Conceptualization of sustainability among students, administrative and teaching staff of a university community: An exploratory study in Italy

Sonetti, Giulia; Sarrica, Mauro; Norton, Laura Soledad

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128292

Cited by 30 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…García-González et al (9) point out that although the FAO definition of a sustainable diet emphasizes that sustainable food should not only be environmentally friendly, but also culturally acceptable, accessible, and economically fair, these aspects are underestimated by the Spanish population (9). Research with university samples in Spain and other countries has also found that this population lacks a holistic view of the concept of a sustainable diet (13)(14)(15)19). These results suggest that it is crucial to develop training activities to foster a broader and 10.3389/fnut.2022.970923 more complex conception of food sustainability among the university community.…”

Section: Food Decisions and Social Perceptions Of Food Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Knowledge and perceptions of food sustainability in a Spanish university population

et al. 2022

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In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its core. Besides tackling climate change and the fight to reduce inequality, the SDG number 12 is specifically focused to develop strategies toward food sustainability. The aim of this study, aligned with SDG number 12, was to analyze the level of knowledge and perceptions of food sustainability in a university community from Spain. A descriptive cross-sectional study, based on an online questionnaire, was carried out between July and November 2021 with convenience sampling. The survey included 28 items and was distributed among students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff from a Spanish university. A total of 1,220 participants completed the survey. 70.4% of the respondents heard about the environmental impact of food and more than 50% were aware of the existence of the SDGs. The different aspects related to diet that concerned them the most were food waste, plastic usage, and environmental impact. They reported that a sustainable diet should be mainly based on local and seasonal products and with a low environmental impact as well as no or the minimum food waste. When asked if they were following a sustainable diet, 77% answered affirmatively. Moreover, the food groups more involved in a sustainable diet should be vegetables and fruits, olive oil, legumes, and whole grains. Regarding food waste, 60% of the surveyed population claimed to generate it at home, with the use of leftovers and planning shopping and meals being some of the most important domestic actions to avoid it. Further initiatives must be implemented to increase the level of knowledge as well as to raise the awareness on the importance to translate it into individual and collective actions that allow a shift toward more sustainable practices.

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Section: Food Decisions and Social Perceptions Of Food Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Universities have a great and undeniable potential as catalyzers for sustainability, being both formal learning institutions and places where informal, mutual influences and lay/expert knowledge meet (13)(14)(15). These organizations are also fundamental to achieving the SDGs proposed by the United Nations (16)(17)(18).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge and perceptions of food sustainability in a Spanish university population

et al. 2022

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“…To explore the networks’ epistemic function, we refer to the seminal work on environmental and sustainability discourse, that largely showed how different views of human–environment relationships are negotiated and contested within wider systems of opinions, beliefs and practices (Hajer, 1995; Harré et al , 1999; Legardez and Simonneaux, 2006). Discursive studies of sustainability at universities have examined knowledge, awareness and social representations of sustainability (Emanuel and Adams, 2011; Şahin and Erkal, 2017; Sonetti et al , 2021; Summers et al , 2004). Research in this perspective also showed that sustainability itself is used as a rhetorical positioning device in the public debate, and against other researchers and institutions.…”

Section: Functions Of University Network For Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, discourses across multiple scales (i.e. international, national, situated) contribute to defining different representations of what sustainability is and what is expected by individual and institutional actors (Sonetti et al , 2021). In this sense, sustainable university networks can be seen as places that entail identification with a mutually negotiated competence around a domain (e.g.…”

Section: Functions Of University Network For Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Discourses on sustainability in a network of Argentine universities: exploring representations, cultural roots and transformative processes

Norton

Sarrica

Lombardi

et al. 2022

IJSHE

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Purpose The paper aims to reflect on the function(s) served by the network of Argentine universities for environmental management and social inclusion (UAGAIS), including sharing information, empowering its members and fostering political action. To these functions, the authors add that networks play a prominent role in promoting culturally and locally meaningful representations of sustainability, and as rhetorical devices for positioning universities within the national, regional and international context. Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon a constructionist and cultural approach, two analyses were conducted: the first an analysis of the institutional webpages of selected UAGAIS universities; the second, a discursive analysis of five in-depth interviews conducted with UAGAIS representatives. Both analyses looked at local and cultural specificities of sustainability in higher education, perceptions of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the role of UAGAIS for individuals, universities and other social actors involved. Findings Results show how sustainability is used in institutional communication and in the interviews to frame the role of the university in the community. The network serves information and empowering functions, as the same time acting as an amplifier of the activities performed under the “Extensión” framework. Such a culturally situated approach to sustainability is used to engage different social actors and to stress commitment of universities with the environmental and social needs of local communities. Originality/value The results underline the role played by networks in transformative process. Anchored to the culturally rooted “Extensión” concept, the examined network serves as a place to advance the social commitment and the local understanding of sustainability. Moreover, it is rhetorically used to challenge the status quo and advocate for systemic change.

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“…According to Pauw et al ( 2015 ), ESD-oriented programs have significantly contributed to increase awareness and skills toward sustainable development in students and the general population, where applied. In partial disagreement, other scholars offered less optimistic conclusions, both as regards the general diffusion of a systemic concept of sustainability (Sonetti et al, 2021 ; Norton et al, 2022 ), and for the applied monitoring methodologies (O'Flaherty and Liddy, 2018 ). Regarding attitudes and behaviors, the success of EE and ESD programs was also found to be closely connected to the emotional dimension.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Psychological Impact of Global Education Approach to SDGs. A Study on Emotions and Sustainability Attitudes of European Teachers

2022

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In line with the international policies, Global Education (GE) programs have been widely spread in European schools over the last 20 years, in order to promote environmental and social sustainability and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite this popularity, their effects on attitudes and behaviors have been poorly investigated so far, particularly for teachers. Our study addressed this research gap analyzing the psychological impact of an extensive GE project involving 1,303 teachers from 10 European countries. Relevant changes in teachers' emotional states and attitudes toward sustainability and migrations were analyzed through a pre-post experimental design. Results showed that the GE activities had wide positive effects on teachers, reducing their negative emotions after teaching, increasing their attitudes about sustainability, and mitigating negative attitudes toward migrants. No significant impacts on positive emotions have been detected. Educational and methodological implications of the applied psychological assessment are finally discussed.

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Conceptualization of sustainability among students, administrative and teaching staff of a university community: An exploratory study in Italy

Cited by 30 publications

References 51 publications

Knowledge and perceptions of food sustainability in a Spanish university population

Knowledge and perceptions of food sustainability in a Spanish university population

Discourses on sustainability in a network of Argentine universities: exploring representations, cultural roots and transformative processes

The Psychological Impact of Global Education Approach to SDGs. A Study on Emotions and Sustainability Attitudes of European Teachers

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