Estimation of Carbon Footprint from Transportation at King Monngkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangmod Campus

It is well known that global warming is caused by the amount of carbon emitted from products or activities in human daily life, also known as carbon footprints. To effectively reduce carbon footprints, a carbon footprint survey is an important first step, as this information will help organizations plan for appropriate and targeted carbon footprint reduction. King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) is a well-prepared higher education institution and a model organization in technology and sustainability. Therefore, it recognizes the importance of studying the carbon footprint emission in the scope of round-trip travel between residences and the university of personnel, students, and stakeholders within the organization, such as security guards, housekeepers, and shop owners. This research aims to calculate the carbon footprint caused by people's travel activities in the organization, develop a travel data survey system for use in collecting travel data in future years, and develop recommendations for reducing carbon footprints from travel to help KMUTT achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2040. The survey of travel behavior during the 2024 academic year included 152 personnel, 289 organization-related persons, and 1,206 students. The carbon footprint emission was calculated according to the standards of the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO) and the GHG protocol standards. According to these standards, students emit 22.296 tCO2e/year, equivalent to 0.00166 tCO2e/person/year. Personnel emitted 188.156 tCO2e/year, or 0.06727 tCO2e/person/year. Meanwhile, security guards, housekeepers, and shopkeepers emitted 29.208 tonCO2e/year, or 7.62%, 31.35%, and 61.03%, respectively. This research found that employees and shopkeepers residing far from KMUTT frequently use private cars. To reduce their carbon footprint, KMUTT should support environmentally friendly transportation methods, promote carpooling, instill awareness among everyone on campus, and set clear travel carbon reduction targets and continuously monitor the results.