Environmental diagnosis of a university campus as a strategy for a sustainable practices proposal

Abstract

Universities, directly or indirectly, have an impact on the environment through the consumption of water, energy, generation of waste and occupation of green areas. This study aimed to perform a diagnosis of water and energy consumption, waste generation, and management of green areas in the UnB Planaltina Faculty/Federal District, to propose a sustainable management strategy. For that, water and energy consumption (2006 to 2017), qualitative and quantitative characterization of solid residues (2015-2016) and phytosociological study of the green areas of the campus were analyzed. The results indicate that water and energy consumption are increasing since the inauguration of the campus in 2006, due to the expansion of the number of servers, students and built areas. From the solid waste produced, 67% is recyclable. The phytosociological study indicated high biological diversity of Cerrado restricted sense. Among the indicated strategies for management is the adoption of programs for the efficient use of water and energy, and the implementation of selective collection with destination of the recyclables to collectors cooperatives. In the green areas, it is recommended their preservation and conservation. Future expansions of the campus should occur in more degraded areas, such as Cerrado restricted sense, to reduce suppression of vegetation cover.

Keywords:
University campus; Sustainable universities; Wastes; Water; Energy