HKU Bulletin October 2008 (Vol. 10 No. 1)

7 Sustainable Behaviour Therapy A new vision to green HKU’s campus and its staff and students A nn Kildahl, the new Sustainability Manager at HKU, likes to define her job by the impact she can have on people, as much as on the environment. “This work is about new ways of thinking and behavioural change,” she said. “The students at HKU are the future leaders and decision makers of this region, so our challenge is to help them understand and act in ways that will contribute to more sustainable ways of l iving over the course of their working lives.” With that in mind, she has moved quickly since arriving in February to set ambitious goals for the University and its 20,000 students and 5,700 staff. Two issues are at the top of her priority list: energy efficiency and waste management. Although the University has made strides in both areas – for instance, electricity consumption has fallen seven per cent since 2002 – a lot more could be done by establishing new systems and infrastructure and fostering greener behaviour. For the coming academic year, Kildahl is working with the Estates Office on a retrofitting programme that will improve the energy efficiency of the University’s existing buildings, which number more than one hundred. She is also introducing a new waste management programme that reaches all academic and administrative buildings, student residence halls and senior staff accommodation, and encourages people to recycle as a matter of routine. Education and awareness building will be central features in her efforts. “I would like more people to understand how what we do, and the buildings where we live and work, affect resources like energy and water. Similarly, with recycling I want better awareness not just about where the cans and plastic bottles go, but the link between waste management and climate change.” Engaging students to help tackle the many items on her to-do list is an important part of her strategy. She reckons that by contributing to sustainability efforts on campus, students can learn more about the issues and develop their communication and project management skills. Tapping into the energies of others is, indeed, a necessity in a job whose remit extends into every corner of the University. “This job is too big for one person; it needs to be done by teams,” she said. “I spent my first few months meeting as many people as I could and discovered that there was already a lot happening on campus. We have a deep reservoir of knowledge and expertise at HKU. I see my job as co-ordinator, connecting the dots so people can be more aware of what others are doing and their efforts can be advanced on campus and beyond.” Kildahl sees a similar role for HKU within the region because its longstanding commitment to sustainability principles puts it in a strong position to provide leadership and guidance to other universities. “The Centennial Campus is an opportunity for HKU to become a model of higher education sustainability in Asia. With greater awareness of climate change, countries around the region are improving and upgrading their building standards, and we can expect to see a growing recognition of sustainability issues among universities. HKU is well positioned to help advance this process – we need to see just how far we can push the envelope,” she said. She has already taken some steps to advance the University’s leadership role. In her f irst few months, she proposed a consortium of Hong Kong universities to communicate and share experiences on sustainability issues. She also signed up the University to the International Sustainability Campus Network, a small forum of leading European, North American and Asian universities convened for the exchange of information, ideas, and best practices for sustainable campus operations. HKU will lead the development of the network’s Asian chapter. Kildahl points out that universities around the world are working towards similar goals relating to sustainability. “This is an exciting time to develop new collaborative networks. We’re not in competition – these are global challenges, and we can all gain by working together,” she said. 6 PEOPLE