Universities work on sustainability

  In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and of the 2030 UN agenda, several colleges are betting in 4 areas to improve sustainability in higher education institutions:

1 - Environmental sustainability;

2 - Energy transition;

3 - Digital transition;

4 - Social sustainability

In this post, we will see 2 examples of different colleges work on improving sustainability that belong to the IPL group, while leaving a website that shows 8 more universities around the World that do similar things:

1 - ISEL - Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa - Building a Zero Carbon residence in ISEL campus

 According to ISEL zero carbon project, a residence will be created on ISEL's north campus to accommodate students, teachers and researchers, integrated into a new polytechnic campus, designed from scratch to promote environmental and social sustainability and achieve the goals defined in the Paris Agreement.

 By building this residence, ISEL aims to provide innovative equipment characterized by an enriching atmosphere, where everyone can enjoy a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. The whole project will cost a total of €7 510 650.

 2 - ESTeSL - Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa

 The ESTeSL has been awarded the Eco-schools green flag since 2010/2011 academic year. Over the last decade there have been several challenges, competitions and projects where the ESTeSL has been and continues to stand out, with the constant awarding of prizes and distinctions.

 To work on the issues of sustainability, the ESTeSL have developed a program called the Young Reporters for the Environment Program (JRA is Portuguese). The Young Reporters for the Environment Program is a program coordinated by the foundation for environmental education, which promotes the training of young people to take a conscious position on environmental issues, providing them with a working methodology so that they can explore the issues of sustainability.

 Currently, there are more than 490 thousand students in 43 different countries involved in the program, with around 19 thousand works being submitted every year.

 The JRA Program is promoted in Portugal by the Blue Flag Association of Europe, the Portuguese section of FEE and the first edition in that country took place in 1994. The students who enter these activities develop knowledge about environmental issues, skills in the areas of communication, citizenship, individual initiative, teamwork, critical analysis, social responsibility and leadership, using a four-step methodology: investigate, then after that seeks solutions, then reports and finally disseminates, and so on.

 The ESTeSL has been implementing the work methodology associated with the Program since the 2013-2014 academic year by promoting and participating in multiple activities, and then proposing a project to the presidency of ESTeSL, where it involves the entire academic community and where the students investigate and interpret sustainability issues as if they were journalists, reinforcing their knowledge in the area of the environment and new technologies and communication techniques.

 The students have carried out collaborative work among themselves among the multiple work themes proposed to them (waste, environmental education, overpopulation, biodiversity, public health, etc), preparing structured interviews and interviewing experts in certain areas of knowledge, producing video-reports, written reports and podcast episodes. They also have carried out video campaigns, photo campaigns and photo reports, associated with different areas of sustainable development.

 It is also worth noting that the ESTeSL is also part of the Portuguese Healthy, Smart and Friendly Environments Network, bringing together a wide range of Portuguese organizations committed to promoting a joint agenda for the implementation of Inclusive Environments for All Ages, with particular focus on the areas of Health, Social Support, TICE and Infrastructures. This Network favours quadruple helix participation, actively promoting collaboration between research/academia, public authorities, companies and civil society/citizens, with the aim of addressing and finding common solutions to national challenges in this area.

 Sources: 

https://www.isel.pt/o-isel-apresenta-se/sustentabilidade/ambiente/isel-eco-campus/isel-carbono-zero

https://www.estesl.ipl.pt/estesl/sustentabilidade-ambiental/outras-iniciativas

https://www.phdstudies.com/articles/8-top-sustainable-universities-making-an-impact-in-the-world