Implementation of the Eco-Schools Program in Higher Education - A Path to Environmental Sustainability at IPC

The Rio Conference (1992) was an important moment for the Goals of Sustainable Development through the document Agenda 21. This document constitutes an opportunity to inscribe the theme in the Eco-Schools Program. The Ecological Footprint arises as a concept determined to estimate the quantity of natural resources we consume to support our lifestyle - in 2002 at the Johannesburg Summit it was recognized as a reliable sustainability gauge. The present study is therefore aimed at assessing the students’ knowledge about the Eco-Schools/Sustainability program and the Environmental Footprint of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (IPC). A questionnaire divided into three parts was made available, totaling thirty-six questions in digital format on the platform Google Forms, and was disseminated through e-mail and social networks (Facebook and Messenger). The responses to the questionnaire were automatically downloaded to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and later coded for statistical treatment with the aid of the statistical software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 for Windows. After the statistical treatment of the responses of the 253 participants we verified, by the results obtained in the calculation of the Ecological Footprint, that the respondents put into practice the knowledge disseminated by the Eco-Schools Program, highlighting its importance for environmental sustainability. The Eco-Schools Program and Sustainability are values already in-stilled in our student community, but even so we must continue to bet on a greater community participation in actions in favor of the Program. In view of the results related to the calculation of the Ecological Footprint, the need to improve this indicator in the student community is evident, as is promoting its performance in this area. It will be therefore important to reinforce the awareness sessions to reduce the Ecological Footprint in favor of the investment made by the IPC.