Inputs and Outputs

2. What are some of the resource inputs and waste outputs of universities like the ANU and NUS and how do these contribute to their overall footprint?

We would identify resource inputs as things we use and consume. These inputs may be necessities for our bodies, or it may be used to satisfy our interests. Some of these resource inputs are listed in the following:

• food
• water
  
• paper
• electricity
• heat

On the other hand, waste outputs are resources wasted due to underutilized usage during the consumption process or it is deemed worthless or unneeded. Such waste outputs include:

• Paper trash (including excess brochures and pamphlets)
  
• Wasted food (e.g. overdue food, leftovers, etc)
  
• stationery
• Utensils (especially those plastic wares)
  
• Plastic Packaging
• electricity (left running the whole day)
  

In instances where resources are provided free of charge, users are usually less responsible towards the use of such common resources. Take Jenny's band group as an example... they are allowed to print scores at the Arts Centre for free, but users are not concerned about how many they print, since these printers are available to them without charge. These often leads to much wastage of resources.

NUS campus' lecture and tutorial rooms are fully air-conditioned. However, there is no system to ensure efficient usage of electricity as air-cons are left running the entire day and lights and fans are constantly left on after use. The central air-con temperature is also adjusted at very low levels at all times which is energy inefficient.

NUS students, including myself, is guilty of packaging food in the plastic Tupperware from the canteen to another part of the campus ground for convenience sake. Very often, we leave behind leftovers as well, without a single tinge of guilt. =X