Pattern of Water Use at the United Arab Emirates University

Abstract

In this study, indoor water use at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was assessed for three years (2016, 2017, and 2018). A geographic information system (GIS) was employed to determine where water use is high within the university, when and why water is used, who uses it, and how to minimize its usage. Diverse data were employed to elucidate the broad patterns of university water use. It was assumed that water use is directly proportional to the number of students and is lower during winter. The relationship between water use and number of students in academic buildings was modeled using least squares regression. The results indicate a low correlation between water use and the number of students, possibly due to the centralized usage of academic buildings and movement of students between them. The hypothesis of activity-driven consumption indicated that most water use occurred in residential buildings (47.5%), averaging 81.7 L per person per day (LPD). This value is lower than the metrics for dormitories in the United States (121 LPD) and Europe (143 LPD). A survey of 412 students revealed that half the respondents were not aware of water issues. Most of them (87%) preferred to drink bottled water and were not willing to use gray water for flushing (56%) or urinals (60%). The findings of this study will improve the understanding of university water use which will facilitate the development of effective water conservation policies and the establishment of such practices among the next generation.

Research on the Impact of Tourism Development on the Sustainable Development of Reservoir Headwater Area Using China’s Tingxi Reservoir as an Example

“…Furthermore, construction is a type of change and should be a change for the better, to better meet the needs of human beings and to make the existing natural landscape and ecology more sustainable. Therefore, from the perspective of conservation measures, leisure environment, tourism facilities, landscape and ecological environment, we can look into issues such as public transportation, parking and open space, Internet communication, monuments and buildings, residents' environmental awareness, visitors' environmental quality, garbage volume, forest and ecological habitat, motor vehicle fumes, water source, and air quality [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], which is helpful to understand the impact of development on the existing environment.…”

“…By conducting a survey based on environmental issues such as the community environment, the villagers' environmental literacy, preservation of historical sites, awareness of ecological conservation, coordination of conservation policies, maintenance of tourist trails and bicycle lanes, tourism transportation planning, Wi-Fi network speed, bicycle rental, community modernization and scale, rest and parking space, experience of tourism activities, water and air quality, fumes from steam and locomotives, mountain slope development, etc. can be determined [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Social issues can be identified such as tourism visibility, quality of services and activities, content of community activities, friendly treatment of village culture, tourism indicators or descriptions, tourism and leisure facilities, human resources, DIY activities, hardware and software facilities, tourism environment and space quality, indigenous cultural traditions and historical relics, the image of tourism companies or organizations, the promotion of traditional cultural activities, the interaction mechanism between villagers and tourists, the number and popularity of traditional culture and characteristic industries, the management and safety maintenance of activities, the allocation of service or management personnel, the sense of travel security, the willingness to travel again, etc.…”

Perceptions of Teachers in Training on Water Issues and Their Relationship to the SDGs

“…Schools and universities are key elements for promoting this through the implementation of educational strategies which, by raising awareness of water issues, are able to develop sustainable attitudes, skills and competences in the members of society that promote their social responsibility [32,33,38,40]. The sociocultural context is related to the social representations about the causes, consequences and solutions to the water problem [24], so educational institutions are essential for raising awareness about water.…”

“…They are responsible for teaching during a very important period of influence, such as the early stages of schooling, in which the foundations of many later interests are laid. The change in the beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, habits, and ultimately, responsible behaviours towards the environment, is triggered by education (formal, non-formal and informal), training and information [17][18][19][20][31][32][33][39][40][41]45,50,55,59]. These tools enable the adoption of sustainable development skills and lifestyles, through access to theoretical and practical knowledge that favours the development of three domains: knowing, doing and being (SDG 4).…”

Water Conservation and Management Practices at the University of Sharjah to Achieve Sustainability Excellence

“…The University's architecture represents its Islamic and Arabic heritage with splendid buildings and captivating landscape. The total area of the main Sharjah campus is 2.26 millions-m 2 including planted vegetation over 1.5 millions-m 2 , forest vegetation over about 500m 2 and total floor area of 517,000m 2 . The campus provides spacious, exceptional facilities that incorporate multimedia lecture rooms and halls, advanced scientific and research laboratories, dedicated libraries rich with information resources, state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and computer labs, theatres, clubs, two major sports complexes for both male and female students, student centres having several restaurants and variety of shops, and numerous other facilities as well.…”