Ashesi University commits to staff, employee and student involvement, and community engagement in realising sustainable development goals for energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy security in its development and operation. To this end, Ashesi promotes and implements renewable energy and energy efficiency programs addressing climate action, resource use efficiency and sustainable lifestyle.

POLICY ELEMENTS AND STRATEGIES
1. Administration and Promotion of environmental sustainability
Ashesi has a designated sustainability administrator (SA). The role and its responsibilities, among others, is the implementation of a sustainability attainment program.

These include:

• Sensitisation and awareness communication;
• Review of the performance of the environmental and social action plan and recommending corrective actions for continual environmental improvement;
• Publish its environmental and social policy in a manner easily accessible to Staff and Students to promote the sustainability principles among all staff, students, the community and contractors;
• Communicates and encourage staff, students, and contractors to apply the sustainability principles to all aspects of the University’s operation and its delivery of the curriculum and associated services;
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements concerning the environment, including “treated domestic wastewater effluent discharge quality” guidelines, and WHO standards for potable water and IFC –EHS guidelines.

2. Implementation strategies and actions
Consistent with the UNSE4All goals and SDG 7 and SGD 13, Ashesi has committed to key policies, action programs ad projects towards realising energy security and sustainability.

2.1. On-Site Energy Generation Efficiency:
Regularly servicing diesel-fired generators that use fossil fuels to optimise and maintain generation efficiency, that also minimises black emissions and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

2.2.Promoting End-Use Energy Efficiency:

• Integrating green building concepts in the architecture design upfront (.eg natural solar lit in green building design).
• Use of Efficient Lighting and Appliances: natural solar lit in green building design, replacement of all CFLs with LEDs and Use of LEDs in new buildings.
• Energy Efficiency review program: installation of US-based energy efficiency analyser, with weekly monitoring, measurement and reporting system.
• Reduce energy requirement of pumping water from borehole sources at 500m head through efficient pumps.

2.3. Renewable energy penetration

• 50% of total electricity consumption from renewable energy (Solar PV) by 2030; presently installed 200 kW solar PVe generating more than 10% of the current total electricity consumption; thus, achieving the UNSE4ALL target of 10% minimum RE penetration.
• Renewable energy production from campus anaerobic digestion sewage treatment plant for use in the campus restaurants

2.4. Climate Action and GHG emission reduction
Carbon emissions management reducing GHG emissions and carbon footprint of the University operation:

• reduce equivalent fossil diesel consumption for the production of on-site electricity and GHG emissions by energy efficiency improvement achieved
• Avoid GHG emission by substitution of grid power with the grid-tied renewable energy system
• Capture and use biogas (methane) from anaerobic digester plant for cooking at campus restaurants; converts methane to carbon dioxide and replaces methane emissions with carbon dioxide with less global warming potential.
• Sensitising and promoting patronage of environmentally acceptable practices in the transport sector, including the use of mass transport, such as share of lifts, public transport, and school bus system to reduce transport/vehicular emissions per capita.
• Conserving bird sanctuary and biodiversity of afforested areas as sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases;
  

2.5. Staff, Employee and Students engagement for sustained actions
Ashesi encourages active staff, employees and student participation in the sustainability initiatives, supported by the sustainability administrator (SA). The actions include:

• Internal email communication of sustainability programs by the SA.
• Sustainability initiatives Integrated into orientation programs for new staff, employees and students;
• Student and staff representation on the Campus Sustainability Committee and the Community Relations Committee;
• Sustainability competitions and awards such as green dormitory to develop eco-minded students; and sustain energy efficiency best practices.

2.6. Energy Use and Monitoring
i. Annual reporting of the trend of electricity consumption from

• national grid,
• on-site owned diesel generators and
• renewable energy production,
• Grid power substituted with grid-tied Solar PVe.

ii. Energy saved by the reuse of treated wastewater for landscape irrigation that avoids energy use for pumping from the boreholes.
iii. Energy saved by the amount of rainwater harvested ( presently 39-41%) that replaces the equivalent from boreholes and reduces energy use from generators used to power borehole pumps.