There needs to be a cultural shift at South Africa’s universities if sustainable water usage on campus is to become a reality. This was one of the key points of Professor Bruce Hewitson’s keynote address at the 2017 Green Campuses Conference on Water, held at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) from 28-30 July.
“I’ve seen on three campuses decisions to go green that have failed after five years,” said Hewitson, a climatologist from the University of Cape Town (UCT). “The community is not seeing it as a relational issue… so, if we want a greener campus we need to change the culture of the campus.”
Promotional poster for the conference. SOURCE: acuho-i
The conference was attended by students and staff from universities and colleges across South Africa. They came together to identify and discuss the biggest challenges facing water preservation and sustainable living on university campuses, where water consumption is particularly high in student residences.
According to Conference Chairperson, Njabulo Maphumulo, the main practical problems identified at the conference were: a lack of willingness by staff members and government to invest in water saving equipment, such as shower timers; the absence of benefits for students who preserve water and no punishment for those who waste; the slow response time of campus technical services in repairing pipe leakages in university residences.
Hewitson explained that quality information is important for decision making and reducing risk when it comes to climate policy, at both a local and national level.
Research being done at UWC into the use of aquifers as alternative sources of water consumption and/or storage is an example of such information. Siyamthanda Gxokwe, a researcher at UWC’s Earth Sciences Department presented research that he and his team have done to assess the usability of the Cape Flats aquifer. Gxokwe said that they are working with the City of Cape Town on plans to implement solutions based on their research.
Although challenges were identified and extensive research looked into, Hewitson emphasised that another one of the barriers for implementation is a lack of collective understanding. “Knowledge is information in context, for a green campus you need to interrogate the context,” said Hewitson. “Do you really understand the challenges the executive are facing? Financially, policy-wise, the things that they have to meet. Gather the information, and then engage to produce knowledge,” he urged. – Aidan Jones