Assessing effective factors on carbon management at higher education institutions (Case study: Razi University)

This research investigated effective factors on carbon management in higher education institutions based on the viewpoint of managers (official and educational). The present quantitative research is a descriptive-correlational research which the data is collected by the use of questionnaire with five-point Likert scale. The population of research was 175 administrators in Razi University who were surveyed using the census method. The result illustrates that the significant Razi University measures on carbon management were “increasing green spaces and decreasing water consumption” (with average 4.05 and 3.47 of 5) are the effective measures of Razi University in carbon management but university executives has rarely considered cases like “reducing carbon footprint in business and decision-making activities” and “principals of low carbon management in materials and procurement” (with average 2.09 and 1.91 out of 5) that shows the need of enhancing managers’ attitude toward carbon reduction. Indicators that required academic participation and consideration of carbon reduction targets had low average (about 2 out of 5). Furthermore, based on viewpoint of the respondents barriers to carbon management at the university were more related to the human and software dimensions rather than to technical hardware issues. Solutions also underlined the need to internalize the carbon management program in functional processes.at Razi University, there was a top-down view of carbon management which confirms these programs are grammatical. Suggestion for establishing of a carbon management system are presented as academic participation in various matters, considering reduction of carbon footprint in all activities, monitoring, evaluating, reviewing, correcting them.