This document summarizes a group project analyzing carbon footprint calculations and alternative environmental initiatives for NTU. It includes: 1. An overview of carbon footprint calculations including defining system boundaries and collecting activity and emission factor data. 2. NTU's estimated carbon footprint is over 50,000 tons annually, with purchased electricity being the largest source. 3. Alternative initiatives proposed include transitioning some courses online to reduce commuting, buying carbon offsets, and implementing rewards/penalties based on emissions.

1. AB0401
Seminar 04
Group members:
 CHNG Si Lin Jocelyn
 CHUA Jun Xiang
 LEE Josiah
 LIM Jia Min Cheryl
 WONG Yik James
C02 Australia
Changing our World: do we plant trees or create online courses?
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2. Agenda
1. Calculations of Carbon
Footprints
2. Stakeholder Analysis
3. Alternative Environmental
Initiatives
4. Executive Summary
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3. Carbon Footprint
What constitutes to the carbon footprint calculations?
Wiedmann & Minx (2007): “a measure of the exclusive total amount of carbon
dioxide emissions that is directly and indirectly caused by an activity or is
accumulated over the life stages of a product”.
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4. Steps to carbon
footprint
calculations
1. Create a process map
2. Defining the boundaries of
the analysis
3. Collecting the necessary
data
4. Calculation of the
footprint.
More information :
http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/faculty/hall/publications/PA
S2050_Guide.pdf
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Inputs
Processes
Outputs
The process map will include all stages and potential emission
sources from any activity that contributes to the delivery or use
of the service.
The system boundary defines the scope for the product carbon
footprint, i.e. which life cycle stages, inputs and outputs should
be included in the assessment.
Begin collecting more specific data following the requirements
and recommendations of PAS 2050, which will enable
assessment of the carbon footprint in more detail.
Two necessary data types: activity data & emission factors

5. Activity Data
Activities that lead to emissions
E.g.amount of gasoline used in a certain time frame (in litres), or the
amount of paper consumed (in kilograms).
Mandatory activities to include in the
CO2 calculations
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http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/faculty/hall/publications/PAS2050_Guide.pdf

6. Mandatory activities to include
in the CO2 calculation:
 Electricity consumed,
 Heat generated,
 Employee commuting,
 Paper usage,
 Employee travel,
 Emissions of student commuting (waste, water,
electricity T&D losses, other on-campus stationary
sources, water and direct transportation )
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7. Carbon Footprint
Calculations
Two basic types of data are necessary to calculate the
CO2 emissions : Activity data & Emission Factors
 Emission factor (CO2 per unit)
 Emissions can be expressed into CO2 emitted per unit
of measurement (kg / km / l / etc).
 For example, an emission factor could state the
amount of CO2 that is emitted per kilogram of paper.
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8. Carbon Footprint
Calculations
 The total CO2 emission of the university should be
calculated by multiplying emission factors and
activity data for all the (sub)categories; taking the sum
of these multiplications gives the total CO2 emission
of the university.
CO2 emission = Activity data (kg / km / litres / etc) *
Emission factor (CO2 per unit).
 The degree of uncertainty of the calculations can be
assessed by doing a sensitivity analysis.
(Stefan Sprangers)
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9. Carbon Footprint
Estimate
Scope
Source
Scope 1
Total emissions (kg), C02
Campus-generated electricity
Negligable
Campus-owned transport
Scope 2
2,155.40
25,484,680.00
Heat/Air-conditioning
Scope 3
Purchased electricity
18,723,120.00
Faculty Commuting
2,697,869.20
Student Commuting
6,343,091.30
Financed Travel
488,023.90
Paper consumption
Waste
145,003.95
175,100.90
Total
54,059,044.65
Students
32,862
Employees
4,214
Total per student (kg)
1407.23
Total per employee (kg)
1854.43
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10. Estimation Notes
 A significant portion of NTU‟s carbon footprint comes from airconditioning expenses
 Student commuting is relatively minimal due to large amount of oncampus accommodation
 NTU students are still relatively paper-reliant
 Overall emissions are high  No significant on-campus energy
generation, and little/no use of alternative “green” energy sources
such as solar or hydraulics
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11. STAKEHOLDERS
By integrating and matching
their interests with our value
proposition, we will be able
to effectively convince our
stakeholders to buy-in to our
initiatives
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12. Stakeholders
The table provides information of our primary stakeholders and their interests, who
will benefit from our initiatives.
Stakeholder
NTU
Interests
Value Proposition
Admin cost, reputation in terms of
ranking, CSR goals, good learning and
working environment
Eco-efficiency
Guenster et al.
(2006)
Students
Cost of education, convenience,
effective learning, quality of learning
Employees
Pay, working conditions, promotions
Government
Budget variances, sustainability
initiatives, CSR
Environmen-talists CSR, carbon footprint, green efforts
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13. A vicious cycle



De Vries (2011) and Guenster et al.
(2006)
Ecoefficiency
How well an organization manages
its carbon footprint will in return
provide good service to its financial
and non financial goals and vice
versa
Cost
savings
Reputation
An organization that fails to assess
and manage its carbon footprint will
inadvertently be producing excess
carbon which means more dollar
values are being disposed to
unnecessary carbon emissions which
otherwise could have been better
invested for higher returns
Value add
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Reduce
carbon

14. BENEFITS of measuring
carbon footprints
1. Financial benefits
 Provide a strong incentive to reduce the carbon
emissions and hence save a substantial amount of
costs from being eco-friendly
 Able to provide more services at lower prices to
students and others
Gain competitive advantage against other universities (Porter & van
der Linde, 1996)
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15. BENEFITS of measuring
carbon footprints
2. Reduce carbon emission
 NTU, as one of the fastest growing universities,
should move in pace with this development and
start measuring and reporting about their carbon
emissions
 Be socially responsible in mitigating effects of
climate change and environmental pollution created
by their operations
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16. BENEFITS of measuring
carbon footprints
3. Value add and support to other stakeholders’
interests
 Reducing costs means higher profits (ceteris
paribus)
 Cost savings can be used to meet other
stakeholders‟ needs like reducing tuition fees for
students, providing better pay and improving
working conditions to employees etc
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17. BENEFITS of measuring
carbon footprints
4. Reputation benefits
 Works positively on stakeholders like the media,
governmental institutions, employees, investors and
potential partners in improving reputation
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18. ALTERNATIVE environment
initiatives
Think Green, Choose Wisely, Create, Deliver, Less Usage, Use Wisely
and Recycle & Reuse
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19. ALTERNATIVE environmental
initiatives
1. Transforming a significant proportion of our
course delivery from classroom to an online format
2. Buying an equivalent amount of carbon offset
credits from CO2 Limited Group
3. Other viable alternatives leading to a carbonneutral future
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20. 1. Transforming a significant proportion
of course delivery from classroom to an
online format
 NTU can use social media or online platforms to
conduct lessons
 Benefits of using online platforms to conduct
lessons
 Reduce carbon emissions from commuting, printing
of papers and electricity
 Able to transcend time and space across international
borders
 More interactive with videos, sounds and images (meet
interest of students’ learning experience)
 Students able to learn at their own pace, more
effective learning
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21. 2. Buying equivalent amount of carbon
offset credits from CO2 Group Limited
 A carbon credit is an offset that can be exchanged on a
market
 For example, company A may have established an
emission reduction of 200 tons CO2 this year.
However, company A does not need this emission
reduction to meet Kyoto Protocol targets. Thus, company
A goes to the Kyoto Protocol Clean Development
Mechanism to get a Certified Emission Reduction
(CER), which is a credit that can be sold on the market
 This credit enables organizations to reach their overall
„green‟ target while signaling organizations to be
mindful of their carbon emissions
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22. 2. Buying equivalent amount of carbon
offset credits from CO2 Group Limited
PROS
 Hassle-free (Do not have to modify current
practices)
CONS
 NTU would spend money (lower profits) by buying
carbon offset credits
 May not be a long-term solution (only short-term
compensatory solution)
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23. 3. Other viable alternatives leading to a
carbon-neutral future.
Mete out punishments and rewards according to Vroom‟s
expectancy theory
 Punish employees for unfavorable variances from
utilities (electricity, water) and stationery expenses (e.g.
paper)
 Reduce year-end bonuses
 Impose penalties
 Reward employees for favorable variances from utilities
and stationery expenses
 Increase year-end bonus
 Allow them to use cost savings for towards department‟s
welfare (e.g. cohesion day)
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24. 3. Other viable alternatives leading to a
carbon-neutral future.
 Optimized green and privacy solar absorbing
glasses that can reduce the heat entering classrooms
and staffrooms
 Pre-set air conditioning to 24 degree Celsius (no
option to lower temperature)
 Electrical saving day (similar to e-learning week
where students will not be required to come to
school but lessons be conducted through e learning)
 Have outdoor learning
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25. 3. Other viable alternatives leading to a
carbon-neutral future.
 Partner recycling companies to help recycle waste
created by schools
 Use gas instead of electricity as resource
 Partnering industry to develop and adopt greener
technologies
 Seek governmental aid and support required to
develop greener technologies (Lee and Win, 2004)
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26. Proposed recommendations
for action by NTU
• Popular usage and ease of accessibility to information
technology today  Transform a few chapters of module
to be taught in class to online format first
• Concurrently, phase out implementations of our viable
alternatives our team proposed over a period of 2 years
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27. Executive Summary
 We all know the damaging effects of C02 to the environment such
as its potent contribution to greenhouse effects. But how many of
us know how much are we contributing to the environment from
our daily activities?
 NTU teaches us corporate social responsibility and the
significance of giving back to society. But first and foremost, how
can the university be at the forefront of carbon reduction?
 This keynote suggests viable alternatives the university can
partake in, how they can calculate the carbon footprint to identify
major contributors that need to be cut down and the stakeholders
directly affecting and affected by carbon emissions.
 It also attempts to persuade NTU to join forces in “going green”
for a more sustainable world.
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