Low-Carbon Economy in Schools: Environmental Footprint and Associated Externalities of Five Schools in Southwestern Europe

Abstract

This study provides an in-depth assessment of the environmental performance of five public schools in the transition towards a low-carbon economy and a more sustainable model of society. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is used to conduct the study. The school system includes several activities and processes clustered in three subsystems: management of the school building, training and learning activities (T&L) and mobility and transport (M&T). A detailed primary data inventory of energy and resources consumption was collected in five schools located in Spain and Portugal. Findings on climate change (CC), water depletion (WD), particular matter (PM), acidification (Ac), and human health (HH), as well as associated external cost (EC), are reported per student in one school year as reference unit, allowing the schools’ individual performance comparison and identify the potential improvements. Considering the sample of schools, findings reveal that peculiarities of the schools, such as location, specialization, and level of education, are crucial for the environmental performance. Buildings are a relevant contributor to CC as well as heating and electricity needs, although their relevance is dependent on multiple factors. The M&T subsystem also has relevant weight on the metrics evaluated. Educational activities have a lower impact in absolute terms but, in some schools, it becomes the main contributor to HH due to paper and electricity consumption and manufacturing of equipment. External costs results are in the range of 11 to 38 EUR/student·year mainly caused by heating, electricity and wastes from the building subsystem, and the M&T subsystem.

Making School-Based GHG-Emissions Tangible by Student-Led Carbon Footprint Assessment Program

“…The emissions deriving from water sewage and waste disposal have not been taken into account because the relevance of emission reduction through water sewage and waste reduction is considered low. For a comprehensive life cycle assessment of schools, we recommend Gamarra et al, (2021) [33].…”

“…Two examples for a more comprehensive analysis of CO 2 emissions in schools was made by Gamarra et al, who published the analysis of a comprehensive sustainability performance of a high school student [32] as well as the life-cycle assessment of five schools in Spain and Portugal [33]. An analysis of the energy consumption in schools in over 20 countries is provided by Dias Pereira et al [34], which attempts to derive a benchmark based on a literature review.…”

“…The relevance of students' active engagement is also confirmed by other researchers. Garmarra (2021) [33] did not have a specific focus on student self-efficacy and yet argues that the active participation of students and others in the school environment supports data collection and thus enables detailed and robust analysis.…”

Mobility Patterns of Scholar Communities in Southwestern European Countries

“…The Interreg Sudoe ClimACT project [29,30] was created to act regarding current environmental challenges and to support the transition to an LCE of 39 pilot schools (Figure 1) from the southwestern European region (namely, Portugal-PT, Spain-SP, France-FR, and Gibraltar-GI), covering all educational levels (from elementary to university). Those 39 schools were the study sites of the present study.…”

Greening the School Energy System: A Nigerian Case Study

“…More specifically, school buildings in the USA account for a sizeable footprint of public infrastructure [6]. The situation is not too different from what obtains in other contexts, especially in Europe [7]. Appropriate regulations have been in operation in several jurisdictions to address energy use and GHG emissions in these predominant building types.…”