Sustainability on campus

Our overall energy consumption generated 2,059 CO₂e tonnes of emissions in 2023, and a decrease in CO₂e emissions of 31% when compared to 2018.

Some of the actions we’re taking to meet our energy targets include:

• Moving away from gas as an energy source by replacing as fired boilers with heat pumps
• Implementing efficient lockdown procedures to reduce energy use
• Conducting energy audits of high usage buildings and implementing recommendations
• Encouraging staff and students to turn off unnecessary lights and equipment
• Making building upgrades including putting some light on time schedules, replacing lights with energy saving LEDs and making HVAC upgrades
• Installing smart meters where possible

We consumed 107,790kL in 2023, which is 5% less than our baseline year. Although there is no water efficiency projects currently in progress, we have other water initiatives including having rain gardens or swales on all three campuses, harvesting rainwater on the North Campus to water the food gardens and only using pond water to irrigate the landscape at South Campus. At our City Campus, WZ has a rainwater tank which is used in laboratories, for building washes and for grounds maintenance. This water would otherwise go to stormwater drains.

AUT’s Sustainability Plan includes a target to reduce waste by 50% by 2025. To ensure as much waste as possible is diverted from landfill and help AUT achieve this target, we trialled on-site waste sorting for the South Campus and parts of the City Campus.

From July to December 2023, half (55.5 tonnes) of waste from the South and most of the City Campus went to landfill, while the other half (52.5 tonnes) was recycled or composted. In 2024, the pilot was extended to student accommodation at the City Campus and most of the North Campus. This initiative maximises compostables and recyclables and we measure (using actual weights) the amount of waste to landfill recycling and compostables. This information is also reported annually through our Sustainability Report.

Other initiatives include:

• AUT cafés and our events team use reusable crockery and cutlery, and all takeaway packaging from AUT cafés is compostable, except recyclable drink bottles and cans, so we minimise single use plastic
• Staff and students receive a discount at AUT cafés when they bring their own reusable cup or container to reduce the number of single use items used and disposed on campus.
• Recycling batteries, fluorescent tubes, metal and electronic equipment, mobile phones and used pens
• Used furniture: storing for reuse at AUT, donating to charity or where it has reached the end of its useful life, recycling some parts
• Carpet tiles: AUT uses carpet tiles across all campuses and many are 100% recyclable

Around 68% of students used sustainable transport to and from AUT in 2023, a similar percentage to that in the previous 2021 survey. For staff, 71% chose sustainable modes of travel to/from work.

We're working on lots of initiatives to promote active and shared modes of transport so that we can reduce our CO_2e emissions. Including:

• Improving facilities for bicycles, e-bikes and scooters to reduce the demand for cars. This includes having bike racks and motorcycle parks on all three campuses for staff and students to use
• Operating a shuttle service between the City and South Campuses using New Zealand’s first electric bus. It has a range of 180km before it needs to be charged and CO2 emissions are reduced by 80% per trip in comparison to a diesel bus
• Promoting active and public transport for commuting to and from AUT

Organic waste collections are used at the main catering kitchen and cafés and all seven teaching kitchens in the School of Hospitality and Tourism. These divert waste from landfill and create compost. There are also eight worm farms beside the School of Hospitality and Tourism's rooftop garden, processing food waste from the kitchens which is then used on the garden.

The new Kōkihi café at the North Campus is the most sustainable café at AUT, serving meals that include fruit and vegetables grown on campus.

AUT aims for its buildings to have a positive impact on people and the environment.

Tukutuku (the new AZ building at the North Campus), is the most efficiently heated and cooled tertiary education building in New Zealand and is expected to achieve a 6-star green rating. Sustainable features include 60% of the water used in the building and for irrigation coming from rainwater harvesting.

Some of the sustainability features of our Ngā Wai Hono building (WZ building at the City Campus) include high performance external facades and sun shading to limit energy consumption and improved natural light distribution high efficiency LED lighting with sensors and controls.

Both Tukutuku and Ngā Wai Hono were built on brownfield sites within our existing campuses. Ngā Wai Hono is on the site of a former carpark, and Tukutuku is on the site of an old building.  When we do need a new building, we look to use brownfield sites wherever possible.

Some of the ways we're committing to meeting our targets around sustainable buildings include:

• Identifying a panel of waste contractors that are achieving 80% construction and demolition waste diversion, and working with them to achieve 90%
• Implementing a sustainable building design guide
• Identifying sustainability ratings of regularly purchased furniture items, trialling a re-upholstery initiative for existing AUT furniture and switching upholstery to more sustainable options like 100% NZ wool

Emissions from ICT increased year-on-year between 2018 and 2022, with 2023 being the first year to record a decrease. However, the 27 tonnes of CO₂e associated with our data centre suppliers in 2023 was still an increase of 3 tonnes from that recorded in 2018.

The Estates team planted 255 native trees across the North and South Campuses. Some of the native trees planted include rewarewa, taraire, puriri and miro. Just under 40 fruit trees and banana palms were planted by sport and recreation students on the North Campus, as well as a number of taro.

AUT's campus grounds are open and free for members of the community to explore, and include:

• North Campus:
  • Sensory garden
  • Matariki gardens
• South Campus:
  • Māra kai at the South Campus garden

AUT community gardens

AUT is taking action around sustainable procurement by:

• Implementing sustainable procurement objectives that relate to our suppliers. They include CO₂e emissions, waste, and modern slavery
• Identifying key suppliers where the greatest impact can be achieved
• Engaging with existing key suppliers around AUT’s sustainability journey and our focus on sustainable procurement
• Establishing metrics around our supplier’s waste and CO₂e emissions as phase one of our process
• Supporting Fairtrade products by providing Fairtrade tea and coffee in staff kitchens and only selling Fairtrade coffee in AUT cafés
• Following Supplier Code of Conduct Guidelines. The code standards include labour and human rights, health and safety, environmental sustainability and ethical business. Suppliers must maintain and be able to provide AUT with documentation which demonstrates compliance with this code on request
• Requiring key, new suppliers to provide their annual waste and CO₂e emissions data, as well as information about how they are decreasing waste and CO₂e emissions within their operations