Green University and the reduction of the carbon footprint in academic activities at a public university in Ecuador
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Abstract
The carbon footprint is one of the main factors for measuring CO emissions2, this atmospheric gas represents a worldwide environmental problem. Currently, universities are making inroads into the solution through the quantification and mitigation of CO2 . Academic activities and the delivery of physical documents generate high amounts of paper consumption and consequently levels of CO2 , which establishes a problem. The objective is to estimate the carbon footprint of the Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo (UTEQ) located in Ecuador. The methodology employed consisted of a quantification of the number of files registered in the academic system per year. The files were multiplied by an average number of sheets obtained through a survey applied to teachers. The carbon footprint was determined by multiplying the CO emission factor2 by annual paper consumption. The emissions obtained are 3.21 ton CO2 eq to 3.00 ton CO2 eq for the year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, respectively. The virtual education implemented at UTEQ contributed to the fulfillment of climate change objectives, due to the non-emitted CO2 emissions determined in this study, an issue that is related to the achievement of a green university.
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