Investigation of carbon footprint from school activities: A case study in Jambi, Indonesia

The increase in GHG emissions every year is produced by various activities, including school. School is one of the educational institutions that contribute to the implementation of sustainability practices, one of which is through the identification of carbon footprints. This paper aims to calculate the carbon footprint from school activities and CO2 emission absorb by vegetation in school open spaces. In this study, the carbon footprint was carried out from several sources according to The GHG Protocol, i.e., electricity consumption, LPG use in the school canteen, paper use, and transportation activities. Data was collected by a questionnaire survey to teachers, staff, and students. Emissions from the activities are calculated in CO2eq. The results showed that the carbon footprint produced from school activities was 83.04 tonCO2eq/year, with the largest portion of carbon footprint coming from the transportation of students, teachers, and staff, followed by electricity, paper use, and LPG. The existing vegetation in the school open space is only able to absorb carbon of 3 tonCO2eq/year from the total carbon footprint. Recommendations for reducing carbon footprint are planting more Red shoots (Syzygium oleana) on school grounds and vertical gardens with a green wall system using several types of plants. The estimated absorption by addition vegetation is 5.83 tonCO2eq/year. The total carbon footprint that can be reduced by school open space is 8.83 tonCO2eq/year.