An environmental gap analysis at a university campus.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Higher Education

Background:

• Learning environment quality is crucial for health, well-being, and academic performance in tertiary institutions.
• University campuses face environmental challenges due to high density and resource use, impacting occupants.
• Environmental gap analysis provides baseline data to assess institutional environmental quality against standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct an environmental gap analysis of a university campus.
• To evaluate indoor and outdoor environmental quality, including air, noise, water, and soil.
• To identify specific environmental parameters not meeting local and international guidelines.

Main Methods:

• Collected air, noise, water, and soil data over 12 weeks from indoor and outdoor campus sites.
• Averaged, graphed, and benchmarked data against relevant local and international environmental guidelines.
• Utilized two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to statistically analyze the collected data.

Main Results:

• Most monitored environmental parameters were within acceptable local and international guidelines.
• Indoor air temperature and relative humidity in the cafeteria, and tap water turbidity, exceeded guideline limits.
• Significant baseline data were generated for future environmental assessments and improvements.

Conclusions:

• Recommendations include enhancing ventilation systems and water distribution infrastructure maintenance.
• Further investigation into campus drinking water and indoor air quality is warranted.
• The study provides crucial baseline data for evidence-based environmental management in higher education settings.