University of Sharjah
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

The Sustainability Office has two sustainability circles that are related to academics, each has its own goals and Key performance indicators:

1- Sustainability Studies, which aims to conduct studies and researches to understand sustainability challenges and to develop innovative ideas to address those challenges.
KPIs:
1. Percentage of faculty and/or staff that are engaged in sustainability research
2. Percentage of research-producing departments that are engaged in sustainability research.
3. An ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability.
4. A program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability topics.
5. Written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and
multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions.
6. Ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning.
7. The number of the institution's research-producing divisions that are covered by a published open access policy, which ensures that versions of future scholarly articles by faculty and staff are deposited in a designated open access repository (All, Some or None).
8. The institution provides financial incentives to support faculty members with article processing and other open
access publication charges

2- Sustainable Curriculum, which aims to integrate sustainability concepts throughout the curriculum to prepare students to apply sustainability principles in their professional fields

KPIs:
1. Percentage of undergraduate and graduate courses offered that are sustainability-focused.
2. Percentage of undergraduate and graduate courses offered that are sustainability-inclusive.
3. Percentage of academic departments that offer sustainability courses.

Annual Report (pages 32-35)
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Documents/Annual_Report_2020.pdf

1- Sustainability Studies
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/ss.aspx

2- Sustainable Curriculum
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/scc.aspx

The Sustainability Office has more than 5 Sustainability Circles that are related to the engagement, each has its own goals and Key performance indicators:

1- Community Partnership Sustainability Circle aims to:
1. Educating people about areas of sustainable development.
2. Spreading awareness culture of consumption behavior.
3. Conducting voluntary activities in the areas of sustainable
development.
4. Supporting people to plan for a safe family and decreasing social
violence.
5. Enhancing environment safety and ensuring that university is
friendly to social groups (elderly, disabled, women, Children, etc.).
Activating the idea of social responsibility by fostering cooperation
between public organizations, and other sectors.

KPIs:
1- Number of sustainability courses for professional development
2-The number of volunteering hours for community service for students and faculty members

2- Sustainability Awareness Circle aims to:
1. Giving information about sustainable living.
2. Create positive attitudes about sustainability
3. Changing behaviors to be more sustainable

KPIs:
1- Measure the positive and sustainable attitudes of the University Community
2- Number of videos, brochures, posters published to raise the awareness
3- Ensure publishing the sustainability annual report

Students Sustainability Activities Circles aims to:
1. Introducing the concept of sustainability for students.
2. Encourage students to practice sustainability and raise awareness.
3. Establishing a culture of sustainability.
4. Develop student behavior to make the university environment/life
more sustainable.

1. % Student satisfaction level on the sustainability events
2. % Student participation in Sustainability activities (conferences, trips, workshops, Etc.)

Annual Report (pages 80-101)
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Documents/Annual_Report_2020.pdf

1- Community Partnership
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/cpsc.aspx
2- Awareness
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/awareness.aspx
3- Students Circles (Sustainability Activities)
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/mssa.aspx
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/fsice.aspx

The Sustainability Office has 6 Sustainability Circles that are related to operations and resources management, each has its own goals and Key performance indicators

1- Energy and Climate Change Sustainability Circles aims to:
Develop a comprehensive strategy to examine energy use, associated costs and environmental impacts
(greenhouse gas emissions) at the University of Sharjah campus and propose an energy-saving plan to reduce the energy usage for the University buildings, street lighting, and transportation.

KPIs:
1. Total Electricity Usage per Year (kWh) at UOS campus.
2. Renewable energy produced inside the campus (kWh).
3. Green building Implementation (construction and renovation) & Energy Efficient Appliances.
4. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2- Sustainable Transportation Sustainability Circle aims to:
1. Move towards sustainable transportation systems: since transportation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants that contribute to health problems, using more sustainable modes of transportation helps reducing air pollution, traffic congestion, and GHG emissions.

2. Promote the overall health and wellbeing of the campus community by encouraging and facilitating cycling and walking, where UOS has bicycle racks distributed around the campus.

3. Achieve cost savings and support local economies: by reducing the use of petroleum-based fuels for transportation.

4. Support carpooling to travel to and from the university: carpooling will reduce the number of vehicles entering the campus which will reduce air pollution and GHG emissions on campus.

3- Waste Management Sustainability Circle aims to:
1. Move towards a zero-waste campus by diverting a maximum amount of waste from landfills.
2. Promote waste reduction & reuse programs on campus.
3. Apply waste segregation, recycling & composting for material recovery.
4. Implement energy recovery systems on campus.
5. Minimize and safely dispose of hazardous waste, including lab- and e-waste.
6. Manage construction & demolition wastes using eco-friendly techniques.
7. Raise awareness of the campus community about the sustainable waste management

KPIs:
1- Waste Minimization
- Total amount of waste reduced on campus annually (ton/year)
- Specific amount of waste reduced per weighted campus user annually (ton/person/year)

2- Waste Reuse
- Total amount of waste reused on campus annually (ton/year)
- Specific amount of waste reused per weighted campus user annually (ton/person/year)

3-Waste Diversion
- Total amount of waste diverted on campus annually (ton/year)
- Specific amount of waste diverted per weighted campus user annually (ton/person/year)

4- Waste Recycling
- Total amount of waste recycled on campus annually (ton/year)
- Specific amount of waste recycled per weighted campus user annually (ton/person/year)

5- Energy Recovery
- Total amount of energy recovered on campus annually (kWh/year)
- Specific amount of energy recovered per weighted campus user annually (kWh/person/year)

6- C&D Waste Management
- Total amount of C&D waste diverted from landfill (ton/year)
- Fraction of C&D waste diverted from landfill (%)

7- Hazardous Waste Management
- Fraction of hazardous waste safely managed (%)

8- Electronic Waste (E-waste) Management
- Total amount of e-waste segregated, reused, or recycled on campus annually (ton/year)
- Fraction of e-waste segregated, reused, or recycled (%)

4- Water Management Sustainability Circle aims to:
1. Reduce water use by reducing campus water withdrawals.
2. Conserve water and make efforts to protect water quality, as well as to treat water and utilize it as a resource rather than a waste product.

KPIs:
1. Annual water use per person.
2. Annual water use per gross floor area.
3. Annual water use per vegetated ground (potable and non-potable).
4. Rainwater/AC/grey water reuse.
5. Green infrastructure & LID practices, policies,
plans, etc.

5- Water Sciences and Technology aims to:
1. Making efforts to reduce water use on-campus and promote water reuse, as applicable.
2. Disseminating knowledge and spreading awareness
on water quality and water conservation matters.
3. Ensuring safe potable and domestic water quality.
4. Ensuring safe water quality throughout the existing
on-campus bottled water coolers.
5. Supporting the move towards less bottled waters through tap water filtration and monitoring

KPIs:
1. Reduction in water use per person (STARS criteria).
2. Reduction in water use per unit of floor area (STARS criteria).
3. Reduction in water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds (STARS criteria).
4. Reduction in reliance on bottled water dispensers and an increase in tap water dispenser use.
5. Reduction in plastic wastes generated by discarded bottled waters

6- Building Operation and Maintenance
1. The Building Operations and Maintenance Sustainability Circle (BOMSC) aims to provide leadership in sustainable operations and maintenance of University of Sharjah (UoS) campuses, lands, buildings and equipment that will align with the goals of the sustainable strategic initiatives.
2. Develop new and undertake major renovations of occupied facilities that would meet or exceed the Certified Rating of the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Rating System, when feasible.
3. Implement sustainable building principles in all new and existing buildings to achieve measurable life cycle cost savings.
4. Support and promote sustainable building principles and operational initiatives, including energy reduction, water conservation and improved air quality.

KPIs:
1. Measuring the progress in the achievable level under the LEED® rating system.
2. Estimating the save in energy, cost, and detrimental environmental flows after applying various awareness strategies to the university stakeholders.
3. Identifying the number of activities performed to raise awareness in sustainable operation and maintenance (such as seminars, talks, workshops, and alike).

Annual Report (pages 24-26 & 35-55)
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Documents/Annual_Report_2020.pdf

1- Energy and Climate Change Sustainability Circles
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/eccsc.aspx
2- Sustainable Transportation Sustainability Circle
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/tsc.aspx
3- Waste Management Sustainability Circle
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/wmsc.aspx
4- Water Management Sustainability Circle
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/wrmsc.aspx
5- Water Sciences and Technology
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/wsatc.aspx
6- Building Operation and Maintenance
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/bom.aspx

The Sustainability Office has four Sustainability Circles related to the administration, each has its own goals and Key performance indicators:

1- Agriculture Sustainability Circle aims to:
1. Grow native plants under the botanical garden conditions for educational purposes.
2. Use the native plants for landscaping some parts of the UoS campus.
3. The ultimate goal is to convince the Agriculture Sector of the University of Sharjah and the Agricultural Department in Sharjah Municipality to adopt native plants in landscaping Sharjah City.

KPIs:
1. Acceptance of the public to have native plants in landscaping
2. Acceptance of construction companies and municipalities for using native plants in landscaping
3. Use of the students for the native plants in their senior projects

2- Workplace Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Sustainability Circle
1. Achieving a high satisfaction rate among UoS employees.
2. Providing wellness programs at UoS.
3. Providing a safe environment to UoS students, staff and faculty members.
4. Providing a green office environment for UoS staff and faculty members.
5. Improving indoor air quality at UoS buildings.
6. Improve the driving behavior of road users within the university.
7. Improving adherence to safe behaviors within university laboratories.
8. Providing work and study user-friendly environment for disabled people.

KPIs:
1. Employees satisfaction rate.
2. Number of wellness programs, initiatives, and activities.
3. Number of accidents on campus and number of safety initiatives/activities.
4. Number of relevant initiatives and the average number of plants per office in UoS offices.
5. Number of relevant initiatives and carbon footprint level.
6. Indoor air quality at UoS.
7. Number of awareness programs and the number of traffic collisions inside the campus.
8. Number of accidents in UoS laboratories and observed number of safety violations.
9. Number of relevant initiatives and changes in the university

3- Community Health Sustainability Circle aims to:
To protect the health and promoting the well-being of students and staff by:
1. Increasing awareness and promoting health
2. Improving participation and access to the health screening programs
3. Strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse
4. Improving psychosocial health
5. Improving the dental health
6. Developing sustainable health alliances and outreach into the community.
7. Relating sustainable health to teaching and research

KPIs:
1. Participation rates in the circle activities
2. Number of awareness days
3. Number of workshops and initiatives
4. Number of sustainable health alliances
5. Number of courses and research studies addressing sustainable health
6. Adherence rate to health screening programs
7. Rates of early detection of medical conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, cancer.

4- Purchasing Sustainability Circle aims to:
1. Purchasing non-hazardous materials such as non-toxic cleaning products, thereby promoting healthy work, living, and learning spaces.
2. Purchasing recycled and environmentally certified materials such as recycled content and third-party certified office paper by supporting markets for environmentally preferable paper.
3. Purchasing eco-efficient and low waste products that have less impact on health and environmental resources (e.g., energy and material consumption), particularly electronic products such as desktop computers, laptops, tablets/slates, televisions, mobile phones, and imaging equipment (copiers, digital duplicators, facsimile machines, mailing machines, multifunction devices, and printers and scanners).
4. Purchasing eco-labeled or green-sticker products that identify environmentally proven products with less environmental footprint such as consumed resources and amount of pollution created.
5. Purchasing safe and secured food and beverage products that support sustainable food systems, by prioritizing the purchase of plant-based and sustainably or ethically produced food and beverage items. These actions reduce the social and environmental impacts of food production and help foster food security, improved conditions for farmworkers, healthier soils, and waterways.
6. Green collaboration with partners such as sharing knowledge and training

KPIs:
1. % of environmentally certified materials.
2. % of eco-labeled or green-stickers products.
3. % of rejected or returned items due to environmental issues.
4. % of recycled or reused materials.
5. % of environmentally collaborative suppliers (e.g., sharing knowledge and training).

5- People with Disabilities Sustainability Circle aims to:
1. Ensuring and advocating the people with disabilities’ enjoyment of human rights and the right of equality as per the United Nations’ agreement and the UAE Federal Law No 29 of 2006 regarding the rights of the people with disabilities as amended by the Federal Law No 14 of 2009.
2. Achieving sustainability for the people with disabilities at the higher education institutions.
3. Conducting studies and research that leadership development, enrich human knowledge, and meet the needs.
4. Building local and global community partnerships that have an impact and contribute to the sustainable development
5. Providing consultations
6. Offering sustainable community awareness programs
7. Evaluating the current status.

KPIs:
1. Assessment of the current situation regarding universal access for people with disabilities at the University of Sharjah.
2. Rate of areas requiring the development of universal access for people with disabilities at the University of Sharjah.
3. Rate of progress and improvement in universal access for people with disabilities at the University of Sharjah.

Annual Report (pages 27-31, 58-59, 71-72 & 84-87)
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Documents/Annual_Report_2020.pdf

1- Agriculture Sustainability Circle
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/agr.aspx
2- Workplace Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Sustainability Circle
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/whswc.aspx
3- Community Health Sustainability Circle
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/HS.aspx
4- Purchasing Sustainability Circle
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/psc.aspx
5- People with Disabilities Sustainability Circle
https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/en/Administration/Sustainability/Pages/pod.aspx