Sustainability Training for Staff
Recognizing that sustainability knowledge is essential for empowering staff to make informed decisions, HKUST offers structured programs that provide professional development opportunities to learn, reflect, and take action, growing our expertise on wide ranging topics.
Learn: Staff participate in Self-learning Training Modules, interactive seminars, and hands-on workshops that equip them with practical sustainability tools and knowledge, sustainability-related policy / program / platform updates, greener purchasing application and specific Sustainable Development Goals topics. The New Hire Orientation Program held throughout the year onboards staff to current sustainability initiatives, fosters a culture of environmental responsibility from the start.
Reflect: To enhance self-awareness and reinforce learning, Sustainability Literacy Survey is utilized as an educational tool to help staff assess their understanding of key sustainability concepts. This serves to enhance awareness and reflect their understanding of sustainability-related topics and current government policies.
Take action: To encourage the practical application of sustainability skills, we offer Sustainability Volunteering opportunities for all staff, enabling direct engagement in external community projects. Our Sustainability Network connects departmental representatives to drive coordinated action toward campus sustainability concerning departmental purchases and operations. Our Green Team, comprising staff, student and resident volunteers, actively addresses campus waste management and other sustainability challenges.
December 2023: Sustainability Network training on Biodiversity
Online Self-Learning Sustainability Training Modules
Objectives:
The 3.5 hours of online self-learning sustainability training modules are 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 also includes recordings of in-person sustainability staff seminars 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, and biodiversity.
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.
Contents:
1. Introduction to Life Cycle Thinking (SDG 12)
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) (SDG 12)
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 (SDG 12)
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 (SDG 12)
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.
5. Campus Swap (SDG 12)
Campus Swap stands as a campus-based platform dedicated to the exchange of second-hand office furniture among HKUST departments. It serves as a place for furniture that is on the brink of disposal by various offices and departments, offering these items a second chance at utility and sustainability.
For any staff interested in learning more about how the platform works, please watch a video here.
6. Climate Policies & Campus Operations (SDGs 12, 13, and 17)
This video informs staff about the climate policies in Hong Kong and how they will affect the planning and operation of HKUST. In this recording of the training session held on 26 Mar 2025, Dr Kenneth Leung, Director of Sustainability / Net-Zero Office shared his previous experience working on Hong Kong environmental policies in the Environment and Ecology Bureau and Environmental Protection Department. This allows HKUST to better align future developments with these policies. Please access the video here.
7. HKUST Butterfly Garden & Hong Kong Butterflies - Diversity & Conservation (SDG 15)
In this recording of the seminar held on 24 November 2025, Dr. Wing Kwong YAU, Butterfly Effect Coordinator of Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve explained why Hong Kong butterflies are so diverse and ecologically important and share with us what conservation works they are undergoing. Mr. Wicky Lee (CMO) and Dr. Cindy Lam (OCES) shared information about The Butterfly Garden at HKUST. Please access the video here.