The Ateneo de Manila University doubled down on its commitment to pursue sustainability as it shared the highlights of its third Sustainability Report.
The Ateneo Sustainability Report, which is released on a triennial basis and covers the years 2016 to 2019, focuses on the efforts of the university to care for its constituents, build an environmentally responsible campus, and train service-oriented leaders who can continue to shape society beyond the borders of the institution.
“It is not an exercise to pat ourselves on the back, but a way to hold a mirror to ourselves, to see what we’ve done and how we can further improve our efforts toward sustainable and inclusive development,” said Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, director of the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability.
The focus of the report was identified through the Ateneo Sustainability Survey and through consultations with the university’s top management.
The key areas are: mobility and traffic; wastewater management; solid waste management; greenhouse gas emissions; energy consumption and reduction; water consumption reduction and recycling; employee benefits; affordability of products; access for persons with disabilities; gender discrimination; and disaster protocols.
In the years covered by the third sustainability report, it is shown that both the number of electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions had been on a steady rise.
On average the university consumed 40 million megajoules per year or 1,900 megajoules per Atenean.
As for greenhouse gas emissions, the university emitted an average of 10,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, which amounts to half a metric ton per person.
According to the authors, the increase in emissions are tied to the increase in electricity consumption that in turn was driven by the construction of buildings within the campus.
Fuel for the fleet of vehicles of the university and its generator sets also added to the total emissions of Ateneo.
As for water consumption, Ateneo consumed 307,000 cubic meters of water in the period covered by the report.
To help the university save water, several projects have been put in place, like a decentralized wastewater treatment system, building wastewater system, and a rainwater trapment and harvesting facility.
Though mobility remains to be a problem for the university, they have made headway in addressing some of their problems.
Electric jeeps have helped people move around the campus while reducing the emissions.
A point-to-point bus system is also in place, which brings students and employees to and from bus stops to the campus. Carpooling initiatives have also proven successful among students.
“What really makes sustainability efforts work and what makes them successful is really the sense of community, and I think that’s the base value that all of us have to exemplify that our actions are not only for us as individuals, but being part of a society, being part of a community means we have to think of others,” Abby Favis, project manager for Campus Sustainability of Ateneo said.
Former Ateneo president, Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, also outlined some future efforts of the university to become more sustainable.
One of these is a 2-megawatt solar facility within the campus that will help meet the electricity needs of the university.
Aside from discussing the sustainability efforts of the university, Villarin also underscored the value of living simply and knowing when enough is enough especially today when people are experiencing the impact of climate change.
He also reminded the university that the pursuit for sustainability is multifaceted.
“As we know, sustainability is more than just the environment. We have to address not only this mobility and logistics, but there are social things we have to address as well. We have to look at our processes and governance,” Villarin said.
The report follows the stringent Global Reporting Initiative standards and is streamlined with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Data was collected from all units of the university from Ateneo Grade School to the Ateneo Professional Schools.