The University of Western Australia is committed to developing new programs and improving existing ones to make its activities more cost-effective and environmentally efficient.
Our work in sustainability
Reporting
This displays the University's annual data for energy, carbon, water and waste.
Energy
Carbon (from energy use)
Water
Waste and recycling
Sustainability initiatives
The University is committed to global sustainability. We are a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and continue to make advances in sustainability-related teaching and research. Our sustainability initiatives cover a wide range of areas, including campus planning, energy, water, waste and more. This commitment to sustainability is embedded in our design and construction standards.
Water
Campus Management's water efficiency projects are aimed at reducing total water consumption on campus.
To help achieve the University's goal of reducing water use by 20% per staff and student by 2020 from 2008 levels, Campus Management has carried out the following projects.
Our projects
Reuse of
rainwater and wastewater from process water
plants
Water tanks have been installed on campus to capture rainwater and wastewater from the process water plants. The water captured contributes to the irrigation of the University's glasshouses as well as reused for cooling of research equipment. Annually 400KL of water is saved by reusing this wastewater.
Water conservation
Water is a vital resource, and its conservation and efficient use by consumers will reduce water wastage and production costs.
Energy is used to extract the water, to treat it, to pump it to the customer and then remove, treat and dispose of the wastewater. By reducing the demand for both water and wastewater, Water Corporation provision costs are also reduced.
In April 2016, the University was
recognised for its water conservation efforts when it received an award
as part of the Water Corporation’s Water Efficiency Management Plan
program.
The award recognises the efforts made by
UWA in achieving an improvement in water efficiency of 10 per cent or
greater during the 2014-15 financial year.
In 2015,
the University achieved a 10 per cent saving in total water use (or a 5
per cent saving in water use per equivalent full-time staff and student)
from 2014 levels. This equates to approximately 28 000kL or $60 000 in
savings.