Environmental, Social and Governance Report 2020-21 5 Introduction Materiality Environment, Social and Governance Sustainability initiatives ESG frameworks Introduction 2028 Sustainability Goals 1 HKUST def ines sustainabi l i ty as “creat ing the conditions for people to thrive, over time, and within planetary boundaries.” With emphasis on the word “creating,” HKUST acknowledges that positive change is an ongoing process, and that our responsibility as a global leader in the higher education sector is to demonstrate our sustainability commitments in teaching, operations, research, and community engagement. These commitments are public and transparent; the first sustainability master plan – the HKUST 2020 Sustainability Challenge – was initiated in 2014/15 to establish targets and performance goals in these four core areas. The Challenge came to a close in 2020 and was successful in meeting an aggressive target in waste (50% reduction to the landfill) and reached a 7.9% reduction in energy (aiming for an overall reduction target of 10%). While the energy target fell a little short, it was enough to completely offset the energy consumption of four new campus buildings and an increase of campus population of over 10%. In education, HKUST implemented new curriculum, a Sustainability Minor degree program, a Sustainability Education Community of Practice, and a course evaluation scheme that analyzes all coursework and tracks student engagement throughout their four years. The analysis shows that more than 95% of recent graduates took at least one sustainability course, and 68% took two or more. In research and demonstration, the Challenge oversaw the creation of the Sustainable Smart Campus as a Living Lab (SSC), a new initiative that builds on the ingenuity of our campus community to develop innovative ideas for testing and implementation on our campus. The initiative now has over 30 projects supported, includes seed funding for emergent ideas, and facilitates annual student competitions and hands-on project work. For community building, HKUST has a variety of programs for engaging our members, including a Green Team, the Sustainability Education Community of Practice, community gardening, and service learning opportunities. Bui lding on this success, the new HKUST 2028 Sustainability Challenge launched in 2021 will expand the 4 focus areas as shown below. The Challenge was adopted by University Counci l in 2021 and incorporated into the University’s 2028 Strategic Plan.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=