Comparative Analysis of Sustainable Practices …
595
The University of Venda is a rural university located in an area with undeveloped
infrastructure and extreme weather conditions and today the university finds itself
struggling to construct infrastructure for running its operations and activities. The
university struggles with access to water which is a persistent problem during periods
of high temperatures and droughts (Maponya and Mpandeli 2016) and the lack of
dams and reservoirs to provide water to the campus population.
The University of Pretoria was established in an urban area which is much more
developed and is ahead in terms of technological advances. This makes it easier for
the institution to access resources. It has also helped the university to easily access
and be at the forefront of relevant technology. The university has an advanced solar
system, one of the best in the country. Location in a city with a concentration of
research institutions has also given the university an advantage in terms of exchange
of information and research collaborations.
Both Universities have outfitted their buildings with LED lights, which is the
starting point for energy savings in most institutions. Both universities implemented
solar systems for their residences but their capacity differs substantially. The University of Venda has solar systems designed to add 6 °C to the hot water system
whereas the University of Pretoria has systems installed which raise the hot water
temperature from 20 to 60 °C. From this comparison, it can be seen that the capacity
of the systems installed at the University of Pretoria is greater than that installed
at the University of Venda. A member of the infrastructure monitoring unit at the
University of Venda relayed that the University of Venda could have a system with
greater capacity however it is an issue of lack of funding and lack of partnerships
that has restricted the implementation of this system.
4.3 The Influence of Structure and Agency
An important aspect that came up during this research at the two universities was
the human resource that each university has. It is expected that a bigger university
will have a bigger compliment (this is enabled at the level of the structure) of staff
members but when looking at staff focused on sustainability initiatives, specifically
the facilities department, the importance of this difference is clear. The University
of Pretoria has an Environmental and Waste Manager (with own support team),
Water and Landscape Manager (with own support team), an entire division focused
on energy eanagement and more staff members focused on specific projects like
rainwater harvesting and grey water reclaimation. The number of staff within specific
focus areas translates to the amount of attention that the area receives and increased
innovation potential where sustainability initiatives are concerned—provided they
have capacity and willingness to make the necessary contributions (agency).
The University of Venda has a Waste Manager and Project Manager in the facilities department. The Project Manager oversees energy management projects, water
management projects and projects related to university infrastructure. The manager
has a team that handles different aspects of the projects like an Electrical Engineer
595
The University of Venda is a rural university located in an area with undeveloped
infrastructure and extreme weather conditions and today the university finds itself
struggling to construct infrastructure for running its operations and activities. The
university struggles with access to water which is a persistent problem during periods
of high temperatures and droughts (Maponya and Mpandeli 2016) and the lack of
dams and reservoirs to provide water to the campus population.
The University of Pretoria was established in an urban area which is much more
developed and is ahead in terms of technological advances. This makes it easier for
the institution to access resources. It has also helped the university to easily access
and be at the forefront of relevant technology. The university has an advanced solar
system, one of the best in the country. Location in a city with a concentration of
research institutions has also given the university an advantage in terms of exchange
of information and research collaborations.
Both Universities have outfitted their buildings with LED lights, which is the
starting point for energy savings in most institutions. Both universities implemented
solar systems for their residences but their capacity differs substantially. The University of Venda has solar systems designed to add 6 °C to the hot water system
whereas the University of Pretoria has systems installed which raise the hot water
temperature from 20 to 60 °C. From this comparison, it can be seen that the capacity
of the systems installed at the University of Pretoria is greater than that installed
at the University of Venda. A member of the infrastructure monitoring unit at the
University of Venda relayed that the University of Venda could have a system with
greater capacity however it is an issue of lack of funding and lack of partnerships
that has restricted the implementation of this system.
4.3 The Influence of Structure and Agency
An important aspect that came up during this research at the two universities was
the human resource that each university has. It is expected that a bigger university
will have a bigger compliment (this is enabled at the level of the structure) of staff
members but when looking at staff focused on sustainability initiatives, specifically
the facilities department, the importance of this difference is clear. The University
of Pretoria has an Environmental and Waste Manager (with own support team),
Water and Landscape Manager (with own support team), an entire division focused
on energy eanagement and more staff members focused on specific projects like
rainwater harvesting and grey water reclaimation. The number of staff within specific
focus areas translates to the amount of attention that the area receives and increased
innovation potential where sustainability initiatives are concerned—provided they
have capacity and willingness to make the necessary contributions (agency).
The University of Venda has a Waste Manager and Project Manager in the facilities department. The Project Manager oversees energy management projects, water
management projects and projects related to university infrastructure. The manager
has a team that handles different aspects of the projects like an Electrical Engineer