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Know more about us at www.simplygreens.com
This Carbon Footprint and Waste Audit Report of Shalom Hills International School, Gurgaon is the
result of a match in the philosophies with which i-dream was started and how Shalom Hills
International School is gearing up to build a future ready school.
We express our sincere gratitude to all those who have put in their efforts towards making this
report under the EcoSlate Program supported by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
We are firstly thankful to Shalom Hills International School, Gurgaon and its management team
headed by Dr. (Mrs.) Lilly George for sharing our thoughts in building a sustainable school. We would
like to express sincere thanks to Mr. Dennis George, Vice Chairman – Shalom Hills International
School for providing us with intellectual support. We are grateful to Mrs. Sara Noorana, Principal for
giving us an opportunity to start the Sustainability Education Program in the school. We would also
like to express our gratitude to Ms. Aditi Roy, Vice Principal for believing in the future of
sustainability.
Working Ms. Jalpa Shah was an absolute delight. Your encouraging words, enthusiasm and such
good support have made us believe in our work much stronger than ever before. We are extremely
thankful to Mam for providing us the required assistance for this project and also for her valuable
suggestions.
We are also thankful to Ms. Anjali for being present in all the sessions and for being the support
children needed in our absence.
Finally, a special mention to the group of students, who worked with us on this project. It is an
extremely proud feeling to have worked with them and we hope that we have inspired all of them to
adopt what they learned in this program as a part of their lifestyle.
Head Page No.
Introduction 4
What is Carbon Footprint? 5
How is Carbon Footprint Measured? 5
How this report will help school? 6
Carbon Audit Process 7
Student Training 8
Factors for Carbon Footprint 10
Electricity 11
Paper 12
Waste 13
Transport 13
Creation of Data Sheets 14
Results 18
Electricity 19
Paper 21
Transport 23
Waste 25
Conclusion 26
Annexure I - Water Audit 28
Over the last 100 years, the average temperature of the earth has increased by about 0.8 deg C. If
we let the status quo continue, it is expected to go up by more than 6 deg C in the next few decades.
Climate Change is therefore a reality we cannot run away from.
Any solution to Climate Change lies in the kind of choices we make whether as producers or as
consumers. If we can make responsible choices across everything we consume, we can reduce our
impact on the environment and thereby start moving towards building a sustainable future.
Making a smart or a responsible choice is not an art. It is a scientific process which can be learned
and implemented. It is in this space that i-dream’s Sustainable School Program comes into the
picture and becomes critical in how our young generation is growing up to be. Under this program,
children are trained on various aspects of Climate Change and how to build tools and resources that
can help us to logically make smarter choices and improve upon our sustainability score.
The other important thing we must understand is that if we have to make an effort towards leading
a sustainable lifestyle, we need to first measure our impact on the environment. This is because, we
really cannot manage something unless we measure it. Carbon Footprint is one tool which helps us
do that.
A Carbon Footprint Audit report will tell us how much impact we are creating on the environment
because of our daily activities. It will also help us to identify areas wherein we can intervene, reduce
the impact, save our costs and optimize the usage of our resources.
The future however, is not as bad as it
may seem. Thankfully, we are living in
times where institutions and individuals
around the world are waking up to the
challenges of Climate Change and we are
seeing the emergence of green economy.
It is we, who have to ask ourselves a
question,
“ARE WE READY?”
Carbon Footprint is a measure of total quantity of greenhouse gases being emitted by an individual
or an institution as a result of its daily activities. Simply, Carbon Footprint tells us what is our impact
on the environment and it quantifies the same in the form of total greenhouse gases being emitted.
Every activity that we do results in one or the other greenhouse gas emission. Carbon Footprint tool
analyses each activity, measures greenhouse gas emission from each of those activity and gives us a
sum total.
Carbon Footprint is measured as Kg or tons of CO2e(e=Greenhouse Gas equivalent to CO2).Please
note that the reason why carbon footprint is measured in terms of Carbon Dioxide is mainly because
out of all the six greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere, Carbon Dioxide is the most widely
present gas. All the other 5 greenhouse gases are present in moderate or small amounts. Therefore,
while all the greenhouse gases are measure while doing the carbon footprinting, they are converted
to their Carbon Dioxide equivalents while presenting the final result. This is the reason why there is a
small “e” at the end of CO2 while we write the unit of Carbon Footprint.
The first step in calculating your carbon footprint is to understand what kind of output/result does
any of your activity creates. For eg: when you use paper, the output is measured in terms of amount
of paper used in kilograms. When you drive a vehicle, the output could either be the distance
travelled or the amount of fuel consumed. Similarly, different activities will have different outputs.
To calculate carbon footprint, we simply multiply the output of an activity by the amount of Carbon
Dioxide that would have been released by 1 unit of that activity. The carbon dioxide emission per
unit of an activity is known as the Emission Factor. Please note that because each activity will have a
unique output, different activities or resources will have a unique emission factor.
For eg: The emission factor for paper is 2.9 kg of CO2e per kg of paper, which means that for every 1
kg of paper used by you, 2.9 kg of CO2e is released into the atmosphere. Therefore, if in one month,
you consume 5 Kg of paper, your annual carbon footprint = 2.9 x 5 x 12 = 174 kg of CO2e.
Likewise, if we know the emission factor for different activities, we can calculate our Carbon
Footprint due to different activities or any resource/product which we consume.
This report shall help in several ways, some of which are mentioned hereunder:
Carbon Footprint of your school is the result of several parameters such as Electricity, Water,
Transport, Waste and Paper. This report will help your school figure out the percentage contribution
of each of these factors. This will provide the school with a micro view of how much impact is being
created on the environment.
Once the school has identified the key factors behind the Carbon Footprint, a strategic sustainability
roadmap can be created which will help the school to optimize on the resource consumption.
Reduction of Carbon Footprint has a direct impact on the operating costs being incurred by the
school. Various case studies across different institutions project a reduction in the operating cost as
a result of implementation of the sustainability roadmap.
The report can be used to create awareness with all the stakeholders involved within the school and
outside and thereby create a sustainable vision for the institute.
The long term objective of this report is to initiate creation of a culture of sustainability inside the
school. Sustainable School is a concept which is extremely nascent around the world but is soon
expected to become the next big thing. The school can benefit immensely by projecting itself as one
of the first few future ready schools.
Let us now look at each of these steps in detail and understand in depth how this report was
created.
Step 1
• Student training on how to build a Carbon Footprint Calculator tool for the schools
Step 2
• Identification of various primary and secondary factors contributing to schools's carbon Footprint
Step 3
• Creation of data sheets for all the parameters identified in Step 2
Step 4
• Data Collection as per the respective data sheets
Step 5
• Data Analysis and report making
All the participating students were provided a comprehensive 10 hour class room training on the
theme of Climate Change and Sustainability. The curriculum taught is powered by EcoSlate, which is
India’s first Climate Change curriculum developed by i-dream and Climatemiles with support from
CIIE-Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
For the scope of this project, the students were taught the module on “Carbon Footprint” which
also covered the aspects of “Waste” and “Water”. The objective of the training was to help students
build their own carbon footprint calculator and then use the same to understand the science of
making smart and sustainable decisions. The school’s Carbon Footprint report is the result of
student’s efforts to extend their knowledge to an institution level and seek opportunities to turn
their school into a sustainable school.
Here are some candid pictures of students during various sessions:
The structure of the course curriculum that was used to train the children under this program is
mentioned hereunder:
Session No.
Topic Micro Session Topics
1
Food Injustice
Food Injustice Introductory Game
Food Game
Rural - Urban India
2 LCA and Food Miles Waste Management - Segregation
LCA - Wheat Flour
Calculate Food Miles
3
Food Shortage & 100 year story of Climate Change
Poor Distribution
Change in Rainfall Pattern - Climate Change
100 year world events
Identification of needs
Introduction to Sustainability
4
Life Cycle Analysis
Life Cycle Approach
Create a life cycle of a product
Activity - Which strawberries to consume?
5
Food Miles and Waste Audit
Ways to reduce Food Miles
What is Waste Audit
Waste Audit Framework and process
6 Conducting the Waste Audit Students and trainers shall move out of the classroom and conduct the waste audit
5
Introduction to Carbon Footprint
What is Carbon Footprint?
Global Warming Potential
Emission Factors
Basics of Calculating Carbon Footprint
6
Calculating School's Carbon Footprint
Electricity
Paper
Water
Food
Transport
7 Data Analytics & Analysis Data Review
Data Interpretation through Case Study
8 Report Presentation Report Presentation by trainer and students
9 Sustainable Lifestyle Option Fishing Game
Sustainable Lifestyle Tips
As mentioned earlier, carbon footprint is sum total of all the activities that we do in our daily lives.
While doing the carbon footprint audit for the school, we therefore look at all the activities that a
school performs on a usual working day and what are the various resources that are consumed to do
the same. For the sake of calculations, all the activities or resources are grouped into different
heads. The key heads that were identified for this report are as under:
1. Electricity
2. Paper
3. Waste
4. Transport
Before, we deep dive into each of these factors and understand why they are considered under
Carbon Footprint Audit, we need to look at an evolving technique of Life Cycle Analysis and how it is
answer to all our sustainability questions.
Life cycle analysis is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a
product’s life from cradle to grave (i.e. from raw material extraction to material processing,
manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance and finally disposal).
For example if we consider life cycle analysis of electricity we will take into account all the
environmental impacts associated right from the extraction of raw materials like coal and
petroleum, their processing in the thermal power plants , conversion of voltage of the signals using
transformers ,their transmission through power grid lines and finally reaching our homes.
Life cycle analysis can help us achieve sustainability as it gives us a clear idea about total carbon
emissions, material and energy used at each and every stage of life cycle of any product, with the
help of which an effective carbon management strategy can be established. It can also provide us
with value information about the stages in the life cycle having major environmental implications
thus drawing our attention to the most relevant areas which can be worked on in order to reduce
the impact.
Let us now look at the key factors involved in Carbon Footprint Audit for the school.
We present below the life cycle chart for electricity. One look at it is enough for us to understand
why it is an important factor in our carbon audit process.
If we look at each and every step in the lifecycle of how electricity reaches our homes, it is clear that
at each and every stage we are consuming huge amounts of energy starting from extraction and
burning of coal. Coal is a fossil fuel and consists of nothing but Carbon. Burning coal therefore
releases several units of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Even though we are consuming
electricity in its final form, all the associated carbon emissions are happening as a result of the same.
We therefore need to calculate how much greenhouse gas emissions are we making because of our
usage of electricity.
Extraction of Coal and other resources from
below the earth
Burning of Coal in thermal power plants
Conversion of low voltage signal into
High voltage using a transformer
Transmission through power grid lines and
towers
Conversion of High Voltage signal into low
voltage using a transformer closer to
our homes
Consumption of Electricity
57% of electricity in India comes from burning coal in
thermal power plants.
Let us now look at the Life cycle of Electricity.
Let us look at the life cycle of Paper to explore further on why we consider paper while calculating
the carbon footprint.
Again, at each stage in the life cycle of paper, we are consuming resources which emit greenhouse
gases and because we are consuming the end product, all of these emissions will be accounted for in
our carbon footprint number.
Cutting of trees
Trees are debarked and with chemicals,
wood chips are converted to Pulp
Bleaching of pulp with chlorine to make
it white
Cutting into different sizes and Packaing
Transported to different wholesalers
and retailers Consumption
Disposal into landfill sites
1. 42% of industrial wood harvest is used to
make paper
2. Paper industry is 4th largest contributor
of greenhouse gas emissions
3. Paper alone accounts for 25% of our
landfills
When we are talking about waste, we are anyways talking about end of lifecycle. However, what is
interesting is to see the different kinds of waste we are producing and eventually what we are
choosing to do with it. Therefore, while recycling of our paper waste might reduce our overall
carbon footprint, throwing it in the landfill effects will increase the same. This is because, once it
reaches the landfill site, we are highly uncertain of its journey from thereon. It might be burned, it
might be thrown into our water bodies or it be might be covered and left free for decomposition.
Each of the above action results in one or the other greenhouse gas emissions and adversely affects
the environment. Since, we are the consumers of a product and hence the generators of the waste
as well, the carbon footprint due to waste will be added to our account while doing the carbon audit.
This one is essentially a no brainer. When one travels from place “A” to place “B” and be it any mode
of transport using one of many fuels available to use, there would not only be greenhouse gas
emissions but also of several other gases which are harmful for the environment and the human
health.
A life cycle chart of any fuel throws more light on this:
The life cycle makes it clear that not only at the consumption stage but even at earlier stages; huge
amount of energy is consumed in making the final product. Petroleum, diesel, CNG or natural gas is
again fossil fuel which consists of Carbon. Burning of these directly results in carbon emissions which
therefore need to be accounted in the Carbon Footprint audit exercise.
Extraction of raw materials - Mining
Treatment and further processing in a refinery
Distribution using trucks from refinery to city points such as
petrol pumps Consumption
The output of electricity is measure in terms of units of electricity consumed. This is reflected in the
monthly electricity bills in the form of Kwhrs. Therefore, to calculate the carbon footprint due to
electricity, all we need to do is figure out monthly electricity consumption for duration of 12 months.
The data sheet for electricity is as follows:
S No. Month Electricity Consumption(kwhr)
EF (Kg of CO2e per Kwhr)
Carbon Emissions(Tons
of CO2e)
The output of paper is measured in terms of kilograms of paper used. To calculate the carbon
footprint due to paper, we need to figure out the total paper consumed in the school. In order to do
so, we further sub divide the school in terms of how the paper is used by different stakeholders in
the school.
The data sheet for paper is as follows:
Student Notebooks:
S. No Grade No. of students
No of notebooks used/year
Wt. Of 1 notebook(kg)
Total wt. of paper used
annually (kg)
Teacher Notebooks:
Head Unit
Weight of 1 teacher notebook
Total No. of teachers
Total weight of Paper Used (Kg)
A4 Sheets:
Head Unit
No. of sheets used per month
No. of months per year
Total no. of sheets used
Weight of sets of 500 A4 sheets (Kg)
Total weight of A4 sheets used (Kg)
Examination Answer Sheets:
Head Unit
Total number of Answer sheets used per year
Weight of one sheet of paper (kg)
Total weight of answer sheets used (Kg)
Newspaper:
Paper Summary Sheet:
Head Unit
Weight of student notebooks per annum (A) Kg
Weight of teacher notebooks per annum (B) Kg
Weight of A4 sheets used per annum (C) Kg
Weight of answer sheets used per annum (D) Kg
Total weight of Paper used per annum (E = A+ B +C + D)
Kg
Paper Emission Factor (F) Kg of CO2e per Kg
Paper Carbon Footprint – 1 (G = F * E) Tons of CO2e
News Paper Carbon Footprint (H) Tons of CO2e
Total Carbon Footprint ( G + H) Tons of CO2e
Head Unit
No. of newspapers per Day
No. of days in a week
No. of weeks in a month
No. of months newspaper is ordered
Total No. of newspaper ordered
Emission Factor of Newspaper (Kg of CO2e per newspaper)
Newspaper Carbon Footprint (Kg. of CO2e)
For waste, we divide it into two groups of Wet Waste and Dry Waste. Wet waste consists of food
and bio-medical waste while dry waste consists of paper and plastic waste.
The data sheets are as follows:
Wet Waste:
Head Unit
Soil, Horticulture (A) Kg
Food (B) Kg
Bio-Medical (C) Kg
No. of Months (D)
Total wet waste ( E = [A +B+C] * D) Kg
Emission Factor (F) Kg of CO2e per Kg
Wet Waste Carbon Footprint (G = E * F) Tons of CO2e
Dry Waste – Plastic:
Head Unit
Total Plastic Waste in a month (A) Kg
No. of Months (B)
Total Plastic Waste per annum (C = A*B) Kg
Emission Factor of Plastic (D) Kg of CO2e per Kg
Plastic Waste Carbon Footprint (E = C * D) Tons of CO2e
Dry Waste – Paper:
Head Unit
Total Paper Waste in a month (A) Kg
No. of Months (B)
Total Paper Waste per annum (C = A*B) Kg
Emission Factor of Plastic (D) Kg of CO2e per Kg
Paper Waste Carbon Footprint (E = C * D) Tons of CO2e
For transport, we divide the scope of work into two sets. The first set captures the data from the
school buses while the second set captures the data of all those students and teachers who do not
use the school buses.
The data sheets are as follows:
School Buses:
Bus No.
Fuel Amount Spent per month (Rs)
Rate of Fuel in Gurgaon (Rs)
Fuel Spent per month (ltrs / Kg)
No. of Months in a year
Emission Factor (Kg of CO2e per ltr or Kg)
Total Carbon Footprint (Tons of CO2e)
Private Vehicles:
S. No One way distance b/w home &school
Mode of transport
Model Fuel used
Distance travelled annually
Mileage (km/l)
Fuel Consumed (l)
Carbon Footprint is still a very nascent concept in India and especially with the schools. Therefore, it
is difficult to compare this number against any averages or against any other institution. As a result,
it is difficult to ascertain whether this number is too high or too low. We would however look at this
number in isolation and deep dive into it to figure out how this can be optimized so as to start
framing a roadmap towards making a sustainable school.
We begin our analysis by looking at all the four factors we have identified before and their overall
contribution.
S.No. Head Carbon Footprint (Tons of CO2e)
1 Electricity
154.33
2 Paper
120.49
3 Waste
5.30
4 Transport
192.56
5 Total 472.68 `
The pie-chart below gives us a percentage contribution of each of these factors to the school’s
carbon footprint:
Electricity 33%
Paper 25%
Waste 1%
Transport 41%
Carbon Footprint (Tons of CO2e)
Some of the first few observations from these numbers are:
Contribution of waste is just a small 1%, which is the first positive sign
Contribution of transport is higher than electricity which is a slight deviation from the usual
The contribution of paper at 120 tons of CO2e is fairly high and it needs to be looked at in
more detail
Let us now look at each of these factors in detail to understand about their impact. While we do
that, we shall also mention all the assumptions made during making of this report and explore ideas
on how these numbers can be optimized resulting in reduction of carbon footprint.
Here’s a snapshot on how we arrived at this figure:
Parameter Unit Amount
Amount of electricity consumed per Annum Rs.
5,91,598
Per Unit Electricity Rate in Gurgaon Rs./kWh 5.98
Total Units of Electricity consumed per Annum kWh
98,929
Electricity Emission Factor Kg of CO2e/kWh 1.56
Electricity Carbon Footprint Tons of CO2e 154.33
We essentially looked at the total amount of rupees that are spent by the school annually on the
electricity bill. From this, we calculated the total units of electricity consumed by the school per
annum assuming the rate of electricity in Gurgaon at Rs. 5.98 per Kwhr.
An ideal method is to look at monthly consumption of electricity, as it helps to understand monthly
variations. However, even in the absence of such data, total electricity consumption of
approximately Rs. 6 Lakh does offer scope for optimization. Following some simple techniques can
result in the reduction of energy bills by anywhere between 10-20%.
Here are some Power Wower energy tips:
1. Check all instances in the school in which any appliance is left in a standby mode. There is a
proven research which says that even in standby mode, electrical appliances consume 20%
of the total electricity
2. Computer labs in the school offer a great scope of reduction. There is a general observation
that almost all computers are kept in switched on mode throughout the day. A usage based
plan can help reduce the burden on the electricity bills. This will also help in improving the
life of the systems
3. For a centrally air-conditioned school, it is important to regularly monitor the temperature
at which the AC is used during the summer time. Most energy efficient and also a
comfortable temperature to operate the AC is between 22-24 deg C
4. For an AC, what is also interesting is to note for how much time is it used. Although not
advisable in peak summer months, however merely reducing the duration of usage of AC
from 6 hours to 5 hours results on an average 15-17% reduction in the energy bills
5. Usage of tube-lights in a school contributes significantly to the energy bills. For eg: replacing
a 36W tube-light with a more energy efficient 24W tube-light can result in annual energy
savings of close to 21%. However, percentage contribution of tube-lights to the overall
electricity footprint needs to be ascertained before taking this step
6. Check the star rating of all appliances being used in the school. There are several
authenticated research from Bureau of Energy Efficiency which states that a higher rating
appliance consumes lesser electricity than those with lower ratings
7. An energy audit is recommended. The only short coming with a Carbon Footprint Audit is
that it does not give us a detailed account of how electricity is being used and managed in
the school. An energy audit report will bring out how many appliances are being used in the
school, how are they used and how much energy do they consume. This can help prepare a
much better optimization plan which shall bring down the energy cost to the school
8. Switch to Solar: Although in the first stage, this is not recommended as one can identify
enough opportunities in the existing set-up itself to reduce the electricity consumption.
However, in the long run going Solar is best strategy. It should be considered as a long term
investment towards being able to become a Gold Rated Sustainable school
Here’s a snapshot of how this number was arrived at:
Heads Units Total Amount
Wt. Of Student Notebooks per Annum Kg
27,142
Wt. Of Teacher Notebooks per Annum Kg 41
Wt. Of A4 sheets used per annum Kg 225
Wt. Of Exam Answer Sheet per annum Kg
325.18
Total Weight of Paper Used Annually Kg
27,733
Paper Emission Factor Kg of CO2e Per Kg of Paper 2.9
Paper Carbon Footprint - I Tons of CO2e 80.43
News Paper Carbon Footprint
Tons of CO2e
40.07
Total Paper Carbon Footprint Tons of CO2e 120.49
Student Notebooks
65%
Teacher Notebooks
0%
A4 Sheets 0%
Exam Answer Sheets
1%
News Paper 34%
Paper Carbon Footprint
A detailed review of each of these sections is presented in the supporting excel file attached with
this report. The number of students and teachers has been taken as 2,020 and 164 respectively.
It is however evident from the pie-chart that the two highest contributing factors in the Paper
Carbon Footprint are Newspaper and Student Notebooks.
Let us look at these in a little more detail and figure out some solutions that can bring down this
number:
1. The total newspaper ordered per day is 318 which over a year comes out to be 57,240
newspapers. Although newspaper reading as a habit should be encouraged among the kids
but consider a scenario where there is a rule that one newspaper will be shared between 2
students. And they get to carry the newspaper back home on alternate days. This simple
step can reduce the carbon footprint by 50% which is extremely significant
2. The above is more important considering out of 2,020 students only 318 are getting the
newspaper. Going forward, this number is only expected to increase. There could also be
case, that all the newspapers are a shared resource and therefore accessible to all students.
Even in such a scenario, there is a strong case to bring down the number of newspapers
ordered every day
3. Each subject can have a restriction on the number of notebooks to be used for the same in
one academic year. This move will further optimize the usage of paper within the students
4. Teacher diaries and some student diaries can be made from recycled or handmade paper
5. The usage of A4 sheets should be carefully looked into and majority of communication to
the teachers or to the parents should be done electronically via emails or through school’s
website. A positive thing is that the school’s website already has a section on “Circular”. As
an extension, it can further be linked to one of the parent’s email ID
6. It is interesting to see the sections of “Student” and “Faculty” log in on the website and it is
therefore safe to assume that some of the paper work is already being done online
7. The habit of passing of books from higher grade to the lower ones should be encouraged.
This would have a huge impact on the school’s carbon footprint
For the calculation of transport carbon footprint, two groups of students were formed. While one
group collected the data for the school buses, the other interviewed those students who do not use
the school buses. Here’s the distribution:
S.No. Head Annual Carbon Footprint (Tons of CO2e)
1 CNG Buses 88.16
2 Diesel Buses 39.49
3 Private Vehicles 64.91
4 Total 192.56
The pie-chart below presents the percentage contribution:
CNG Buses 46%
Diesel Buses 20%
Private Vehicles 34%
Annual Carbon Footprint (Tons of CO2e)
A detailed review of all data points is mentioned in the attached excel report.
Some observations and suggestions are listed below:
1. Out of the total of 39 buses, 22 are CNG while 17 are diesel. From the perspective of air
pollution, diesel is the most polluting fuel. It is therefore highly recommended to switch all
buses to CNG. Although the emission factor for both fuels is almost the same, switching to
CNG is still recommended as it is a much cleaner fuel compared to diesel
2. More than 80% school children use school buses which is extremely high and therefore
positive when benchmarked against many other schools in Delhi/NCR
3. Even though only 20% of children use private vehicle, yet their percentage contribution to
overall carbon footprint is very high at 34%
4. We should explore creating a plan to bring in these children into the school bus system. Even
if this means investing in a few more buses, in the long run this would indeed be a wiser
decision. The cost of the same can be covered through student transport fee. Even parent
will find it convenient as they will save on both time and the money on fuel
5. A review of the existing routes is recommended to explore the possibility of any
optimization
As mentioned earlier, when we are talking about waste, we are essentially talking about end of
lifecycle anyways. However, what matters is what actually happens with the waste we generate.
Specifically, talking about India, majority of our waste goes into landfill sites from where it is either
burned, thrown into water bodies or buried deep under the landfills. Each of these actions is harmful
for the environment besides resulting in emission of greenhouse gases.
While calculating the carbon footprint due to waste, we consider the most probable journey of the
waste and reduce from it any instance of recycling or reuse.
Three types of waste were identified in the school: Plastic, paper and wet waste. Here’s a snapshot
of their contribution:
Type of Waste Units Carbon Footprint
Plastic Tons of CO2e 1.78
Paper Tons of CO2e 1.92
Wet (MSW) Tons of CO2e 1.61
Total Tons of CO2e 5.30
The pie-chart below gives an indication of their percentage contribution:
Plastic 34%
Paper 36%
Wet (MSW) 30%
Waste Carbon Footprint
A detailed review of all the numbers is mentioned in the attached excel report.
Although as per the data gathered by the students, the waste carbon footprint appears to be small
and almost negligent, in the long run however it is critical for the school to set up an effective waste
management system. This would ensure that all kinds of waste is recognised, segregated and finds
the most optimum end of life, which has zero or minimum impact on the environment.
A potential waste management system for a school is depicted below:
Some of the other waste management techniques are mentioned hereunder:
1. Avoid buying products with excessive package. In fact, say no to any packaging
2. Reduce packaging by buying the items you use frequently in bulk and by purchasing refills
3. Try not to buy disposable products such as paper plates
4. Choose glass over plastic as it has a much higher recycling value
5. Avoid using non-recyclable materials such as tin foil at your school
6. Whenever anything from school is being discarded, consider reusing the same or giving it
someone else who may need it
7. Create compost pit in your school
8. Buy natural plant food and avoid chemical manures
9. Tie-up with an authorised e-waste collector for responsible e-waste recycling
10. REUSE…REUSE…REUSE. We know this, but we just do not do this
Set up a Waste Management team in School comprising of
students and teachers
Set up two kinds of small bins in each
classroom - one for dry waste like paper and second for wet/food
waste
Daily collection of waste from each
classroom into bigger bins set up on each
floor
Separate daily collection from all labs
such as bio-lab or Chemistry Lab
Weekly collection of waste from each floor
bin into a bigger school bin
Segregation of waste Tie-up with agenices to handle different kinds
of waste
Make sure that all stakeholders are involved such as
garbage collector etc
Create a learning Management system in the school and educate
all stakeholders
Today, Sustainability is a choice but tomorrow, it will become an obligation. We are delighted to
work with your school on this Carbon Footprint Audit Report. At every stage we have discussed and
explored ideas with which we can optimize the consumption of the respective resource and thereby
start moving towards reducing the carbon footprint. Our experience tells us that by merely following
simple techniques, we can reduce our carbon footprint by at least 20%. And this can be done in the
short run without any significant additional investment to the school.
Once we reach a 20% reduction, we can then explore ideas by which we can further stretch to
reduce this by another 20-25%. Of course, this would require additional investments which can then
happen over a period of time.
We hope that this report will open your eyes to a new world of sustainability and your school and
the management will imbibe this as a part of the school’s culture. In India, children adopt ideas and
systems from the culture in which they are brought up. Philosophically, we believe so is the case
with Sustainability as well. If a child is brought up in a sustainable environment, then even though
there is no one to teach the child, he/she will inherently grow up with a strong belief in making
sustainable choices.
We end this report with a hope that together we shall strive to create that culture and work
together towards creating a future which is healthy, clean, sustainable and most importantly HAPPY.
As an extension to our Carbon Footprint and Waste Audit Report, we also present to you a brief
snapshot on how your school is consuming water. The same is presented as an annexure to this
report.
Considering that the school operates for 9 months and assuming 5 days per week, the total annual
consumption of water would be 4,500 kilo litres. Some observations are mentioned below:
1. With 2,020 students and 164 teachers and assuming some support staff, let us say that the
total strength of the school is 2,200. At 25,000 litres per day, we are looking at per capita
consumption of water of 11.36 litres of water. This figure is definitely on a higher side
because we have not considered the amount of water which is used by the school to
maintain the green cover. If we include that, the per capita consumption is bound to go
down
2. One flush on an average consumes about 9 litres of water. Assuming every individual flushes
every day, the per capita consumption of 11.36 litres is understandable. However, if we
consider that the boys use urinals, this figure again presents an opportunity for optimization
3. Start encouraging children and teachers to bring at least one litre of water every day from
home. This would further reduce the burden on school’s water consumption
4. The usage of bottled water should be completely banned in the school. If we can use
effective filtering system, our government provides us with decent quality drinking water
5. The taps should be regularly checked for any leakage
6. Get a rainwater tank in your school. This might come across as a significant initial investment
but in the long run it will bring down your water consumption and the water bills. A detailed
feasibility study can be done for the same
…...........................................................end of report……………………………………………………………………………