Assignment on

How to improve the environmental condition of North South University?

North South University is located at Bashundhara Residential Area, Baridhara, Dhaka which is surrounded by several buildings of offices and residents, roads, biodiversity (trees and plants) and people. In establishing an Environmental Policy for North South University, the University recognizes that its use of resources has an impact on the environment (socio-economic and physical). As a University that strives to meet internationally acceptable standards, North South University should play a leading role in respect of environmental issues.

Photo : Campus of North South University

To improve the environmental conditions of North South University, the BOG (Board of governors) must take necessary steps regarding this in the perspective of goal, aims and objectives.

Goal : The University will actively pursue a policy of environmental best practice in order to
assist in creating an environmentally sustainable future.

Aims :
1. To include and improve the environmental components of curricula. 2. To provide opportunities for students to study campus and local environmental issues. 3. To conduct a campus environmental audit. 4. To implement an environmentally responsible purchasing and campus stores policy. 5. To reduce campus waste.
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6. To improve hazardous waste identification and management on campus. 7. To maximize campus energy efficiency. 8. To encourage the planning of indigenous flora on campus. 9. To optimize and control the use of water on campus.

Objectives :
Educational :
a) Curricula : North South University intends to enhance (increase and improve) the

environmental content of curricula offered in all faculties at North South University by: 1. Improving awareness amongst teaching staff around the environmental content of courses. 2. The inclusion of environmental issues in curricula, where appropriate. 3. Promoting the environmental orientation of NSU for raising awareness and fund purposes by producing suitable publicity. b) Research: The University will commit itself to encouraging environmental research by: 1. Encouraging students and staff to conduct environmental research on campus and in local areas (communities). Environmental audits could highlight possible environmental research issues. 2. Ensuring that research carried out at NSU is ethically and environmentally sound. 3. To establish a set of guidelines for research that could have a possible impact on the environment. Resource use :

Waste : The University will aim to improve its management of both general and hazardous waste produced on campus by: 1. Minimizing (reducing and /or recycling) wherever possible its solid and liquid waste streams at all discharge points on campus. 2. Using recycled products wherever feasible. 3. Adopting a purchasing policy sensitive to environmental concerns. 4. Identifying and minimizing hazardous wastes on campus. 5. Ensuring satisfactory disposal of wastes (hazardous and general) that cannot be re-used or recycled. 6. Conducting a regular waste audit to assess improvement of waste management strategies on campus and to communicate these results to the concerned.

Energy: The University will aim to maximize campus energy efficiency by: 1. Minimizing and monitoring the total energy consumption. 2. Implementing wherever possible to best available energy technology for all new buildings and in existing structures, where possible. Also by using solar energy and energy efficient lights as a substitute of electricity in order to increase energy efficiency as well as decreasing the sufferings of students, employees and staffs due to load-shedding problem.

Picture : How to use Solar - Energy

Water: The University will aim to manage its water resources efficiently: 1. Minimizing and monitoring the total water consumption. 2. Ensuring that water systems on campus are not wasteful. 3. Encouraging the planting of indigenous flora to reduce water usage. 3. Partnerships and Communication Community Involvement: Through the implementation of the North South University Environmental Policy it is important that partnerships are encouraged and formed between those directly associated with and affected by the actions of the University. This will be achieved by: 1. Approving and facilitating interactions and communications of the University's environmental actions between the University and members of the communities which surround its campuses and with which its staff interacts. 2. Reporting annually on how environmental practices in the community have been addressed by the University. Student Involvement The University will encourage students to play an important role in the
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implementation, maintenance and assessment of the environmental policy by: 1. Increasing the ways in which students can participate in the policy implementation i.e. through research. 2. Ensuring policy implementation is fed back to the students via relevant media. 3. Reporting annually on how students have been involved in implementing the policy and assessing environmental issues on campus.

Management Involvement The University management will: 1. Incorporate the environmental responsibility into its mission statement. 2. Continue to uphold the University's responsibilities towards a sustainable environmental management. 3. Ensure the implementation and monitoring of the environmental policy. 4. Ensure that the University community is aware of the policy and to communicate the results of the monitoring process. 5. Maintain an environment which is conducive to good scholarship and provides good working conditions.

Environmental Aspects
The purpose of this procedure is to identify the environmental aspects of NSUs activities, processes or services in order to determine those which may have a significant impact on the environment. The NSU Environmental aspects to be considered in this EMS are only those Environmental Aspects it has, or should have, some involvement in, or control over. NSUs management decisions will be based on knowledge about the environmental aspects and significant environmental impacts associated with NSUs activities. The identification of the environmental aspects is an ongoing process that is determined by past, current and potential impacts (positive or negative) of NSU on the environment. This process includes the identification of the potential environmental regulatory, legal, and business exposures, as well as the identification of health, safety, and environmental impacts. NSU should be committed to identifying any current and potential environmentally harmful aspects of its activities, processes, services or purchases which it can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence. This procedure will help to determine the realistic impacts from aspects of NSU operations, and to prioritize their importance. In addition, this procedure provides for planned and continuous awareness and improvement for the future. Those significant aspects identified through this procedure are to be considered in the setting of environmental objectives. The relationship between environmental aspects and environmental impacts is one
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of cause and effect. An environmental aspect refers to an element of NSUs activities which can have a beneficial or adverse impact on the environment (such as a discharge, an emission, consumption or, reuse of a material, or noise). An environmental impact refers to the change that takes place in the environment as a result of the aspect (such as pollution or contamination of air, or the depletion of a natural resource).

Photos : (Clock-Wise) (1) Building Maintenance, (2) Diesel Fuel Storage, (3) Regulated Waste Management and (4) Emergency Power The Table below shows the aspects, unit and category of the NSUs environmental issues: Table: List of NSUs Environmental Aspects

Number

Environmental Aspect
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Organizational Unit

Environmental Category

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Building Maintenance Offset Printing Building Operation Parking Services Emergency Power Education Gross Anatomy Wood Working Facility Grounds Student Housing Maintenance Painting Services Research - Chemical Regulated Waste Management Radiography Student Housing Research Infectious Agents Patient Care Research Ram Student Housing Fire Protection Grounds Keeping Education Recreational Activities Diesel Fuel Storage Surplus Auction

Maintenance Auxiliary Enterprises Maintenance Auxiliary Enterprises Maintenance Research Remodeling Services Maintenance Auxiliary Enterprises Remodeling Services Research Auxiliary Enterprises Clinical Auxiliary Enterprises Research Health Research Auxiliary Enterprises Auxiliary Enterprises Research Auxiliary Enterprises Maintenance Auxiliary Enterprises

Waste Air Waste, Water, Energy Waste Air Air, Waste Air Water Waste Air, Water Waste Waste Waste Water Waste Waste Waste Air Water Waste Hazardous Materials/ Land Use Hazardous Material Asset Rele