful waste and energy management initiatives instigated by University's as well as relevant information pertaining to the supply chain management of higher level institutions and the role they play in promoting change for those who interact with the supply chain on campus via purchasing decisions and what drives these decisions. I shall then analyze the data set gathered in conjunction with the information from the literature to draw conclusions and recommend an actionable plan to improve energy and waste management in DCU via effective supply chain management and user interaction within this supply chain.
Literature Review
A sustainable university campus can be defined as: “a higher education institution that addresses, involves and promotes the minimisation of environmental, economics, societal and health negative effects in the use of their resources (in) its main functions of teaching, research, outreach and partnership, and stewardship to (help) society make the transition to sustainable lifestyles”.
(Velazquez Contreras, p. 155).
Waste Management
Products encouraging waste management
As noted by Too, L. and Bajracharya, B. (2015) consumer purchasing decisions regarding sustainable products/services tend to be based on a combination of resources and reasoning coupled with environmental knowledge and attitudes. Therefore, it can be said that it is essential that supply chain management keep this in mind when developing a value proposition to entice consumers interacting with the supply chain to make more environmentally sensitive decisions with their purchasing patterns.
Ottman et al. (2006) conducted a study of green products and discovered that five key desirable traits influence consumer purchasing decisions. They are efficiency and cost-effectiveness, health and safety, performance, convenience and symbolism and status. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are at the forefront of any green initiative. Usually, there is a higher capital outlay, to begin with, however, in the long run, operational cost savings are made, for example improving insulation or the use of eco-friendly light bulbs. Performance of the product/service should not be hindered due to its environmentally friendly nature, i.e. a bio-degradable coffee cup should not disintegrate in one’s hand.
Waste management initiatives in universities
“In today’s consumption-driven societies, large amounts of paper waste, food waste, e-waste, plastics, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and excessive packaging are causing socio-economic and environmentally adverse impacts.” (Kumar et al., 2005). Universities and other higher education institutions are well positioned in society to become instigators of change regarding waste management. Appalachian State University handles over 3,200 tons of waste on an annual basis. In 2012 they committed to being a zero waste campus by aiming to achieve 90% diversion from landfill by 2022 (Ebrahimi and North, 2017). To instigate this change, the university identified 23 key stakeholders within the University's Organizational network to roll out some key initiatives. In 2013 a mini bin system was launched for academic and admin offices on campus which resulted in a 30% increase in recycling. (Appalachian State University Office of University Sustainability that they are implementing a policy of ‘sustainable procurement’ whereby paper and packaging reduction is the primary area of focus. The system requires suppliers of Arizona State to meet specific criteria regarding packaging, i.e. 100% biodegradable, recyclable, reusable and non-toxic.
Michigan state university diverts over 122,350 pounds of organic waste matter, 2015).
Arizona State University has stated in their ‘Roadmap to zero waste.'
from landfills via its organics and compost collection points located on campus
Energy Management
Energy Efficient Buildings
“ Universities can be compared to complex buildings like hospitals and mega hotels regarding waste generation, water and materials intake, as well as electricity and hydrocarbon fuels consumption in operating machinery, heating and lighting, transportation etc. each with implications for environmental quality." (Alshuwaikhat and Abubaker, 2008). The green buildings initiative is a set of projects designed at reducing waste but most notably to drastically reduce energy consumption and promote energy-efficient buildings. One of the main parameters of the initiative is the promotion of eco-friendly building materials that are locally sourced to impact the environment in the minuscule way possible while also adding a design function of improving internal air quality while remaining energy efficient.
Existing Practices
A practice widely used the world over by higher level institutions regarding sustainability is the ISO 14001 standard. "ISO 14001 guides organizations in managing the impact their products, services, and operations have on the environment and for external certification and it is becoming one of the dominant international standards for assessing environmental management processes."(Morrow, 2002). The main issues addressed include reducing waste, resource depletion and environmental pollution. However the principle reason for its adoption by numerous universities and third level institutions is that it provides a platform for the generation of awareness within the community while helping management continually improve environmental performance and thus demonstrating the commitment to environmental protection by the institution beyond regulatory compliance.
Data
The dataset used for this assignment was collected via a survey by last year's MG334 class. The study covered topics relating to improving sustainability activities within DCU. Questions surveyed were: student engagement, energy, waste, water, smoke-free campus and re-usable mugs and plastic bottles. The data was presented in a raw format via a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and I needed to deduce what information was relevant to my topic of choice and the academic literature I had accessed. Of particular interest to my question was energy, waste and water as well as re-usable mugs and plastic bottles.
Analysis & Discussion
The obtained showed that a tiny percentage, about 30%, of the students and the staff in the DCU engage in improving energy and waste management. The table below gives the summary of the students and faculty in DCU respond to the engagement of the environmental improvement;
Area
Those who engage themselves in environment improvement
Those who do not participate themselves in environment improvement
Energy
250
750
Water
320
740
Waste
300
700
Smoke-free campus
20
100
From this data, only a few students and staff have a feel for energy. The research indicated that many students use the library computers, but once they are done, they leave the computers on standby. eA significant number of students do not switch off their laptops after use, they charge them in the library overnight and do not switch off laptop charges when not in use. Only a few do this. In the residential houses and homes, it was found that most students and staffs do not use energy efficient bulbs and do not switch them off. Most staffs proofed that they do not switch off the campus' technology equipment when not in use. Most students reported that they were aware of energy saving initiative but had just ignored it due to the lifestyle they have been used to. Many students suggested ways in which they can be engaged in energy-saving efforts in the campus which included: switching off lights, chargers, technology equipment and other power consuming devices when not in use.
In connection to the above, a few staffs and students were conscious of how much water they used, the user to switch off the taps after using the water, they could shower only seven times a week to save water. On the other hand, many of the residents and those who were in sports reported that they could shower up to fourteen times a week. A higher number said that they leave the taps running even after use and do not bother how much water is used up in the campus. Most of those who were interviewed believed that the valves which switch themselves off would be beneficial and thought that removing hot water from the hand basins in the toilet facilities won’t affect hygiene. The students suggested that if they can team up and start an operation “save water” would greatly help them save water. They said that they would ensure that taps are off immediately after use and reduce the number of times they shower in a day.
Regarding the waste, only a few numbers of students separate their waste into two, which is those which is harmful to the environment from those which are less dangerous. A few numbers use the recycle bins and the brown bins on the campus. A considerable amount does not separate the waste, do not use the brown containers on the campus and dispose of wastes anyhow. Most of them reported that recycling would waste their time. Only a few who recycle waste and advocated for more brown bins to be widely distributed in the campus.
Lastly, a small number of both students and staff smoke at least two times a day when inside the campus, during break times and during recreation time. Some of them did give a response to smoke in the areas of a request and reported that that sometimes it is urgent and therefore would be time-consuming if given places especially during a busy day. They stated that they do not think whether smoking can bother those who do not smoke. On a few students and staffs said that they could be happy if they are helped quit smoking and said that smoke-free campus would greatly help them. Most of the smokers are not bothered by any issue concerning tobacco. They suggested that the non-smoking campus rule will be accompanied by autocracy rules that will discipline the smoker so that when one is caught can teach the others a lesson. They reported that setting rules with consequences would greatly help in pinning down those who smoke.
These results show how people have neglected what is visible. It is well seen that many of the waste comes from the packaging materials and papers. People have overlooked their role in disposing of the used materials and instead just through it anywhere. From the literature review, it is similar that most of the waste comes from packaging and therefore it is our role to come up with ways of minimizing it.
Conclusion
From the graph, it is evident that those who do not participate in energy improvement and waste management are almost thrice of those who attend.
Most of the waste comes from the green goods due to their low cost and efficiency in consumption. Everyone feels for the environment in one way or another, improving energy and waste management may not be an easy task if there are no stakeholders to gear up the process. The students in the colleges and the universities are therefore called upon to steer up this process since they are informed, knowledgeable and influential. They can be used as the essential tools to help the others engage in energy and waste management. Set a good example for the institution they are in so that the community outside can learn a lesson from them. The paper and the packaging materials should be avoided to reduce the amount of waste disposed of everywhere since much of it comes from packaging. Many of the attempts have been embraced in the universities and other higher institution regarding manage the environment, and this has been used as a measuring tool to determine the nature of leadership in the institution. To maintain the standards of an institution, garbage and waste disposal, as well as energy conservation, must be put in the front line.
Recommendation
Students should be at the front line in improving energy and waste management through the creation of awareness to those who seem not to know or those who may not have that knowledge. The government should come up with measures that must be put to use to improve energy and manage waste. There should be strict government laws concerning garbage disposal to regulate the amount of harmful substance being encompassed in the environment without care. The government through the ministry of energy should come up with a way of punishing those who misuse the energy. Those who leave the lights on even during the daytime and use non-energy saving gadgets like bulbs. The government should assign this topic to universities and other institutions of higher learning as a measure of the management and type of leadership to maintain high standards of clean environment and low energy costs in turn. This will help the institutions control to ensure all will be well-pertaining energy consumption and waste accumulation.
References
Morrow, D. and Rondinelli, D., 2002. Adopting corporate environmental management systems:: Motivations and results of ISO 14001 and EMAS certification. European management journal, 20(2), pp.159-171.
Alshuwaikhat, H.M. and Abubakar, I., 2008. An integrated approach to achieving campus sustainability: assessment of the current campus environmental management practices. Journal of cleaner production, 16(16), pp.1777-1785.
Khaledian, Y., Kiani, F., Ebrahimi, S., Brevik, E.C. and Aitkenhead‐Peterson, J., 2017. Assessment and monitoring of soil degradation during land use change using multivariate analysis. Land Degradation & Development, 28(1), pp.128-141.
