Sustainability Training for Staff

The HKUST Sustainability Network plays a vital role in advancing sustainability actions and policies on campus. Comprising representatives from various offices, departments, and schools, the network serves as a social backbone, sharing ideas, providing updates, celebrating successes, and offering feedback on new initiatives. The objectives of the Sustainability Network are to foster collaboration, share best practices, and engage colleagues in sustainable office practices.

To equip our Sustainability Network Representatives with the necessary knowledge and skills, we provide regular trainings in collaboration with external speakers and our Sustainability/Net-Zero Office. Recent training sessions have covered topics such as biodiversity impact, waste charging scheme, and the Sustainable Smart Campus Initiative. These trainings empower representatives to incorporate sustainability principles into their office operations and serve as advocates for change within their respective departments.

The Green Team is an integral part of our sustainability efforts, offering students and staff the opportunity to actively participate in creating a more sustainable campus environment. By joining the Green Team, members become part of a community-driven initiative aimed at operating our campus in a more efficient, environmentally-friendly, and healthy way.

Members of the Green Team are involved in real, hands-on projects that improve our campus and community. They contribute ideas for campus greening projects, which can be implemented by the team members themselves or forwarded to relevant operations offices for consideration. The Green Team also provides training in organic gardening techniques, allowing participants to cultivate their own sustainable practices while fostering a connection with nature.

Objectives:

• Staff have access to a series of training modules designed to increase their learning in sustainability. 

• This online module series provide staff with insights on Life Cycle Thinking and how it can help them navigate their way through decision-making process based on life cycle analysis, life cycle cost analysis, and systems thinking. 

Life Cycle Thinking for Sustainability 

Life Cycle Thinking for Sustainability is an online module designed to empower our staff with the knowledge and skills needed to make sustainable decisions. Through this accessible and engaging training, we aim to enhance the understanding of sustainability concepts and equip our staff with practical tools for incorporating Life Cycle Thinking into their decision-making processes. 

Content:

1. Introduction to Life Cycle Thinking

The video provides an introduction to life cycle thinking for sustainability, emphasizing its significance for making informed and sustainable decisions. This module aims to equip you with a deeper understanding of key concepts related to life cycle analysis, life cycle costing, and systems thinking, and help you incorporate life cycle thinking into your daily work, fostering a culture of sustainability and responsible decision-making within our university community.

2. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

The video delves into the significance of life cycle analysis in sustainable procurement and operations, emphasizing the importance of understanding the life cycle of products to identify environmental impacts and make informed purchasing decisions. By scrutinizing the stages a product undergoes, from raw material extraction to end-of-life considerations, individuals can pinpoint areas with significant environmental impacts and prioritize strategies for improvement, empowering decision-makers to drive positive change.

3. Life Cycle Costing

This video introduces a valuable tool that assesses the total cost of a product over its entire life cycle, enabling informed decision-making for long-term cost-effectiveness. By moving beyond immediate expenses and considering expenses over the product's lifespan, Life Cycle Costing (LCC) provides a comprehensive view for evaluating total ownership costs, crucial for avoiding decisions solely based on initial low costs that may prove more expensive in the future.

4. Systems Thinking

This video delves into the concept of Systems Thinking and the importance in understanding the interconnected nature of systems, the ripple effects of our decisions, and ways to incorporate systems thinking into our work. In contrast to linear thinking, systems thinking encourages us to view events holistically, emphasizing relationships between system parts rather than isolated components. It prompts a deeper exploration of problems to uncover root causes and prevent unintended consequences, shifting focus from quick fixes to lasting solutions.