SDG 15: Life on Land

LAU actively contributes to SDG 15 by implementing a comprehensive set of initiatives focused on environmental health and safety, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable resource management. The university’s laboratories adhere to strict safety measures, aligning with SDG 15’s objective to prevent ecosystem degradation through proper handling of hazardous materials and waste. LAU’s commitment extends to raising awareness about the importance of wild medicinal and aromatic plants, addressing threats to biodiversity. Additionally, the institution actively manages hazardous waste and incorporates fire safety measures in residence halls, aligning with SDG 15’s broader goal of preventing human-induced disturbances to ecosystems. Through courses like Introduction to Ecology and Environmental Microbiology, LAU contributes to understanding and mitigating ecological issues, while energy and water conservation initiatives, as well as the implementation of renewable energy sources, underscore the university’s commitment to sustainable resource use. Overall, LAU’s multifaceted approach demonstrates a strong dedication to fostering an environmentally conscious and ecologically responsible campus community in alignment with SDG 15.

Environmental Health and Safety

LAU is committed to anticipating environmental health and safety requirements and risks and to developing mitigation strategies to reduce negative effects on people and property.

Laboratories Safety Related Measures

To minimize potential accidents in laboratories, the NSD Laboratory Best Practices Committee (DLBPC) has been formed with the mandate of preparing relevant policies and procedures.

Standard Operating Procedures should be adopted when handling hazardous materials, proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be worn, and safety related measures should be constantly implemented.

Natural Sciences Laboratories Safety Related Measures

The following Basic Laboratory Safety Rules shall always be adopted:

• Walk — never run — inside the labs.
• Wear appropriate lab clothing (closed shoes, lab coat, back tied hair, goggles).
• Handle chemicals cautiously ( wear gloves, never smell or taste chemicals for identification, make sure to inform your instructor in case of a spill).
• Do not leave lit bunsen burners unattended.
• Make sure no flammable solvents are in the surrounding area when lighting a flame.
• If chemicals or particles get into your eyes, walk to the nearest eye wash and make sure to rinse your eyes for 15 continuous minutes. Try to keep your eyes open while rinsing them.
• If chemicals get onto your skin, walk to the nearest emergency shower, pull the handle and stand under the water for 15 continuous minutes
• Do not eat or drink inside the lab.
• Clean up your lab table once your lab session is over.
• Wash hands after removing gloves and before leaving the lab.

Hazardous Waste Management Plan

Residence Halls

Going to university is an exciting time for students and their parents. Living in a new “home away from home” gives young adults more freedom to make their own choices. But it also gives them an increased level of personal responsibility.

It’s important for students living in on-campus housing to be mindful of fire safety. General Safety Training at the beginning of each academic year is mandatory, as is abiding by the safety rules in compliance with local and international codes and standards.

Each time the general alarm is initiated, all occupants are required to leave the dorms and remain in the designated assembly area, even if the alarm is a drill or false alarm.  

Dorm occupants should follow the following safety tips:  

• Check the evacuation map when you check into your room for the first time. Locate yourself in the building and identify your exits.
• Never disable a smoke detector
• Never tamper with safety system components
• When you are cooking, turn on the hood to avoid false alarms and remain in the kitchen
• Do not cook when you are sleepy or drowsy
• Avoid flammable holiday decorations
• Do not smoke inside the building
• Practice all fire drills as if they were real emergencies

Raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity with a special focus on the medicinal and aromatic plants of Lebanon

Lebanese American University - Beirut

The Mediterranean Basin is a hotspot of biodiversity with high richness in both endemic as well as medicinal and aromatic plants. In particular, Lebanon hosts an important flora heritage that has witnessed a history of civilizations. The country is renowned for its richness in medicinal and aromatic plants which have long been used by local communities to heal diseases or ailments or to prepare traditional Lebanese recipes. However, those plants are subject to severe anthropogenic pressures, suffering mainly from illegal harvesting, and some of them are threatened or endangered.

The Department of Natural Sciences of the School of Arts and Sciences at the Lebanese American University and the Environment Club at the university will be participating in the International Fascination of Plants Day 2022, through organizing an event on Beirut campus on April 29, 2022. The event will focus on raising awareness on the importance of wild medicinal and aromatic plants of Lebanon, their ethnobotanical uses by local communities, as well as the threats they are facing from unsustainable harvesting, habitat fragmentation and climate change. Students will profit from a poster listing important wild medicinal and aromatic plants of Lebanon where they can pick a plant and see its traditional uses by local communities. Students will also profit from an exhibition of samples of some medicinal and aromatic plants, including the Syrian marjoram or oregano, Lebanon shrubby sage and carob as well as some products and traditional Lebanese recipes like Zaatar and Carob Molasses.

Environmental Science courses

BIO203 Introduction to Ecology[3-0, 3 cr.] This course introduces the organization of individual organisms into populations, communities, and ecosystems. It focuses on the interactions between living organisms and their physical environment. Concepts such as diversity, competition, natural selection, adaptation, climate changes, migration, extinction and deforestation are covered. Additionally the course tackles concepts of environmental microbiology in relation to pollution, remediation and recycling of liquid and solid wastes.

CHM340 Environmental Chemistry [3-0, 3 cr.] This course is a study of natural and non-natural chemical substances in the environment and their chemical transformations. It involves chemistry of energy resources, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and, lithosphere (natural and in polluted environment). Principles of chemical reactions, chemical equilibrium and reaction kinetics are applied in this course. Other covered topic is waste treatment and chemical processes. Parallel with these is learning the methods of environmental chemical analysis.

ENV200 Introduction to Environmental Science [3-0, 3 cr.] This is an introduction to the environmental problems and challenges facing mankind. Global problems will be directly related to issues facing the regional, and local environment. The course covers environmental problems and their causes, ecosystems and how they work, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, species extinction, air pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, solid waste disposal, renewable energy technologies, and applications to alleviate environmental problems. Case studies will be presented, and potential solutions will be attempted. The course includes field trips.

ENV423 Environmental Microbiology [2-3, 3 cr.] This ecologically based course discusses the relationship of microorganisms with one another and with their environment. It stresses the three major domains of life – Eucaryota, Archaea and Bacteria and studies their diversity, interactions and physiology in their natural environments. Biodegradation of organic matter, bio-geo-cycling of minerals and waste bio-treatment are emphasized. The course also deals with metagenomic, metaproteomic techniques and applications as well as the use of microarrays in Microbial Ecology.

ENV427 Environmental Physics [3-0, 3 cr.] The course comprises aspects of atmospheric physics, soil physics and many aspects of applied physics.   It introduces the essentials in environmental physics, and describes the basics in environmental spectroscopy e.g. black body radiation and the solar UV and Life. It also addresses the global climate, energy balance, energy available for human use, transport of pollutants, and noise pollution. The course also discusses risk estimations, energy saving and nature and future thinking in the context of the global society.

Energy Saving and Water Conservation

Energy Saving

Currently LAU consumes around 24 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electric energy and 5 million kWh of thermal energy per year, generating the equivalent of the CO2 emissions produced by around 7,000 cars.

Recognizing the importance both of environmental sustainability and of maximizing our community’s ability to work to its fullest capacity, we are constantly exploring ways to conserve energy, operate efficiently, and introduce renewable energy sources

Water Conservation

Our campuses use around 100,000 m3 of water annually, enough to fill nearly 40 Olympic swimming pools. We are tirelessly working to reduce our water consumption, harvest rain water and recycle gray water for irrigation.

Here is what we are doing to achieve these goals:

Green Awareness

We are continuously sensitizing the LAU community about the importance of energy and water resources and their conservation and actively engaging them in this endeavor.

We have launched an awareness campaign with tips for saving water on campus, in dorms, or at home. Posters were placed in restrooms and on bulletin boards throughout LAU, coupled with a short video on campus TV screens, the LAU website, and social media channels.

On August 26, 2022, the LAU Facilities Management Department in collaboration with the Association of Energy Engineers – Lebanon Chapter organized a site tour for LAU and non-LAU students. This initiative was part of the “internship in energy and sustainability” program by AEE Lebanon. Interns got the chance to tour the Byblos Campus, visit the High Performance Infrastructure Utilities as well as the LEED Gold Joseph Jabbra Library and Riyad Nassar Central Administration buildings.

Measure It to Manage It

A metering plan is underway for the whole university to establish benchmarks and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for continuous resource monitoring and management.

Pilot projects are underway at the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury Health Sciences Center and the Tohme-Rizk Building in Byblos, as well as the Adnan Kassar School of Business and Wadad Sabbagh Khoury Student Center in Beirut.

Energy Efficiency and Renewables

We are implementing projects to reduce energy consumption and generate energy from renewables.

• The Byblos Library and Riyad Nassar Central Administration project features power and hot water generation from the sun.
• The same building will feature a solar tracking system.
• Beirut’s Wadad Sabbagh Khoury Student Center has been outfitted with a solar water heating system.
• Preliminary studies are underway for the introduction of solar water heating at Beirut’s indoor pool and the Byblos dorms.
• Several new and renovated classrooms and offices feature occupancy sensors that automatically regulate air-conditioning and lighting.
• CO sensors control the operation of the ventilators at the Byblos Underground Parking proportionally to the pollution level.
• We are currently retrofitting low consumption lighting fixtures throughout the university.

Water Efficiency and Re-use

We are implementing projects to reduce water consumption, harvest rain water and recycle water for irrigation.

• We have tested water saving devices in offices and dorms and implemented the same at the Tohme-Rizk building in Byblos as a pilot project, achieving savings of around 29 percent.
• Our Byblos campus features wastewater treatment plants. Treated water is being reused for irrigation, which will be further increased with the upcoming Byblos infrastructure project.
• The Byblos Library and Riyad Nassar Central Administration project features rain water harvesting and reuse.
• The Byblos Library and Riyad Nassar Central Administration project has been designed with low flow sanitary fixtures, achieving 35 percent water use reduction.
• We have surveyed all the water fixture types on the Byblos campus and are currently drafting a master plan to determine and implement possible further water saving measures.

Certify Your Space (initiative in progress)

We invite all departments, offices and units to implement sustainable practices into your day-to-day operations. This will motivate and engage participating staff to lower waste and consumption habits, improving their overall environmental performance while saving energy and water and reducing costs. 

The Physical Plant will recognize your work by certification, installing a plaque at your office in recognition of your achievement. We will also list your office online on LAU’s list of certified green offices.

Water Consumption Figures