Contributions of an environmental management system for sustainable development at a Brazilian university

Abstract

In addressing quality education, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of them translates the responsibility of universities into context to ensure that all students acquire the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to promote sustainability through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, respect for human rights, gender equality, the promotion of a culture of peace and nonviolence, global citizenship, and the enhancement of cultural diversity. There is some consensus in the area about the alignment between SDGs and education for sustainable development, and, in this study, we sought to develop a tool that has helped universities to contribute to an environment that is capable of strengthening a culture of ethos of sustainability. The present work has an objective to examine the environmental management system of a Brazilian university. In order to carry out this research, the design of a single study case was chosen. Multiple sources of evidence were considered, such as interviews, nonparticipant observation, and documents; all were analyzed qualitatively. For constructing the case, different data collection units were contemplated, together with management personnel, technicians, and professors. The categories of analysis arose from theoretical models already existing in the theory. The university in question is one of the largest private educational institutions in the country, and it has approximately 31 thousand students in the categories of presential and distance education. The main campus consists of a preserved area of more than 90 hectares, with lakes and green areas interconnected, which meets the criteria of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14001) since 2004. The case presents contributions in relation to the progress of sustainable universities in the national context, making it possible to qualify the necessary discussions for changes in infrastructures, curricula, teaching practices, and research that still do not address all problems that are global in scale and require more holistic approaches.

Áreas de oportunidad para implementar un Sistema de Gestión Ambiental en un Centro de Investigación

“…Sobre la base de lo mencionado, los residuos representan una oportunidad de educación ambiental práctica al promover la participación colaborativa de toda la comunidad universitaria (Ruiz, 2017). En ese sentido, Beuron et al (2020) señala la necesidad de transitar a un modelo sustentable mediante cambios culturales y estructurales, reconociendo tres ejes de atención: (1) la participación pública, (2) la responsabilidad social y (3) la sustentabilidad en la docencia e investigación. Lo anterior, para generar cambios al interior de la organización y poder incidir de manera indirecta en el ambiente de las IES, mismas que por sus dimensiones y necesidades se comportan de manera similar a una pequeña ciudad, lo que también permite modelar y proyectar el comportamiento que se tiene al exterior de las actividades.…”

Construction and demolition waste framework of circular economy: A mini review

“…At the same time, international bodies, like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), have provided guidelines for organizations to improve their environmental performance by establishing management systems and implementing best practices for environmental management. ISO 14001 is the international standard that outlines the requirements for an environmental management system (EMS) for organizations ( Beuron et al, 2020 ). This standard provides guidelines for identifying and managing the environmental impacts of an organization’s activities, products or services, including CDW.…”