The most popular definition of sustainability is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Simply put, sustainability refers to the capacity to maintain or support a process continuously over time.

The UFS prides itself in several sustainable practices and research to encourage a balanced use and application of resources. We are going green!

Alternative energy on campus

A flagship renewable energy project is the installation of solar plants across the three campuses in response to the call for urgent solutions to load-shedding problems and promoting sustainable, clean energy solutions. The photovoltaic (PV) systems are grid-tied without storage to ensure maximum benefits and faster payback periods.

And the microgrid installation on the Qwaqwa Campus is one of the biggest solar-diesel hybrid systems installed in South Africa. The university has saved up to R32,5 million since the first solar plant was commissioned in 2017.

Our energy consumption has decreased by 14,5% since 2017, even though the gross surface area of the university has grown by 8,8%. UFS carbon emissions have shown a significant reduction over the years – from 0.115 CO2/m2 in 2013 to 0.088 CO2/m2 in 2022 – making it a frontrunner in low carbon emissions among South African higher education institutions.

UFS Sustainable Energy Initiatives 

Using water wisely on campus

The university has been implementing innovative waterwise and greywater initiatives over the past couple of years in response to continuous local drought conditions and sporadic water restrictions, replacing large expanses of lawn with hard elements and paving, as well as waterwise indigenous plants, including a range of hardy succulents. Rainwater harvesting systems have been fitted at all residences and academic buildings. Other water-saving initiatives include greywater systems installed at residences, waterless urinals in administrative and academic buildings, water restrainers, pressure control systems (reducing the volume of water), and push-button systems instead of taps.

Save money, save the environment

A new, reusable sanitary pad (RSP) will bring relief to many women during their menstrual cycle. Dr Marietjie Schutte-Smith, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, together with Prof Deon Visser, Head of the Department of Chemistry, and Prof Lizette Erasmus, Associate Professor in the same department, are leading a diverse and innovative team. They decided to do something about the challenge of not having access to conventional sanitary ware and water due to poverty and infrastructure challenges – obstacles that many young women in South Africa face every month. A product that can be washed and dried indoors, has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties under normal light conditions, and with durable superabsorbent inner layers, could be the solution.

Fuel research

Biogas, produced from the spineless cactus, can help solve our energy crisis, says Axel Tarrisse, a PhD student in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development at the UFS. It has the potential to complement the supply of South Africa’s existing industrial energy companies to produce sustainable jet fuel and diesel and a variety of other products with the gas-to-liquid process they use.

The spineless cactus is a unique perennial plant that can yield close to 40 tons of dry matter per hectare per year with a rainfall of 500 mm per annum. This equates eight tons of biomethane or 11 000 litres of diesel-equivalent energy per hectare. With rainfall, key nutrients, carbon dioxide, and solar energy, it is possible to produce biomass from cactus, says Tarrisse. Besides the benefits of producing biogas from the cactus plant, there is also the opportunity for job creation.

Food security

A healthy, tasty, and nutritious snack? Sounds like a typical health and wellness consumer trap – but it is not. Addressing the issue of food security in South Africa, Dr Brandon van Rooyen from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development and Manager of the Food Innovation Laboratory at the UFS, teamed up with Prof Wilna Oldewage-Theron, Professor of Nutrition from Texas State University (USA) and Research Fellow in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, to develop nutritious products tailored to the needs of the low-income population.

Their soya sausage costs less than the hot-dog bun you serve it in. They have also developed soya nuts in original, barbeque, fruit chutney, and hot and spicy flavours. Taste tests in the market are currently underway and feedback will be used to improve the products.

Clean water to combat cholera

Dr Yolandi Schoeman, a postdoctoral researcher in the Centre for Environmental Management (CEM), says cholera, a severe diarrhoeal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, has been a significant concern in South Africa. Cholera outbreaks often occur in areas with poor sanitation, inadequate access to clean water, and overcrowding.

Contaminated water sources, such as rivers or wells, become breeding grounds for the bacterium, which is then transmitted through contaminated food and water. In response to the recent cholera outbreaks in South Africa, a team from CEM, in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is at the forefront of developing a ground-breaking solution that aims to revolutionise low-cost domestic wastewater treatment and transform the country’s water infrastructure in rural areas. This innovative approach is centred around ecological engineering and offers a promising solution to the pressing water security concerns and increased pollution risks facing the nation.

The bio-credits project 

Prof Paul Oberholster, Director of CEM, says the centre has introduced a range of natural based solutions, including phycoremediation, phytoremediation, and microbial bioremediation. Implementing these ecological engineering solutions provides transformative opportunities for small to medium-sized wastewater treatment works in South Africa.

By incorporating these technologies, local communities can enhance treatment capacity, create employment opportunities, and recycle materials, while benefiting from cost-effective and environmentally conscious solutions. Upgrading existing treatment works becomes feasible, reducing the need for significant infrastructure investments. CEM’s work has already demonstrated its efficacy and potential by piloting these advanced treatment technologies in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. Further research and capacity-building efforts within South Africa will enable the widespread implementation of these solutions and address the unique challenges that small and medium municipalities face.

Trees tell all

Long-lived trees store environmental information in their growth rings, acting as living libraries. By applying stable carbon isotope analysis to collected wood samples from indigenous trees, we can extend our current, limited instrumental climate records by using proxy climate data from the growth rings of trees. In 2018, Prof Stephan Woodborne and colleagues proved that Vachellia erioloba (camel-thorn trees) act as trustworthy libraries, providing a 250-year precipitation record for the southern parts of Botswana.

Marthie Kemp from the Centre for Environmental Management is currently extending the geographical distribution of the stable isotope network from camel thorn growth rings to the central, arid parts of South Africa. Sustainability can only be achieved if we know our planetary boundaries. One of those boundaries is climate change. In order to become more resilient to climate change, our current reactive response to droughts and floods in Southern Africa needs to become more proactive. These extreme events can be predicted with more accuracy if our regional climate models are calibrated and tested, using long-term (>150 yr) proxy climate data from growth rings.

Into the wild

Prof Francois Deacon is Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Science. He has dedicated most of his research to giraffe conservation, using innovative research tools such as GPS collars and unmanned aerial vehicles with great success. Currently, he is branching out his research field to rhinos, where he is part of an international project on rhinos in Indonesia and Pakistan. By invitation from the Minister of Climate and Environmental Affairs, he is also part of a research project on brown bears in the Himalayas in Pakistan – a species about which little is known – with an estimated number of 20-30 individuals left.