Towards Green Campus Operations

The demand for tertiary education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been increasing. As a result, the Kingdom is expanding its higher education sector, through which twenty public universities were established. The establishment of these institutions has led to the building of campuses in order to provide enough space for teaching, learning, training, and research. However, the United Nations long-term projections of the Kingdom forecast that there will be a sharp decline in the youth population. The consequences of these projections pose a problem to long-term strategic planning for space at university campuses. To ensure a match between supply and demand for space, this paper investigates the provision and utilisation of space in Saudi Arabian university campuses. Operating the physical plant sustainably by identifying and eliminating underutilised space not only saves energy and funds, but also improves the student and staff satisfaction by creating a good balance between space needs and space provision. The ultimate aim of this paper is to highlight how space use is measured, what the utilisation rate of existing premises is, and how space can be effectively and efficiently operated. Data was collected through two instruments: the first and predominant instrument was the examination of the space utilisation of five college buildings in five different universities; four buildings were from recently founded universities, while one building was from a well-established university. The second instrument employed was a questionnaire in which one thousand two hundred and ninety users including students, faculty members, and supporting staff were asked about their experience of space use. Findings show that almost all spaces in college buildings, in both new and old institutions, were not utilised as they should be. The paper ends with some recommendations to improve space planning and to optimise space use.

Concern about sustainable development has been gaining space in universities all around the world. This is revealed from the actions of teaching, research, extension and university management. This article aims to analyze a recently founded multicampus university aiming to understand how Sustainability permeates the spaces of teaching, research, extension and university management. The proposal seeks to analyze descriptively the undergraduate disciplines, the research and extension actions registered in the project office in 2016 and the management practices related to Sustainability in order to verify how this subject is structured within a University with 9 years of existence. The obtained results indicate that Sustainability is directly related to the area of knowledge of each undergraduate course and that research and extension actions are specific and related to specific groups within the university. In addition, the existence of several campuses makes it difficult to implement policies related to Sustainability. It was found that management is the main responsible for the insertion of Sustainability in the university, and from this point on, education, research and extension policies related to Sustainability can be developed and improved.

Universities, despite their limitations, have a very strong and viable ecological argument: to be able to reflect on possible ways of changing consumption and conserving natural resources. In this context, some nations have already been developing programs and operating strategic actions to reflect and act to mitigate the degradation of environmental, social and economic resources. Thus, the research listed a set of characteristics, indicators and performance parameters of universities hosted on the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) website, according to the selection criterion among the countries of these educational institutions with the same Human Development Index (HDI) of Brazil, according to the Human Development Report (HDR) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 2015. The objective of the research is to build a set of sustainability characteristics, based on the analysis of the practices of the universities hosted on the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) website, which allow Brazilian Universities to compose their own indicators, metrics and sustainability parameters. The result of the research may be useful for universities to align themselves with an Agenda for Sustainable Development by 2030 of the UN.

The current survey results, achieved with collaboration of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP), allowed to assess the overall perspective of approximately 60 Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (STP/AOI) in 30 countries on key issues such as their role on sustainable development and the perceived enablers and barriers for further action. For instance, only 7% believe the role of STP/AOI is restricted to traditional growth (business as usual). On the other hand, 91% understand sustainability as a key driver for innovation. This study brings many useful data and information on value proposition for park/campus managers, as well as for policy makers and other stakeholders looking for advancements in the Science/Sustainability interface.

Sustainable Campus projects usually focus on the campus itself and do not consider the social and urban characteristics of the surrounding area. This paper intends to study the case of the University of São Paulo (USP) and show that, in Brazil—as well as in the rest of the Global South—this can be especially problematic. One of the top Latin-American higher education institutions, USP lies adjacent to a favela, and the ever more frequent cases of sexual assault, theft, carjacking and robbery created an environment where the public perceive the favela-dwellers and other so-called outsiders as those responsible for making the campus a violent and unsafe place. The demand for security policies skyrocketed and the answer to these demands has been limited to surveillance, increasingly controlled access, reinforcing walls and other means to “keep the perpetrators out”—a segregative approach that this paper expects to expose as socially and ethically unsustainable. This paper provides new insights, based on USP’s experience and context, to the importance of considering social and territorial dimensions of sustainability when working with campuses in the Global South. The study hopes to provide assistance to those interested in developing Sustainable Campus projects that consider their social and territorial context, valuing the role of higher education institutions in promoting community well-being and social change.

The importance of this article is its objective to analyze the sustainability dimensions of the public health sector in Brazil, criticized for its economic, social and environmental planning. The methods used were analyzes of the official sector reports. As a result, we find that the areas of public health and public relations must have greater convergence, so the public will have access to the information they need. Finally, some practical measures such as planning strategic public relations promotes the recognition of the importance of the sector, the relevance of its activities, the reputation of its organs and the relationship with its different publics.

Campaigns to the divestment from fossil fuels have been significantly increasing worldwide in an attempt to speed the transition towards clean energy. Several universities have already committed to divest from fossil fuels and to increase investments in renewable energy, as a new best practice to promote sustainability on campuses. This is the fastest divestment campaign is the history and the movement gained even more strength after the entry into force of the landmark Paris Agreement, that recognizes the urgency to tackle climate change, bringing nations to undertake their best efforts to combat its causes and effects. In light of this, this work investigates the divestment from fossil fuel campaigns, explaining its concept, aims, evolution, motivations and effects. Also, based on the movement’s background and the commitments in place, a draft of an agreement to divest from fossil fuels and to support renewable energy, to be reached within universities, is proposed, by suggesting gradual targets and establishing a condition of no significant financial impact on academic activities. This paper is thus important because it shows what are the divestment campaigns and how educational institutions can participate in them in a reasonable way. In addition, the paper is important because it shows the agreement as a tool that might encourage society, private and public sectors to re-construct their practices in relation to the use of fossil fuels, increasing their support for low-carbon alternatives.

The role of aesthetics and arts-based research to address environmental problems has slowly been incorporated in the debates about sustainability. Its visibility is though still small, or, in some cases, holds a misguided conceptualization. Through practical examples, this papers aims to explore the potentials that aesthetics and arts-based approaches have to strengthen inter- and transdisciplinary dialogues in relation to environmental problems and to increase environmental awareness at the individual and collective levels. If university campuses are considered as ‘living labs for connecting the nexus energy, climate and sustainable development’, it is a necessary step to consider the dynamics of the people (living organisms) that circulate in these areas; how they interact with each other and the surrounding environment; as well as the inner/embodied aspects of sustainability which compose their perception of the environment. Furthermore, it is fundamental to find creative forms in which awareness and engagement towards the environment can be enhanced and improved. Aesthetics and arts-based research play a key role in instigating alternative, imaginative, and new possibilities not only to integrate sustainability in university campuses, but also to generate environmental awareness and enrich the debate for an ecological citizenship.

In recent years, a growing interest about energy efficiency have become significantly relevant both in terms of environmental and economic aspects. Several initiatives have been launched by national and international regulations and have awakened environmental responsibility within universities worldwide. From these initiatives, reference values and index ratings were obtained for energy performance in the Universities’ building stock. The evaluation of the positive and negative features lead, thereby, to a methodology that could verify its applicability at the University of Passo Fundo—UPF, located in southern Brazil. Four aspects have been developed during the study: consumption of energy resources; comfort conditions; decision-making processes and eco-efficiency reference indexes. A simulation using the software DesignBuilder was applied in order to obtain diagnosis, real and ideal condition models. As the present study identifies and assesses the evolution of incident factors towards energy consumption, it is expected that universities promote a reflection in their practices in order to develop tools, which contribute for Educational Sustainability measures. It is imperative that making-decision practices follow guidelines to evaluate inversions and costs when measuring environmental management strategies and their implications. This paper contributes to the debate on university policies, from an inclusive perspective as it includes infrastructure and sustainable practices and, consequently, its relation to concrete exemplars in order to improve Sustainability Education practices.

A case study is being developed in two higher education institutions belonging to the metropolitan regions of São Paulo/SP and Vitória/ES, Brazil, aiming the evaluation of the use and operation of composting methods. Different household operational systems are being evaluated in the institutions involved. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for characterization and quantification of generated organic waste. Operation of the various systems of selective collection and composting are also evaluated. The main results refer to the evaluation of small-scale composting in institutional environments and different methods, under both health and environmental viewpoint. Strengths and weak points are being raised. While it appears that local composting initiatives do not represent a significant gain in quantitative organic waste recovery and may represent a slight diversion of the load of landfills, their potential for implementation is very important. This paper is relevant because it shows that is possible to implement composting methods in home environment, either in external or internal areas, and in environments such as schools, public squares, teaching and research institutions, among others, allied the pedagogical component of the development of composting influencing the behavior of the generators of waste.

The study reports the planning steps, development, and testing of a recycle bin prototype in a Brazilian university. After studies with users and assessment of equipment available on the market, a group of criteria was selected to be assessed, such as: aesthetic/visual; feasibility; quality and material resistance; cost; compatible accessibility dimensions; safety (users and employees); ease of cleaning, and sustainability, which should be considered in the prototype development. The prototype was built with recycled materials, presenting a harmonious aspect and practicality in the use. The recyclable manifold is in testing stage, and the results pointed constructive improvements to be implemented in the future. The weekly monitoring showed presence of vectors in the equipment installed near a restaurant, indicating that that recyclable materials could had been discarded with food and beverage remains. Educational strategies and equipment relocation are being tested to solve the problem. Aiming to optimize the logistics of collection and assessment of the users’ participation, a mechanism for monitoring the remote fill level of the equipment is being developed. In general, the prototype proved to be a good education toll for the university students and an alternative in selective collection for use in schools, condominiums, shopping malls, etc.

This paper presents the development of a mobile device application for the implementation of a participative model for evaluation of open spaces. Participants would be users of the Cidade Universitária Armando Salles Oliveira (CUASO) Campus. The objective is to verify their perception of open spaces with regards to thermal environmental conditions; acoustics; daylight and ergonomic, and enable quick acquisition of these opinions. Thus, the name of the application: Opine. The participative model will provide quantitative subsidies as to the number of users of open spaces and their perception of these spaces and point towards a possible calibration which represents the process of climate adaptation. Studies in the area of environmental comfort and climate in open spaces presuppose the acquisition of data pertaining to environmental conditions, the physical characterization of spaces and users’ opinions, gathered by subjective answers. The last years have shown that, despite the technology used in field researches, part of this information could be acquired in a more dynamic manner. The development of the application led us to think of it as merely a questionnaire, as it would be more direct and easy to understand. Furthermore, an application with a questionnaire could be interesting, as campus users can voice their opinion and make their criticisms (or compliments) heard. The mobile application was developed, initially, for the investigation of user comfort in open spaces of the Campus Cidade Universitária Armando Salles Oliveira, in São Paulo, Brazil, but can also be used for the analysis of other open urban spaces. The application was developed for Android systems, with the following characteristics regarded as relevant: easy to understand; clear; organized; easy to read. It should also be visually instinctive to the user, making the data acquisition process more agile and also enabling the rapid and dynamic treatment of the data, providing fast and easy further calculations based on the index of Temperature of Equivalent Perception (TEP) for the assessment of outdoor comfort.

Currently, cities have been increasingly demanding of their managers concerned with their ability to adapt to climate change in the face of their environmental impacts as happens with the management in the university campuses, although, with its perspectives of lower dimensions. In this sense, the university can promote involvement through integrative actions with the surrounding community in order to build the educational environment of carbon reduction applicable to the resilience and city’s sustainability. This paper focuses on the Brazilian environmental public policies constitutional debate and the feasibility of encouraging legal instruments toward inclusion of educational initiatives to change the cultural environment to approach the community as an instrument to raise consciousness and environmental consciousness in participatory development by measures of optimization of Logistics and mobility of users or citizens. Its objective aims to investigate and discuss the feasibility of partnerships for the direction on main integrated community structure in university campuses with the dedication of urban mobility instruments. The methodology of legal and documentary primary doctrinal analysis of the principles of participation and sustainable development demonstrates the comparative argumentation of a participatory and democratic society. The hypotheses indicate that a participatory system increases people’s consciousness and Social Environmental Commitment (SEC) and their life quality. In general, the efforts of university governance involving its human capital and its environment in these actions contribute to evidence of integration and protection of the common good leading to careful outcomes with the cities in parallels.

Special waste management represents a major challenge for higher education institutions due to its particularities regarding generation, logistics, treatment, and final disposal. Despite the difficulties encountered, special waste disposal in landfills can no longer be considered as an adequate solution for this particular waste. An integrated waste management system requires a global perspective, which considers from its generation to its treatment/reuse, thus involving appropriate technical and socio-environmental practices. The construction of a waste management system that prioritizes low levels of environmental impact starts with methodologies that, while producing a situational diagnosis, involve and compromise generators along the process. Within this context, the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) obtained a special waste diagnosis through an institutional research project involving members of the university community. For this study, several exploratory techniques were applied, as well as field visits to specific waste generation places. The complexity and large amount of data obtained, coupled with the project’s high demands required a specific level of treatment and standardization. In this sense, this article presents the methodological procedures used to acquire and extract response data from a broad and diverse set of special waste generators in a higher education institution, making them accessible for future use at UFSC.

The paper reports proposals and solutions of the design and implementation for universal accessibility at the university campus, complying with current legislation and community demands. It addresses the challenges of raising academic awareness about the subject and of the accessible route project overcoming the campus large dimensions, urbanized areas and rugged topography. It is the result of a project and an accessible route shared through pedestrian and motorized routes and with its implantation overcoming barriers in the implementation. The theme was conducted with a focus on social sustainability, as it is a requirement to obtain the universal and legitimate right to higher education and the benefits of the university campus as a community educational, environmental and leisure urban equipment. The results of the article demonstrate that universal accessibility, more than a legal requirement for educational institutions, contributes to social sustainability. The spatial adequacies allow the universalization of the possibility of entry and stay of persons with disabilities or reduced mobility in the university campus, expanding their training at an higher level.

One of the keys to promote sustainability in a university is the establishment of a solid planning instrument. The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), which had already built a pact for sustainability on its campus in 2009, is now reviewing its directives in order to add innovative social and environmental concepts, as well as new topics to the agenda. This paper presents the strategy and methodology being used by PUC-Rio to build its socio-environmental agenda with the participation of its entire community. The agenda is based on the principle of community cooperation and having the campus as an example of sound sustainable practices. Interdisciplinary working groups designed the new agenda on principles, diagnoses, guidelines, goals, projects, indicators and monitoring strategies for 6 distinct topics: water; biodiversity; energy; waste; constructed and living spaces; mobility; as well as 5 crossing topics—education, health, communication, information technology and resilience to climate change. The revised agenda intends to strengthen socio-environmental agreements between academia and society, as well as reinforce rules to use the campus as a model of sustainability practices.

Higher education institutions have a critical role in shaping societies by educating future leaders to think critically and solve problems, especially in a changing climate context and with many sustainability challenges. Therefore, these institutions play a key role in educating about climate change and sustainability, how to adapt to it and mitigate its effects, through knowledge creation and dissemination, through research, education and community outreach. The aim of this paper is to analyze through text mining the 22 Conferences of the Parties (COPs)’ documents to understand the role of universities to promote sustainable practices and climate change adaptation. This analysis demonstrates that terms related to the goals of higher education institutions (i.e. education and research, but also outreach) are at the core of the debates at the COPs, from education to innovation, research, learning, capacity building, awareness, knowledge, and so on. Thus, the COPs also call for sustainable development, which would be achieved by engaging civil society, creating and disseminating knowledge, building capacities, developing technologies and transforming them into innovations. This would engage the private sector, raising funds to finance the process, to promote a sustainable and resilient society to climate change, not only in the short term, but also in the long term.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) represents a global initiative endorsed by country governments. Its agreement established eight main objectives that would enable nations to work strategically to act in global challenges. Therefore, this work aims to use a multicriteria decision aid method to evaluate the MDG, using as datum a group of guiding indicators set by Brazilian Government as targets to be achieved by the country. TOPSIS was the multicriteria decision aid method chosen for its evaluation since it allows the search for similarities between the criteria, in order to reach the ideal solution. The verification of the technique consistency for customs and practices which involved decisions in public administration level was attested by finding ways and possibilities of evaluating the MDGs having a group of indicators in a way that the results can collaborate with the 2030 agenda, or post-2015 proposed future challenges. The implementation of the SDG will advance to the extent that mature evaluation mechanisms are used to help governments measuring the proposed objectives for the 2030 agenda.

Most of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change come from urban areas, and cities are at the forefront of low-carbon initiatives, playing a crucial role into mitigating global climate change. In this context, comprehensive sustainability education is paramount for success in the adoption of sustainable development practices. The role of a Sustainable Campus, as a field for research and experimentation, is already recognized by initiatives such as the International Sustainable Campus Network, the UNEP Global Universities Partnership on Environment for Sustainability and others. A ground rule for those initiatives is the establishment of a campus-wide inventory of GHG emissions. Nevertheless, existing guidelines commonly refer to the Campus inventory in broad terms, without offering any specific and detailed methodology on how to calculate the emissions generated from the campus operation. Based on literature review, surveys and workshops, this research offers recommendations to prepare the campus inventory, based on the widespread standard Greenhouse gas Protocol for Cities GPC. Some relevant emissions sources, specific to University Campuses, are identified. It is expected that, with the proposed recommendations, the resulting inventory will allow a better visualization of GHG mitigation opportunities.

The Universities have been acting in an impactful way in the implementation of sustainable actions within university campuses and as living labs for the universities, communities and cities. This paper presents a case study based on the Environmental Plan of the University of São Paulo (USP) with emphasis in the actions of the Sustainable Building Working Group (WG), as well as an overview of Sustainability Plans developed by universities in big centers worldwide. It is important to highlight how the universities are introducing sustainable issues inside campuses through the development of environmental plans by contemplating social, economic and environmental fields of sustainability. Some projects implementations and results demonstrate how environmental plans are important to promote better understanding on the importance of the environmental preservation and the construction and refurbishment of buildings through sustainable actions based on the environmental comfort of their users. Finally, through the case study of University of São Paulo (USP), this paper aims to serve as a base guide to anyone interested to know how environmental plans are being structured and implemented in universities.

This study proposes an integrated waste management system to a university laboratory aiming: (i) waste prevention as the precursor activity; (ii) to distinguish not hazardous chemicals waste and enable recycling, and; (iii) to recycle solvents. The main objective is to decrease negative environmental impacts caused by studies conducted in this type of laboratory. A life cycle assessment was conducted to infer these impacts. Material consumption data were collected on site while recent studies were used for environmental impacts. Two scenarios were evaluated: (1) the current situation, where ethyl alcohol is recycled, chemical waste is incinerated and non-hazardous waste is landfilled; (2) a future scenario, where waste prevention is implemented; ethyl alcohol, gloves, plastic pipette tips and tubes are recycled; chemical waste is incinerated, and; paper waste is composted. The second scenario decreased considerably the environmental impacts and suggested that there is a potential for plastic waste recycling, yet it is necessary an economic evaluation to determine its feasibility. The pursue of waste prevention through new initiatives (e.g. electrical hand dryers) may also represent another gain on environmental and economic impacts. This methodology proved to be effective in achieving its purpose and it can be used to improve waste management in similar situations. Yet, the importance of this study relies on the inclusion of waste prevention as a first step to improve the current waste management system and also by including the assessment of its environmental impacts as a way to effectively decrease them. It important to highlight that is a type of waste common in most of the universities.

The specific characteristics of the university territories vary, among other determinants, according to their location in relation to the city. Most of the studies refers to the typical American, suburban or part-town campus, or the institutions located in the urban plot. The university territories situated in the rural environment, interconnected to this reality, set up a separate category, with its own specific characteristics. A particular case will be taken, the Campus Fernando Costa of the University of São Paulo in Pirassununga, a city of the state of São Paulo, as the basis for presenting some perspectives for sustainable development for this category of university territories. The Campus Fernando Costa, founded in the years 1940, has 2240 hectares, 800 of them in areas of preservation and almost 120,000 m2 of constructed area. In it are courses linked to the rural environment, there are areas devoted to experimental and productive farming, besides the other structures typical of the public universities at São Paulo State (housing, restaurant, administration, academic areas). It is significant the potential of a university territory in rural environment for the experience and application of sustainable development processes. The case of USP Campus at Pirassununga is exemplary and we believe it can be useful to other institutions in rural areas, especially in Brazil and Latin America.

A significant expansion of Brazilian public higher education occurred in the last decade. It is necessary to analyze the performance of sustainability within new federal university campuses to identify successful cases that may influence the university system as a whole. The present study is important because it addresses the case of a campus with the potential to be a reference on sustainability in Brazil, but it still faces obstacles and challenges to reach this condition. The Faculdade UnB Planaltina (FUP) is one of the three new campuses of the University of Brasília, and presents potential for sustainability given its location, courses, faculty profile and organizational structure. This study analyzes the performance of FUP in the field of sustainability from the seven dimensions of university activities proposed in the literature on sustainability in higher education: education, research, outreach, campus operations, on-campus experiences, Institutional framework, assessment and reporting. The campus’s strengths are research, outreach, participation in management and the Institutional Pedagogical Political Project that reflects the intentionality of the campus in relation to sustainability. However, it is necessary to continue to strengthen sustainability in the curriculum and implement an environmental management system.

In 2009, the general development plan for the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Plano Diretor UFRJ 2020 in Portuguese) was approved for the period between 2009 and 2020. A significant effort was made to incorporate in-house innovative solutions as much as possible. Such strategy was supposed to (1) directly benefit the University with solutions created within its own research programs; (2) serve as a privileged showroom of its potential contributions to the community; and (3) pioneer applications that may be adopted in urban areas in the near future. UFRJ’s main campus is located in an island, with an area of circa 5.2 km2, 5 km in length and 1 km in width. Its daily population is estimated in 60,000 persons, including students, faculty, technical, administrative and support workers, and visitors. More than 25,000 vehicles circulate every day along its main avenues. Besides the university buildings and installations, 15 other research centres are also located in the campus. These features provide the ideal conditions for UFRJ’s main campus to become a lively and efficient laboratory of a smart city of the future. The synergy generated by the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary knowledge can be maximised by turning the Plano Diretor UFRJ 2020 into reality. Based on such premises, an occupation plan was conceived. The main idea was to transform the University Campus in part of the city creating urban spaces, integrating internal disciplinary areas and the University with the urban fabric nearly. Unfortunately, due to recent political unrest and a deep economic crisis that currently plague Brazil, the implementation of a significant part of the plan has been postponed. Nevertheless, the internal mobility project, featuring a Magnetically Levitated (MagLev) vehicle is going forward. This paper describes the development of the project, known as MagLev-Cobra, since the proof of its concept in the year of 2000, until its final implementation, due to 2020. The frame of technology development, established by NASA and known as Technological Readiness Levels (TRL’s), will be used as reference. The cooperation between various university departments and companies, some of them spin-off incubated companies, will be stressed, as an example of the positive impacts from cooperative work in research, teaching, innovation and technological development.

As part of its ambitious Energy Transition Plan towards 100% renewable power Michigan State University (MSU) built an anaerobic digester facility in 2013. Annually it consumes approximately 22,000 metric tons of organic waste, predominantly food waste from the MSU cafeteria system and animal excrements from the MSU farms, and turns them into biogas and digestate. The digestate is a high quality organic fertilizer and replaces chemically produced fertilizers for MSU’s farm fields, which saves money at the same time that it conserves valuable resources. The biogas is combusted in high efficiency reciprocating engines and produces a constant electric power of 300–500 kW. The digester facility also serves as a living classroom for a wide variety of student groups: it hosts thesis projects for graduate students and senior undergraduate students in bio-systems engineering and other engineering and agriculture disciplines, it serves as a laboratory for regularly scheduled undergraduate classes, and it is a popular destination for K-12 school field trips. Thus the MSU anaerobic digester facility serves the entire sustainability education and outreach spectrum, in addition to its sustainability scholarship, research, and practical application purposes.

This study is part of a larger interdisciplinary research on environmental education (EE) in teacher training degrees of São Paulo University, including two undergraduate degrees and two researches institutes. The present research considers students as the subject of investigation and their socio-environmental perceptions. This data are hard to find at the University of São Paulo, drawing attention to the potential that researches like these have for contribuiting to develop of more robust environmental culture. The driving question in the context is: How pre-service teachers in biological sciences and geosciences identify their qualification in environmental education and sustainability culture? Data were collected with an online survey, divided into three sections: EE in the undergraduate degree; EE in the everyday; and EE on the campus. The questions were organized with 19 multiple choice questions and 6 open-ended questions about their EE knowledge, values and action or projects participation. 118 students participated and based on personal identification of one’s own gender, we have, 65.3% female, 33.9% male and 0.8% identified as others. The results indicated that the dimensions of EE knowledge, values and means of participation were imbalanced in both courses. Students considered themselves environmentally educated but their environmental performance is steal weak, far from sustainability purposes. Data also indicated that university extramural activities are essential in the environmental education process involving students that can develop the desire and the capacity for lifelong learning. EE in the curriculum at universitary courses and improve students participation in reaserch projects are also important to foster better learning opportunities to their students.

This work consists of conducting a comparative analysis of sustainability integration in Leuphana University of Lüneburg and São Carlos School of Engineering EESC/USP. The importance of this paper is to highlight the fundamental role of sustainability in Higher Education Institutions and how is the development of this issue in different contexts (territorial, economic, politic, social and environmental). As an introduction to the topic, there was a discussion about some basic concepts that are often used but also misunderstood, such as the connection between “Environmental Education” and “Education for Sustainable Development” (ESD). In addition, there was an analysis of the important role of higher education in sustainable development. The comparison between universities was carried out investigating the national scenario in each of them, their history of sustainability, and other specific themes such as the signing of international agreements and/or declarations about ESD, participation in international membership association, debate and/or implementation of Local Agenda 21, existence of sustainability policies, responsible groups for the sustainability, areas of focus on sustainability in the Higher Education Institution, analysis of sustainability tools and indicators used by both universities, the sustainability projects on campuses, education and research, extracurricular student organizations focused on sustainable development and the communication with stakeholders.

The School of Medicine, Sao Paulo University Community Garden (FMUSP Community Garden), formed in June 2013, occupies an area of 520 m2. In the concreted area, vegetables and herbs are grown in large vessels (http://www.facebook.com/HortaDaFmusp). The garden runs on an agroecological basis using locally made compost (garden leaves and horse manure) and bio fertilizers provided by volunteers and the local restaurant (coffee powder). In the garden several herbs, medicinal plants, wild food plants and different types of seasonal vegetables are cultivated. The harvest is open for the entire community. Five medical students received financial support from the University to work 40 h per month to maintain the FMUSP Community Garden. Educational activities for the community include workshops (on medicinal herbs and wild food plants) and cooking events with students and volunteers including an elderly group, focused on healthy eating. In addition, a Ph.D. student conducted studies addressing the role of air pollution on urban gardens using the garden as an experimental site. In summary, the FMUSP Community Garden has provided sustainable, educational and research activities focused on sustainability and healthy eating in the medical campus, on a low budget, for the community. We believe this paper is important because it describes how this experience has benefited many health-related professionals and complements medical teaching. The FMUSP Community Garden has shown that agriculture in large urban centers is possible. The results were very promising, involving students, staff, patients and the surrounding community.

The “Environmental Guidelines Policy”, developed by the University of São Paulo (USP), pointed out the need to create an “Environmental Management Plan” to all university campuses. Thus, the Superintendence of Environmental Management assigned several Working Groups in order to elaborate the thematic chapters of this plan. Therefore, this article addresses the methodology adopted by the Sustainable Buildings Working Group (SBWG) and its further developments. The SBWG, composed by professors, graduate and postgraduate students and technical staff, framed the theoretical and practical debate towards the development of the Sustainable Buildings Policy. This policy has four general objectives: building requalification, design, construction, and post-occupancy of campuses buildings. Each general objective was then detailed into specific objectives, which in turn were analyzed in terms of necessary actions, indicators, goals and members in charge. The heterogeneity among the SBWG members has contributed to a balanced approach between practical and organizational questions of USP and academic wills, leading to a qualitative gain in the working process. As a matter of fact, this experience evidences the great potential for University Campuses to operate as a bridge between practical and academic experiences, functioning as a real-scale sustainable project laboratory.

The aim of this article is to describe the concept of a Living Lab to be implemented at the University of Campinas through a partnership between UNICAMP and CPFL (local Utility Distribution Company). This project was recently submitted to a strategic and priority call from the Brazilian Regulatory Agency (National Electric Energy Agency—ANEEL, acronym in Portuguese). The Living Lab is divided into six subprojects integrating energy efficiency with research and development in distributed generation. These subprojects include: 300 measure points for a Power System Control Center; 400 kWp PV-Minigrid installation, distributed into 18 plants; Electric Mobility with a recharge facility and an electric bus; retrofit in an electrical facility as a prototype; an innovative IoT-based DMS energy management tool; and training in Distributed Generation (DG), Smart Grid and Energy Efficiency. The complementarity of the subprojects will empower the living lab in terms of innovation, research and teaching in energy management, measurement and verification, photovoltaic energy generation, electric mobility and sustainability in energy consumption at the University. All these actions comply with the ISCN/GULF Sustainable Campus Chapter policies, signed by UNICAMP a few years ago. This paper is important because it will result in a replicable model for sustainable campuses for Latin America, with a detailed step-by-step procedure covering local mini-grid EMS, IoT-educational DMS, Mobility, real-time retrofitted efficiency and institutional energy governance, which is a pioneering approach in South America.

High regulation in environmental protection and sustainability was established in Brazil around 2003. From that time, the board of directors of the Faculty of Medicine, Tropical Medicine Institute, Death Verification Service, and Medical Investigation Laboratories, of the University of São Paulo created the Waste Management Committee to organize and implement actions to comply with Brazilian legislation. This paper outlines the main actions taken by the Committee and Board of directors of the institutions, presenting it in ages. During the first five years were developed works to know the passive/regular discharge of infectious agents, chemicals, radioactive compounds, recyclable and common garbage. From this data, were constructed stations for provisory disposal, transportation flow and general rules were established, and training was given to staff and students. During the following five years, or in the second phase of actions plans, efforts were focused on improving the management of the process and increasing the gathering of recyclable materials. Now, in the third phase, actions have been developed aiming to eliminate devices that use mercury and mercury vapor lamps from FMUSP building; furthermore, composting of food and garden material is in the evaluation process. These actions gave to FMUSP two Prize Friend of the Environment (2010 and 2016), offered by Health Secretary of São Paulo State, and these experience will be shared in this paper. However, it is necessary to have in mind that this work was done under Brazilian regulations, but certainly, it can be adjusted to all countries.

The public information of real time weather in urban places, especially air temperature and humidity, is generally acquired in locus, that is, using local instrumentation, and has also to inform in a convenient and easy way the passerby people, usually displayed in vertical boards of street clocks. These devices seldom use accurate sensors and are placed in vulnerable conditions which include the influence of buildings, trees, wires, vehicles, animals, people etc. This work envisages to discuss how reliable are the temperature data available in the street clocks for passers-by users. We questioned the accuracy of the temperature shown in street thermometers at the USP campus, in São Paulo, Brazil. Data was taken during February to April 2014 using an experimental approach that compared the temperature displayed in boards of street clocks/thermometers to a reference air temperature measured in the adjacencies. The board temperature was generally warmer at daytime (mean deviation of 2 °C) in a site not shadowed by surrounding buildings, with extremes that reached about 8 °C, and less in a partially shadowed site. The deviations were larger with clear sky conditions, although the background with diffuse solar radiation was sufficient to show substantial daytime warming. Likewise, at night the board temperature appeared to be colder (mean deviation of about −1.5 oC).

This paper shows the importance of university extension projects for the effectiveness of sustainable campi to generate benefits for institutions and students from the social and environmental perspective. Having that in mind, the case study used is the role played by Clínica de Direito Ambiental Paulo Nogueira Neto (CPaNN), an environmental law clinic placed at University of São Paulo Law School. Initially, it is presented a historical and organizational overview of CPaNN, followed by the demonstration of CPaNN’s most concrete achievements, such as the installation of a bicycle rack in FDUSP’s building and the realization of educational campaigns concerning healthy habits and respect to work environment. Besides that, it concludes by demonstrating the relation between CPaNN’s activities as an example of the importance of activities of Education and Public Outreach and the concretization of more sustainable university spaces. It is perceived that the positivity of these actions accumulate experiences both for their receptors (university itself and individual campaigns targets) and for their actors as well (the students involved). This is an important paper because it illustrates successful cases of sustainability projects within the university; it hopes to offer a model for other institutions, whilst being open to discussion and yearning for improvement. The method used is descriptive-inductive with exploratory goals, using the authors’ own experience as the source of most of the information presented.

The initiatives related to the application of sustainability in the university campus stand out internationally and focus on Europe and the USA. In Brazil there are few campuses that can be considered sustainable. The purpose of this chapter is to present actions that classified the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) as the High Education Institution (HEI) with the most sustainable campus of the Brazilian scenario according to the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking (UI GreenMetric). This ranking was created with the purpose of classifying the HEIs globally and evaluates the campuses through 6 categories. The methodology used was qualitative analysis with a research strategy through the case study. The case analyzed in this study can be characterized as a Living Lab for Sustainability, due to the participation of the academic community in the operation of practices and interaction with the external community. This work seeks to contribute in a global way, providing an academic debate on the insertion of sustainability in the university campus, besides presenting data that can serve as reference to other HEIs who wish to follow the same path in the design or adaptation of their campuses and can contribute to the transformation of individuals, societies and cities through education.

University of Passo Fundo is located in the South of Brazil and currently has around 20 thousand students, distributed in all of its campuses. In its Social Responsibility Policy, it addresses the environmental issue in several items, committed to establishing guiding principles to sustainable development. This paper aims to present a survey of electricity consumption at the university main campus, between 2004 and 2016, in addition to presenting the actions that have been developed in order to contribute to greater sustainability—and reduction of this consumption. The methodology consists of collecting energy data in the responsible sector of the university, followed by the description of the actions that have been developed, in order to make the campus greener. Finally, based on research about practices applied in universities around the world which have excellence regarding energy efficiency actions, a discussion about their possible application at University of Passo Fundo is presented. The results show that electricity consumption per campus unit area has been constant in recent years, whereas the costs have increased considerably. It is also observed that there is still much to learn from external experiences in order to contribute to the University’s environmental and energy eco-efficiency programs.

This article is the result of a scientific and didactic-pedagogical research, which presents an efficient way of managing scientific initiation scholarship projects with groups of undergraduate students in Civil Engineering. The method was based on the fundamental of Meaningful Learning and the construction of Research Reports, As a complement to these instruments, Research Reports worked as documents of individual activities and groups. Several Brazilian cities suffer constantly with water resources due to the scarcity of rainfall in certain regions. Irregular water distribution led to the development of a rainwater catchment system for non-potable use, with analysis of applicability. To ensure that the characteristics of rainwater are harmless to human health, the analysis of its physical-chemical properties was carried out. The scope of the scientific initiation project included the dimensioning of the reservoir volume, observation of the hydrological cycle and average monthly rainfall index of the city of São Paulo. The system was designed according to the Brazilian Standard of Regulation, in compliance with NBR-15527/2007, NBR-5626/1998 and NBR-12217/1994. The project is important because presents a sustainable option, whose results will contribute to the minimization of the social problem, Brazilian and worldwide, which is the inappropriate use of water.

Universities have the responsibility of promoting an awareness of sustainability among its students, faculty, and staff. They are also responsible for producing groundbreaking scientific knowledge, and sharing relevant experiences with the public. The University of São Paulo’s Environmental Policies are in its final steps of development. Accordingly, the release of these Policies is an opportune moment to begin the process of assessing the culture of sustainability on the University’s São Carlos Campus (USP-SC). During the spring 2016 academic term, researchers at the University conducted a survey of its students, faculty, and staff to measure sustainability behaviors and levels of engagement and awareness of sustainability on campus. The survey was developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Michigan (U-M) and was patterned after surveys conducted as part of U-M’s Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program. The survey was deployed inside Sustainability Culture Indicators Program (SCIP) been applied at UofM since 2012, and replicated at USP-SC in 2016. USP-SC’s Waste Policy is current in its final steps for enactment, therefore, creating a baseline data ex-ante the publication, will allow comparison in future years and how the policy impacted USP’s reality. This paper uses data from 2016 application. Survey respondents were asked questions via an online platform about their sustainability-related behaviors and awareness including transportation, sustainable food purchases, conservation behaviors, waste prevention, and environmental management of green (natural) areas on campus. This paper presents and compares descriptive findings for students, faculty, and staff at USP-SC, and presents findings from an examination of the links between sustainability behaviors, awareness, and engagement. The researchers will keep applying the survey in further years, so a comparative study can be deployed with the baseline data acquire ex-ante the USP’s Waste Policy enactment. In this context, this work finds that in general that staff presented a more adequate behavior towards waste prevention, followed by faculty and undergraduate students. Further papers will discuss a comparative study between USPSC’s and UofM’s application results, discussing different university’s cultural, financial, and social realities.

The objective of this article is to analyse the extensions of sustainability in the public education sector, considering the perception change of teachers, students and the community regarding the use of public spaces to implement a community garden in the University of São Paulo Medical School (FMUSP). Launched in 2013, it aimed to address issues related to environmental education and shared waste management. Nowadays, in addition to permanent education and awareness activities, environmental techniques are also applied, pursuing sustainability through natural resources conservation, conscious consumption and reduction of waste, promotion of three R’s concept (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and reduction of the ecological footprint of both individuals and institutions. The employed method used interviews with the creators of this project and with some of its participants as well. It was possible to verify that public education and environmental management operating together could promote and intensify the reduction of the waste of raw materials and increasingly scarce resources, such as water and energy. Finally, it is recommendable to apply some practical measures such as outlining tactics that generate recognition of this partnership, the value of its activities and the reputation of the agencies involved.

The environmental governance of solid waste appears as an essential guideline to ensure the sustainability. The challenges imposed on cities such as non-generation, reduction, reuse, recycling, treatment and environmentally adequate allocation of growing volumes of waste are also matters that concern universities. The focus will be on the University of São Paulo (USP), which is developing practical initiatives and researches regarding the formulation of environmental public policies in general, as well as an example for other universities. This article will present how USP is developing the governance of solid waste in accordance to Brazilian Legislation.

It would seem that the combination of the location of university campuses and entrepreneurship studies is not a big issue on sustainable initiatives taken by universities. But choosing the right place as well as powerful entrepreneurship topics in higher education are key elements to success in sustainable development on the local level. This paper presents the case of Tecnocampus, University College affiliated to Pompeu Fabra University, which is located in a Scientific and Innovation Park near Barcelona. Tecnocampus is one of the 25 first good practice case studies throughout Europe chosen in 2016 by the University-Business Cooperation in Europe, an initiative from the European Commission. Inspired by the triple helix model, university, innovative companies and public authorities work together to manage and develop the university studies focus on the sustainability of the campus and local development. Finally, concrete examples of sustainable ideas taken on the campus are explained. Some of them are the Health studies Campus, the Entrepreneurial studies Campus, the use of Living Labs such as incubators, innovation labs or Fablabs and the university culture life. The results show how universities can develop sustainable strategies focusing on entrepreneurship and choosing the right location. This paper will be useful to anyone interested on developing sustainable initiatives on campuses using entrepreneurship and establishing relations with local businesses and the public authorities in order to develop sustainability at the local level.

The extension project Arborizar UFRB implemented at the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia (UFRB) in Cruz das Almas, Bahia (Brazil) originated from students’ demand for higher shade levels on campus. The low shade levels reduce the well-being of the academic community, especially of those who have to walk long distances between buildings exposed to intense radiation and high temperatures. The project aimed to promote the planting of shade trees in the campus. First, the project’s structure and research methodology are described. Then, the experience of its first year of implementation is discussed by examining the main obstacles encountered and the strategies adopted to overcome these and by identifying the main outcomes obtained. This article is relevant for educators implementing sustainability initiatives involving urban afforestation on campus.

The Superintendence of Environmental Management (SGA) of the University of São Paulo has implemented a number of activities to identify and strengthen sustainable practices at the campuses. In this context, this study aims to identify the university constituencies’ understanding about sustainability and the possible ways of social participation. The quantitative research took place at São Paulo Capital campuses in 2016, with the participation of more than 1500 respondents. This empirical study encompassed four dimensions of investigation: (1) the assessment of individual adoption of key definitions on sustainability; (2) the global dimension of sustainability, with the application of the UN MyWorld Survey; (3) the local dimension of sustainability, with the analysis of individual habits and behaviors, and; (4) the stakeholders willingness to participate and the options of engagement. The conclusion contributes to both managerial and theoretical developments, as the study can support the educational and communication actions of SGA for promoting a more sustainable campus; and further the theoretical discussion about the social participation of students, employees, and scholars to embed sustainability in higher education institutions.

The object of this study was the micro basin of Campus UFSC, component of the surface slope and drainage network of Itacorubi Hydrographic Basin (HB) in Florianópolis city (Brazil). The HB is the unit of planning and environmental management preferred, but the establishment of a sub unit as the Campus UFSC micro basin can be exemplary. The objective of this exploratory research conducted between April and July 2011, was to characterize and locate the water drainage network contributors of micro basin of the Campus, select the main and associate them with environmental indicators. 72 source points of water contributions to the formation of the Campus UFSC micro basin were identified, photographed, georeferenced, mapped and organoleptically characterized. Surrounding critical areas in the public health sphere—as well as socio-cultural and landscape patrimony, quality of specific ecosystems and local economy—were identified. This study proposed environmental indicators in order to guide a plan for conducting water quality diagnosis and identification of factors that negatively impact the aquatic ecosystem of UFSC Campus. The construction of environmental and sustainability indicators for the study of environmental conditions in this area is necessary and urgent, because it is a tool of great importance for driving programs working towards the recovery and revitalization of the Itacorubi HB and in the monitoring of its development.

Universities, especially the public ones, play an important role in the formulation and implementation of public policies of Sustainability, and in teaching people who can act in the construction of sustainable societies. The purpose of this study was to establish relationships between the realities of two public universities in different contexts, the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) and the University of São Paulo (USP). Then, internships were taken at both universities, UCPH and USP, from 2015 to 2016. We made observations and dialogues, and analyzed reports, books, as well university environmental policies, strategies and practices on sustainability. Based on these two experiences, it was possible to identify convergences and divergences between policies, strategies, and practices related to sustainability. Here, some categories were discussed: the context of each University influencing its actions, sustainability offices, as well their goals, plans, and strategies for biodiversity protection, environmental education, waste management and cooperation related to sustainability. It has been noticed challenges for universities to integrate sustainability into education, research, outreach activities, direct campus operations, and community involvement. However, UCPH and USP are trying to overcome and improve them.

The interest in energy efficiency and clean energy generation grows in exponential steps. Along with this, the importance to apply the principles of sustainable development in everyday activities increases. Researches and development projects that work with smart grids have increasingly become relevant, presenting answers to this global demand and allowing technology to work fulfilling sustainable development gaps. Therefore, the goal of this paper was to create an electricity consumption profile of buildings at University of São Paulo—Campus of São Carlos, and analyze the pattern of consumption developed by the university community. Posteriorly, proposals based on Gibson’s principles towards sustainable development were drawn to assist the university in reducing electricity waste and awareness of the coherent use of this resource. Some of the results regarding community demonstrated concern in controlling the energy consumption and engaging in sustainability activities. An observed challenge was that university’s community is not included in decisions making about sustainability and that information about these decisions are not well shared. This electricity consumption profile can be posteriorly used as a baseline to an online system that includes data from the consumption and that is available for everyone, providing information to decision making.

The “CFH Forest” is a green area of five hectares in the UFSC campus, which shelters areas for permanent preservation of riparian forest and remaining of native vegetation. Besides the ecological function, area is a living space for university community. Over the years, the use and occupation of this area have caused negative environmental impact, generating erosion, compaction and loss of soil organic matter, leading to increased environmental degradation. The Agroecological Agroforestry Systems (Agroecological AFS) have been considered as an alternative approach for environmental recovery as it promotes efficiency and optimization of natural resources for production in an integrated form. This article aims to report the experience of this recovery project within the university campus, using Agroecological AFS, along with the principles of permaculture and the concept of energetic zones, through the “CFH Forest Environmental Recovery Project”, with students, teachers and technicians participation. After two years of project execution, some results are already visible, such as vegetation growth, soil recovery, erosion control and improvement of ecological awareness through education, stimulated by workshops, joint efforts and the promotion of a healthier environment.

The sustainability of the earth depends largely on actions taken at universities, as they have a leading role in developing knowledge and raising awareness. The School of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo seeks to fulfill several goals in pursuance of sustainable management. Since 2009, a joint committee of students, teachers and employees endorses a Sustainability Program. Its objectives are: avoidance of natural resources depletion; waste minimization; proper waste segregation; however, its main purpose is the dissemination of environmental education and community awareness. This paper presents actions implemented and results achieved during the last eight years. Activities involve research, projects, lectures, workshops, campaigns and events regarding environmental and occupational health. Predominant actions include: avoidance of disposable products; incentives to suitable waste segregation; composting; and safe management of hazardous waste. Considering the 6.1 ton of waste monthly generated, 1.8 tons (29.2%) are carefully segregated, selectively collected, and processed through differentiated pathways. Infectious and chemical waste (5.4%) goes initially through appropriated treatment before being discarded in landfills. Confidential paper (2.5%) is shredded and goes for recycling. Other recyclables materials (18.3%) are collected by cooperatives of waste pickers and sent to the productive chain. Part of the organic waste (2.9%) is locally transformed in compost. Sustainable actions have been expanded despite the lack of economic and human resources to implement them.

This study assesses the user perception of the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) of workspaces by means of application of the BOSSA Time-Lapse System—developed by the University of Sydney and University of Technology, Sydney/Australia. It is a Building Occupancy Survey System Australian (BOSSA) tool, designed to assess the IEQ of workspaces by means of a questionnaire. Supporting the current Master Plan of the Armando Salles de Oliveira University Campus (CUASO), its buildings are being used as case studies for the development of BOSSA Brazil System. The first case study was conducted at the Laboratory of Environmental and Energy Studies (LABAUT), located at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAUUSP). This study was conducted into two different stages. Stage 1, named BOSSA Time-Lapse Base Case, was comprised of 12 volunteers participating in a critical analysis, helping to: (1) understand the functionality of the BOSSA Time-Lapse System; (2) identify translation issues and inconsistency in the questions and, (3) adapt the BOSSA System, which was developed in Australia, to the Brazilian reality. Stage 2, named Second Application of BOSSA Time-Lapse questionnaire, was comprised of four different volunteers invited to respond to the questionnaire without any influence from the researchers. Stage 2 helped to: (1) evaluate the user satisfaction/dissatisfaction with his/her workspace; and, (2) analyze his/her relations with the environment and the building architecture, using the BOSSA Time-Lapse questionnaire. Results show that the translation issues should be reviewed, and that the building has a high level of satisfaction among its users. The dissatisfaction results show high levels of noise, lack of privacy and natural light in some workstations, mostly related to workspace layout. The questionnaire applied at stage 2 identified different results when it comes to satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction with environmental comfort issues. This analysis will contribute to the understanding of the BOSSA Time-Lapse questionnaire, and its application in office buildings in Brazil, as well as to analyze variables of the building IEQ. It will also help to understand the use and application of the BOSSA System methodology internationally.

Studies in Higher Education (HE) enable an individual to combine different streams of knowledge, such as the specific (subject) knowledge, customs, and experiences, into one. On one hand, this combined knowledge embedded within the cultural, socioeconomic and environmental contexts increases the importance of various social phenomena. On the other hand, the link between these different types of knowledge highlights the importance that the creation of common welfare has not only for individuals linked to HE institutions but also those outside of the university environment and processes. Therefore, we believe that in order to promote Regional development in Latin America, it is essential that universities define their own criteria for sustainable development in HE, which demands from them the implementation of policies and strategies aligned with their own challenges and characteristics. Hence, this study intends to gain a better understanding of the criteria for sustainable development formulated by some HE institutions in Latin America. To gain this understanding, we investigate the case study of the University of Ibagué (Universidad de Ibagué), for which we question whether this university’s proposal for the Regional development (RD) follows the regulation for Sustainable Development Education as specified in the framework for Sustainable Development. Specifically, this study seeks to clarify the University of Ibagué’s strategies for Sustainable Development Education in relation to its commitment to the Regional development in the Department of Tolima whose capital city is Ibague. In addition, this study analyses whether the principles that guide the strategies for the Regional development at the University of Ibagué are aligned with the directives issued by international agencies such as the UN and the UNESCO.

The increase in the production of solid waste is related to serious impacts on climate change of the planet owing to emission of greenhouse gases, such as methane (CH₄). Therefore, indicators, which are tools developed to evaluate and maintain control over a process of interest, can be used to measure how relevant these impacts are or can be. There are many initiatives, results and challenges in the solid waste management and environmental education areas in high education institutions, but there are just a few studies about structured indicators that were implemented in a systematic way. Considering these facts, this study aims to contribute to the topic of indicators, focusing in domestic solid waste. To do so, we will present: a research of scientific productions about this topic, at international and national levels; domestic solid waste management and environmental education indicators under development on the University of São Paulo’s campus in Ribeirão Preto city. The adoption of indicators is relevant to broaden the possibilities for evaluation and reflection on the impacts of what is implemented in the high education institution, reverberating in the improvement and enhancement of actions and results to achieve the sustainability in universities.

One of the remarkable characteristics of the USP campuses is the abundance of trees. Their regular cleaning and pruning generate a lot of waste, and its management is done by the University Mayor. These activities are getting more complex because of the summer heavy rains and the consequent increase of fallen trees. On the other hand, a significant part of this waste could, eventually, be benefitted and employed in artifacts production, that could be used on-campus, or as input for research and extension design activities. The results of an exploratory research are presented here, aimed at identifying: through bibliographic research, the theoretical fundamentals for sustainable design and wood waste upcycling and the history of USP Campus afforestation; through institutional documents consulting and interviews with the responsible personnel, the main characteristics of the existing trees species, the guidelines for their use, the current monitoring activities and required conditions for this wood harnessing; and through the university database access, finished researches devoted to this waste exploitation in artifacts production. Some municipal experiences on this waste management in Brazil were also analyzed, in order to complete the argumentation for the proposal of an experimental design research project in partnership with the University Mayor.

Waste management is an activity of public interest. Higher Education Institution’s (HEI) waste is generated from teaching and research laboratories, as well as from social assistance services where hazardous and non-assimilable substances are present. This type of waste needs to be precisely defined and classified once generators need special care in handling it. In this sense, this paper analyzes Job Health and Safety aspects of a special waste diagnosis at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). In the scope of the study carried out at the UFSC, it was verified that many of the special waste handling activities are carried out by students. It was also identified the lack of internal regulation that guarantees the protection of health and safety of all members of the university community involved in special waste operations. In universities in general, laboratories producing chemical waste have a potential exposure of workers to risks and, therefore, should be the object of the university management attention. The project described in this paper was important to inform the university managers about the involvement of students in internal waste collection activities, which is not an activity of the academic structure. It was not intended to determinate the best way to solve this problem, but rather to contest the issue and induce a debate regarding the lack of a specific Brazilian legislation to address this problem. The study also showed that it is important for the University to develop internal regulations about this subject. A sustainable waste management system needs to contemplate and regulate the working conditions of students in laboratory activities for safety and protection of their health.

The present work is the result of a multidisciplinary project of the following mechanical engineering courses: Environmental Management for Engineers; Thermal Power Systems; Modeling and Simulation of Thermal Systems. The objective of the project was to apply the knowledge of thermal graduation courses to a campus sustainability problem. The object of study chosen was the steam generation and distribution system of the restaurant of the University of São Paulo—São Carlos campus, used for cooking food and washing dishes. The optimization proposal was to transform the open system into a closed system by reducing leaks and installing a condensate return line to the boiler. The current system and the optimized system were mathematically modeled using thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics equations. The savings and benefits of the project were compared to the installation costs for evaluation of econometric data. As a result, an annual saving of 13,000 L of diesel and 331,000 L of water was forecasted, resulting in a savings of R$ 46,000 and an emission reduction of 34,600 kg of CO₂. The payback period of this investment was forecasted to take only 8 months.

This work describes the experience of the Federal University of ABC in the development and implementation of its Sustainable Logistic Management Plan (Plano de Gestão de Logística Sustentável—PLS/UFABC), with the objective of diagnosing and improving the Institution’s actions regarding sustainability. This process started in 2015, guided by a Brazilian Federal Regulation of the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management (Normative Instruction No 10, of November 12th, 2012, MPOG). The committee that developed the PLS/UFABC thought beyond simple compliance of this Normative Instruction, and launched the “Sustainable UFABC” Program (UFABC Sustentável), with future concern to put into practice actions and demands described and raised, and incorporate the sustainability aspects in the daily life of the Institution. PLS/UFABC was published in book format and today, it is being accompanied by the Advisory Committee on the Sustainability of the UFABC (Comissão Consultiva à Sustentabilidade—CCS). CCS is composed by professors, students and managers, which seek to encourage academic activities, as research, extension and innovation, in addition to introduce new management practices. In order to integrate different areas of the Institution, PLS/UFABC comprises: Water and Sewage; Energy; Consumption materials and Sustainable Bidding; Waste Management, Spaces, Displacement of Personnel and Urban Mobility; Implementation, Dissemination and Communication. This paper provides how the PLS/UFABC was created, developed and is now being implemented, serving as a study case for other Institutions, public or not, educational or not, Brazilian or not.

The large generation of urban solid waste in Brazil has as one of its characteristics the predominance of the organic fraction. When disposed in landfills, this fraction can cause public and environmental health problems, increase the emission of greenhouse gases and contribute to a reduction in the landfills’ lifespan. Considering that university restaurants are great generators of organic waste, this research tries to approach how the valorization of these wastes using the biodigestion process would contribute to the increase of the sustainability at the campus EACH-USP. This management model avoids the disposal of organic waste in landfills (reducing emissions from the transport of waste to landfills), can generate electric energy and can provide a by-product with potential fertilizer. For this approach, organic waste generation data on campus were analyzed, also was estimated the energetic potential of this waste and the avoided CO₂ emissions, through the adaptation of the GHG protocol tool. The results indicate that the management of organic waste is very important for sustainability in the context of university campuses, since its valuation focuses directly on the environmental issue.

Environmental concerns have become a challenge for society since the scientific and technological advances. The article presents the results of the research in progress that has been developed in the Ph.D. Course Environmental Sciences in the Postgraduate Program in Society Nature and Development at Federal University of Western Pará. It is a qualitative research that relied on bibliographical and documentary research (Lakatos Marconi 2003; Gil 1999). The Federal University of Western Pará (Ufopa), located in the North of Brazil, in the Amazon region. The Institutional Development Plan (IDP) and annual reports served as the basis of these document analyses. The adoption of ‘sustainable development’ is presented in the IDP, along with specific actions for campus greening, but it also was necessary to consider the conceptual, philosophical and epistemological aspects of this term. This paper is important because these analyses pointed to the need for further study of and attention to curricular greening, as discussed in this study’s conclusions.

The study aims to investigate the impacts of groundwater supply in the Brazilian energy sector, the dynamics of decision making in water management and Brazilian energy management, and to point out where actions for sustainability in groundwater pumping should be taken. Power generation, consumption and management interact in many ways with water resources, yet surface water management differs from groundwater management. About 2.6% of Brazilian energy consumption is used for groundwater supply. Actions for energy efficiency in this sector can bring energy savings.

Although remediation technologies solve environmental and public health issues caused by soil and groundwater contamination, they can also generate negative environmental externalities such as energy and natural resources consumption; imbalance of water cycle; and greenhouse gas emissions. Due to recent occurrence with contaminated areas at the University of São Paulo—USP the paper aims to present a sustainable management analysis of a contaminated area on USP capital campus as part of the process of elaborating a sustainable management plan. The research methodology was based on literature review about sustainable remediation and construction; and qualitative analysis of actions, sustainable practices and lessons learned from case studies of contaminated sites management. Preliminary results showed selection of USP Leste site as case study, selection of 48 sustainable practices that were classified regarding the objectives of USP Working Groups and identification of sustainable actions adopted on case study. As a result, an analysis of sustainable management practices was carried out to assess intervention measures that need to be improved and how some sustainable management practices could be applied on case study to maximize potential benefits. This analysis will provide subsidies for the development of a sustainable management plan which is expected to be completed in 2017.

This final chapter presents an overview of some well known campus greening initiatives, and outlines some future trends.