Towards a sustainable campus: measuring and enhancing sustainability at ESTCB

Abstract

This study assesses the sustainability of the Escola Superior de Tecnologia de astelo Branco (ESTCB) using the Ecological Footprint (EF) methodology via the EUSTEPs University Footprint Calculator. The EF provides a comprehensive measure of resource consumption across university operations and is more suitable for Higher Education Institutions than Carbon or Environmental Footprint metrics zone. Data from 2019 to 2023 were collected from institutional records, covering energy use, food services, mobility, procurement, and more. Activities were categorized under direct and indirect university control. Results, expressed in global hectares (gha), highlighted that staff consistently had a higher per capita footprint than students. A significant rise in the 2023 footprint was linked to material acquisitions, particularly furniture. Key contributors to ESTCB’s footprint included staff labour, energy consumption, food provision, and mobility. COVID-19 influenced results in 2020–2021, with reduced activity and emissions. The analysis also revealed data challenges, such as fragmented records and the need for proxy estimates, limiting full precision. The study concludes that EF analysis offers valuable insights into institutional sustainability. It calls for better data integration, more precise indirect activity tracking, and incorporation of sustainability accounting in university planning.