Environmental, Social and Governance Report 2020-21 24 25 Our Net-Zero Journey Introduction Materiality Environment, Social and Governance Sustainability initiatives ESG frameworks Physical Presence Natural Resources Water Consumption and trade-offs As mentioned earlier, one of the energy reduction initiatives was to install backup cooling towers to ensure redundancy in the district cooling system and to allow more flexibility in conserving energy during non-peak times of the year. While the project is expected to save energy, the cost is that it will significantly increase the consumption of water. The 2028 Challenge recognized this increase and set a target to offset this increase by 2028 through water efficiency and conservation measures. The goal is to bring water consumption down to less than 500,000m3 which is equal to pre-cooling tower levels. In our world today, the pursuit of economic growth often leads to environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources. HKUST’s initiatives strive to preserve our scarce natural resources by developing new technologies and generating policy-relevant solutions. Natural Resources are Managed to Respect the Welfare of Ecosystems, People, and Animals HKUST doesn’t manage, own, or directly extract from natural resources. However, our campus is located in a pristine setting on the banks of the Clear Water Bay and includes a rich biodiverse environment. A new sustainable landscape strategy has been introduced into landscape contractor to ensure that the natural features are protected and maintained with sustainability as a guiding principle, Additionally, nurturing sustainability-minded staff is regarded as the basis of driving operations with low environmental impacts. HKUST Sustainability Guidelines encourage offices to include sustainability practices for performance evaluations so that employees recognize that reducing environmental impacts and conserving natural resources is an element of the job function. On the other hand, staff should make smart and responsible selection of products to use natural resources efficiently. This is further strengthened by introducing HKUST’s Sustainable Purchasing Policy which indicates that all equipment and appliances purchased by every department of HKUST have to meet the EMSD Level 1 performance level. Moreover, HKUST is committed to creating a sustainable campus setting where resources are utilized responsibly and all members of the HKUST community have the capacity to thrive within a healthy environment. The specifications detailed in HKUST Sustainability Guidelines are predicated on the expectation that the Contractor respects and supports HKUST’s commitment to creating a sustainable campus. Operations do not Encroach on Ecosystems or Communities For new capital projects, HKUST’s High Performance Building Standards require digital design tools allowing simultaneous considerations of numerous site parameters including terrain levels, solar radiation, sightlines, and soil conditions to influence the design’s optimal configuration and orientation. Digital encoding of internal spaces enabled layout tests to optimize functionality and adaptability, as well as accurate calculation of natural light levels. Moreover, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is now a campus standard, ensuring that all new campus buildings will have a digital twin to further operational efficiencies. To address the existing buildings, an SSC project was launched in 2019 to create a campus-wide digital twin that will cover all buildings and grounds. The project is ongoing, and the goal is to integrate the digital twin into the various building management software programs to create a seamless interface for operations, maintenance, space allocation, and campus master planning exercises. Over the recent years, HKUST has determined in its direction that sustainability will be an area of forever impact which affects many stakeholders of HKUST while being a crucial element to safeguard ecosystems for future generations. As HKUST is in a semi-urban environment, physical presence is one of the key factors that is important for stakeholders to consider for future strategies. As such, HKUST emphasizes that the physical presence of its operations minimizes its negative impact on the surrounding ecosystems and communities.
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