Sustainability Training for Staff

Objectives:

The online self-learning sustainability training modules is made available to all staff to increase their learning in sustainability at their own time and based on their needs. This provides training in relation to Life Cycle Thinking and how it can help staff navigate their way through decision-making process based on life cycle analysis, life cycle cost analysis, and systems thinking.

This is 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.

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.

Sustainability seminars / workshops serves different training needs of our professional and academic staff community. 

• New Hire Orientation Program for academic and professional staff is offered for all new staff throughout the year. Sustainability initiatives available to staff is shared. This includes living lab research program, Sustainability Network for department representation, Green Team for self-initiated on-campus projects, special leave for volunteering, reusable lunchbox lending program, and Garage Sale Market.
• Sustainability seminars are offered for relevant and interested staff on new sustainability platform / initiative, and environmental policy updates. In the past, topics have included Campus Swap second-hand goods trading platform, waste-charging policy, external second-hand furniture supplier.
• Sustainability workshops have also covered topics like waste upcycling, biodiversity and hands-on practice on second-hand trading platform. 
• Seminars on specific SDG topics covering gender equality, no poverty, zero hunger and are available to staff year-round.  

At HKUST, we are committed to fostering a deep understanding of sustainability for all staff from wide ranging departments. Sustainability Literacy Survey is utilized as an educational tool to help all staff enhance their awareness and reflect on their understanding of key sustainability concepts and current government policies.

HKUST employs a recognised methodology to assess the interconnectedness of social, economic and environmental issues, covering UN SDGs, climate change basics, climate resilience, ESG issues, system thinking, global poverty and social equity. This aligns with Hong Kong's strategic climate directives. Tailored questions designed as per AASHE guidelines assess our community. Explanations and references to videos and materials are provided to reinforce the learning. This survey is shared with all staff and students.

The outcomes allow us to track our progress and further improve sustainability education and operations.

More details about the Sustainability Literacy Survey and 2021-2023 Sustainability Literacy Survey can be found here. 

With 4 days special leave available, staff volunteering opportunities relating to sustainability are available year-round through various avenues. Within HKUST, departments such as HKUST Connect, Sustainability / Net-Zero Office, Human Resource Office and Staff Association organizes these activities for staff. HKUST is also a member organization of Time Auction, a volunteering platform whereby individual staff can sign up to sustainability training through volunteering experience. Themes relate to waste upcycling, marine-system restoration, farming and tree planting, and resource distribution for the needy. More details are available here.

The HKUST Sustainability Network connects departmental representatives to drive coordinated action toward campus sustainability concerning departmental purchases and operations. They play 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, comprising staff and students volunteers actively participate in creating a more sustainable campus environment through 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, waste management and wellbeing 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.