Executive Summary - Senate



Murdoch University Environmental Committee

Environment Report 2002

PART ONE – Introduction / Achievements

The Environmental Committee initially met early in 2002. This year the Committee has been involved in successful environmental awareness activities on campus and the formation of working parties on Energy, Waste, Buildings & Materials and Environment & Ecology.

In July 2002 the University employed an Environmental Planning Officer with the brief to co-ordinate the committees activities and advance environmental management on the Murdoch Campuses. Through the committee an initial task was to develop a suite of draft environmental policies, relevant to the situation and function of the university and its development. These policies are currently under review. Upon adoption they will form the basis of an Environmental Management System with associated strategies or action plans and monitored indicators.

OFM have responded to energy conservation issues and commissioned Western Power to provide advice. Future air-conditioning requirements are being designed around a chilled water system, considered an energy efficient option. The University has recently joined the Federal Government’s Greenhouse Challenge Program and will use this as a framework to further advance energy and greenhouse gas reduction activities.

Improvements in recycling have seen greater separation at source and initial actions to develop in-situ treatment of food and green waste. Murdoch University is currently exploring a partnership with St John of God Hospital on some waste management issues, an initiative that is showing positive signs.

An increased awareness of the long-term benefits of environmental design has resulted in the design brief for the new BITL Law building and lecture theatre demonstrating many of these features. The Building and materials group has liaised with OFM staff on this issue.

Biodiversity conservation and enhancement will be undertaken in identified priority areas and will be undertaken as part of the Restoration Ecology Program in 2003. The Environment and Ecology group is also considering strategies for weed control and endemic vegetation in landscaping.

The OFM has supported the development of the Environmental Technology Centre and the activities undertaken by the ETC, which can now claim United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) status and further supported the Centre in winning the state environment awards in the category of Eco-buildings. The Environmental Technology Centre has recently joined the Environment Committee and will provide advice on water conservation and management for the campus.

PART TWO – Key Performance Indicators and Benchmarking

Environmental performance indicators used in this report described the condition of the environment for energy, waste, water, biodiversity and buildings & materials. The indicators present environmental information in a manner that can be benchmarked against past trends and where possible against other campuses or businesses. Further indicators of sustainability will be incorporated into later reports as a more comprehensive assessment of sustainability is developed for the campus. Benchmarked indicators are also described in Murdoch University’s Environment Policies for the following categories:

Energy

Condition

The information on energy is limited to electricity and gas consumption. Western Power via its South West Transmission Network supplies Murdoch University’s campuses with electricity. Coal is the principal fuel used for generating electricity in WA, however some natural gas is also used. Natural gas is also used as a source of energy on both campuses.

Less than 1% of the energy used on campus comes from renewable sources. MUERI, ACRE, the ETC and the Rockingham Campus generate electricity from solar and wind energy and feed this into the electricity grid.

Consumption statistics are presented below.

|Total Energy Consumption 2001 |Annual Consumption in Gig joules |Energy Consumption per m2 (GJm-2)|Energy Consumption per EFTSU |

| | | |(GJm-2) |

|Rockingham | 6459 |1.15 |13.8 |

|Murdoch |65203 |0.62 |8.0 |

* EFTSU – Equivalent Full Time Student Unit

Consumption Costs for the Murdoch Campus.

| |2000 | |2001 | |

|Electricity |KWh |Cost $ |KWh |Cost $ |

| |19,973,360 |1,698,527 |18,927,710 |1,766,665 |

|Gas |GJ | |GJ | |

| |266,373 |267,353 |271,272 |305,832 |

Pressure

Continued expansion of the campus and the need to provide more air-conditioning will increase future energy consumption. An additional pressure is the lack of awareness among staff and students about energy usage, how as individuals they contribute to energy consumption or how they can assist with more efficient practices. This is a common problem for many organisations, particularly when energy costs are not borne directly by individuals.

Response

Murdoch University has become more focused on managing its energy consumption in recent years and has commissioned Western Power to undertake electricity audits and advise the university on cost effective actions. The OFM has commenced planning for an expanded air-conditioning program using energy efficient water-chilled systems.

In September 2002 the University became a signatory to the Australian Greenhouse Office’s Greenhouse Challenge program. Under this program the University will establish electricity consumption targets and an action plan.

An Energy Policy has been developed to address a range of future energy supply and use issues. This is currently undergoing public review.

Waste

Condition

Detailed information on the waste stream from Murdoch’s campuses is still being assessed and will become available in next years report.

The City of Melville are contracted to collect general and some liquid waste from the Murdoch campus. Murdoch University has been gradually improving its waste management practices and conforms to current regulations. Bin stations and waste collection sites across the campus have allowed waste to be sorted into paper and cardboard for recycling into similar products, Mobile Garbage Bins for re-cyclables, general waste and the collection of liquid waste.

A considerable amount of cross pollution of the waste streams occurs particularly with recyclable plastics in the general waste stream and food in the recyclable stream. Around the refectory and student village are areas of note in this regard.

The annual cost of waste disposal in 2001/02 was $87,000.

The waste stream can be sorted into paper & cardboard recycling, recyclable containers, general waste and a number of hazardous liquid wastes. The separation of paper & cardboard and recyclables are recent innovations and have occurred with the assistance of the City of Melville.

A brief audit undertaken by students in 2000 found that the average composition of Murdoch waste was:

• 41% Recyclable waste

• 44% Compostable waste

• 15% Residue waste.

These statistics suggest further improvements are possible, particularly for the compostable waste stream.

Pressure

A general trend to increased consumption in society, future increases in the number of students at Murdoch and an increase in commercial and recreational activities on the campus increase the pressure on waste management and waste volumes. The cost of waste disposal is expected to increase as landfill sites are closed down and if waste volumes increase.

Response

The transfer of some food waste to the Environmental Technology Centre for vermi-composting has been trailed. This initiative has ceased due to logistical issues. An audit of waste and the development of a waste strategy are currently in progress.

Water

Condition

Water conservation (mains and groundwater) is an issue for the Murdoch campus. Mains water is used internally in kitchens, toilets, and laboratories, for watering animals and in a small area of garden. It is also used domestically in on-campus student accommodation. Detailed water auditing has not been undertaken to date.

Irrigation of the Murdoch University grounds is through licensed ground water bores. The Murdoch campus has seven licensed bores on campus. In 2000, bore allocations were overdrawn by 43% and by 32% in 2001. The Vet Farm accounted for 62% of total bore water used while the remaining 38% was used on lawns and gardens across the campus, in 2001.

The following table shows mains water consumption for 2000 and 2001.

| |2000 | |2001 | |

| |kLs |Cost $ |KLs |Cost $ |

|Murdoch Campus |178,423 |261,526 |200,777 |320,651 |

|Rockingham Campus |34,108 |31,107 |35,814 |41,830 |

Water costs include mains water in and commercial drainage, which is calculated at 80% of incoming metered mains water. Therefore, water conservation will reduce drainage costs.

Pressure

Rainfall in Perth has been declining for the past 25 years. This drying trend is seen as a normal cycle and is also likely to be negatively influenced by the enhanced greenhouse effect. In 2001 the state government introduced water restrictions with a strong focus on water conservation and efficiency. While the price of water has remained static, it is unlikely this trend will continue, as this resource becomes further limited.

The ability to capture and use rainwater on site is limited due to threats posed by asbestos fibres from roofing materials.

Groundwater is currently only used for irrigation. One pressure on this resource is the maintenance of good pasture for most of the year, on the Vet Farm and green lawns around the campus. A factor that limits groundwater use for other purposes is the severe iron staining.

Response

A water audit of campus facilities and student accommodation would reveal how mains water is used and identify potential savings. The Vet Farm has recently introduced an electronic control system to better manage irrigation.

The use of soil moisture probes is recommended to enhance water conservation efforts across campus.

Water harvesting is a strategy that has the potential to reduce water consumption and eliminate iron staining and will be investigated in 2003. This can be addressed through the use of settling ponds. At present infrastructure to progress this possibility is limited.

Biodiversity

Condition

The Murdoch campus has a fair amount of the original flora remaining on campus. Much of this is in excellent condition and includes banksia/jarrah woodland and melaleuca wetland vegetation complexes. Some of these areas have regrown amongst the remnants of the pine forest while other areas at the back of the campus are original.

A large number of the original trees at the rear of the campus are dead or dying from unknown causes, an issue that requires further investigation.

Over the years extensive native gardens have been established around the campus and have grown to complement the natural biodiversity values of the campus.

Pressure

A large number of the original trees at the rear of the campus are dead or dying, possibly from dieback, an issue that requires further investigation. Past disturbances (vegetation removal, fire and additional nutrients) have provided an opportunity for grass weed growth that continues to degrade the status of vegetation, competing with native species and increasing the fire risk.

Other general biodiversity pressures are associated with the removal of vegetation in association with the growth of the campus.

Response

The Department of Planning and Infrastructure are in the process of designating some areas of native vegetation as regionally significant, a status which provides some legal protection. The management and rehabilitation of priority areas has been flagged as a practical exercise for the Restoration Ecology course in 2003.

Buildings and Materials

Condition

Most of the teaching and office buildings at Murdoch University have some external environmental design considerations, however factors such as passive solar design, energy efficiency, embodied energy and materials use have until recently been secondary factors.

Asbestos roofing remains an ongoing health and safety factor and a constraint to the application of water harvesting and other sustainability technologies or the retrofitting of buildings.

There are no defined environmental indicators for campus buildings, however one possible indicator is operating costs per m2. This considers maintenance, cleaning security and energy costs. The Rockingham campus cost $47.72 per m2 while the Murdoch cost was $42.37 per m2. The average cost for Australian campuses is $42.60 per m2.

Pressure

Government building regulations are being amended to incorporate improved environmental design outcomes for housing and these are likely to be reflected in other building types. Environmental technologies, design and community expectations are increasingly leading to innovative environmental design outcomes.

Response

OFM is factoring environmental design considerations into new buildings at the design stage and has established consultation mechanisms to achieve improved environmental design outcomes.

PART THREE – Future Directions

1. Experience from Australian universities, other government and private institutions show that substantial financial saving can be derived from many resource conservation initiatives, however if this is returned to general revenue it can limit progressive improvements in these areas. To enhance the multiplier effect of resource conservation initiatives and other environmental projects that may not have the same financial saving, the channelling of a reasonable percentage savings back into these initiatives has been shown to achieve the best long term results.

2. Water Conservation for both mains and bore water use is an area with considerable potential and requires addressing particularly regarding short and long term climate prediction for this state. Associated with bore use is the presence of high quantities of iron in irrigation pipes supplied by campus bores on campus. This is an ongoing maintenance issue and further stains the buildings.

Storm water harvesting may provide a practical and aesthetic conservation solution and the removal of iron from bore water. There is considerable opportunity to demonstrate sound practices in the area, however it is limited by the presence of asbestos fibre in roof run-off.

3. Asbestos roofing remains an environmental, maintenance and a potential health issue.

4. Future buildings should plan for newly emerging technologies and the use of materials that utilise solar energy or may assist in the conservation of energy.

5. To achieve sound environmental performances across the campus it is necessary for responsibilities to be recognised across the campus. The introduction of Key Performance Indicators at a Divisional level would assist in reducing resource consumption; encourage recycling and the use of recycled materials through purchasing priorities. This issue will be raised through the Environment Committee in 2003.

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