Evaluating the engagement of universities in capacity building for sustainable development in local communities

Universities have the potential to play a leading role in enabling communities to develop more sustainable ways of living and working however, sustainable communities may only emerge with facilitation, community learning and continual efforts to build their capacities. Elements of programme planning and evaluation on the one hand, and capacity building on the other, are needed. The latter entails approaches and processes that may contribute to community empowerment; universities may either lead such approaches, or be key partners in an endeavour to empower communities to address the challenges posed by the need for sustainable development. Although capacity building and the promotion of sustainable development locally, are on the agenda for universities who take seriously regional engagement, very little is published that illustrates or describes the various forms of activities that take place. Further, there is a paucity of studies that have evaluated the work performed by universities in building capacity for sustainable development at the local level. This paper is an attempt to address this need, and entails an empirical study based on a sample of universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Brazil. The paper examines the extent to which capacity building for sustainable development is being undertaken, suggests the forms that this might take and evaluates some of the benefits for local communities. The paper concludes by reinforcing that universities have a critical role to play in community development; that role has to prioritise the sustainability agenda

Energy sustainability in teaching and outreach initiatives and the contribution to the 2030 Agenda

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Considering the different roles universities can perform to contribute to sustainable development, it is through teaching and outreach that they might be able to connect to the academic and local communities the most. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which energy sustainability is being considered in campus teaching and outreach activities of different higher education institutions worldwide. In this context, this exploratory study was developed. Design/methodology/approach: Through an online survey, a group of 36 universities from all continents was inquired about the level of sustainability in energy aspects of teaching and outreach activities, including curriculum change, training courses for staff and the regularity of outreach projects. Findings: The results allowed global analysis concerning challenges and opportunities of these educational activities. This study also touches upon the interconnection between these practices and the contribution of universities towards the 2030 Agenda, and how universities can expand their activities and contribute practically to society. In terms of practical contributions, this study provides recommendations for higher education institutions to develop further in the area of energy sustainability through teaching and outreach. Originality/value: Energy is a sustainability aspect relatively well covered by actions on campus operations, but there is a paucity of studies connecting this topic to teaching and outreach activities. This study is an approach to not only fill this gap but also reinforce the university role and contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

Barriers to innovation and sustainability at universities around the world

This paper explores the link between innovation and sustainability in the context of higher education, with the purpose of investigating the fundamental barriers for innovation and sustainable development in universities around the world. The method used involves both a quantitative and a qualitative approach, gathering the views of 301 experts from 172 universities across all continents. The results show that there are similar barriers across different geographical regions that require greater support from university administrations and management. In particular, the willingness of leaders, policy makers and decision-makers to envisage a sustainable future inside universities is often missing. Yet, without the support of senior management within a university, bottom-up sustainable initiatives seem destined to fail in the longer term due to a lack of investment and administrative support. This study also identifies that in order to yield the anticipated benefits, barriers need to be tackled in an integrated way, and that closer cooperation between sustainability researchers, university administrations and students is needed

Sustainability and procurement practices in higher education institutions: Barriers and drivers

© 2019 A review of the literature reveals the scant research on sustainable procurement in the public sector, and in particular higher education institutions (HEIs). In this context, this paper aims to contribute to an emerging stream of research on drivers and challenges which higher education institutions and the extent to which they are endorsing sustainable procurement practices. The study is based on a survey of HEIs around the world, drawn from a network of sustainability practitioners and researchers at these institutions. Design of the survey drew on existing studies of barriers and enablers, the use of vignettes to provoke ideas among the research team, and a pilot study. Crucially, the study seeks to shed light on both drivers and critical barriers affecting the implementation of sustainable procurement at universities. The results and discussion identify previously unidentified barriers and enablers, and further suggest that smaller HEI have some catching up to do. Policy recommendations are presented and approaches on how to overcome barriers to sustainable procurement are set forth. These centre on the proposal that HEIs should consider developing a reflexive strategy to procurement purchasing policy, and to ensure there are suitable means for its implementation

Sistemas agroflorestais com seringueira (Hevea brasiliensis M. Arg.) no noroeste do Estado do Parana.

O sistema cafe x seringueira apresenta basicamente dois esquemas distintos. No primeiro esquema, a seringueira e' utilizada na substituicao de cafezais decadentes, inicialmente favorecida pela melhoria do microclima (efeito de quebra-vento) e aporte do efeito residual da adubacao dada ao cafe; por outro lado, proporcionando, ao cafe um efeito benefico inicial a producao (meia sombra). No segundo esquema, a seringueira e o cafeeiro sao mantidos em associacao permanente em arranjos espaciais adequados que permitam a coexistencia das especies, possibilitando a diversificacao de fontes de renda a propriedade rural. Os resultados obtidos nestes dois ensaios, permitiram concluir que os sistemas agroflorestais envolvendo cafe e seringueira constituem um fator positivo de ocupacao e recuperacao produtiva de extensas areas do noroeste panaense; inicialmente, por propiciar o aproveitamento dos fatores de producao como solo, energia solar, protecao microclimatica, sem efeitos negativos sobre a producao de cafe e ao crescimento vegetativo da seringueira, garantindo a diversificacao e estabilidade de renda ao longo do ano, quando esta ultima iniciar sua producao

Genetic parameters for worm resistance in Santa Inês sheep using the Bayesian animal model.

The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for worm resistance (WR) and associated characteristics, using the linear-threshold animal model via Bayesian inference in single and multiple-trait analyses

Preparing future entrepreneurs: reflections about the COVID-19 impacts on the entrepreneurial potential of Brazilian students

Purpose: This viewpoint aims to present reflections on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic scenario and the entrepreneurial potential of Brazilian students. Guidelines are proposed to support debates in the academic environment and better prepare future entrepreneurs to the labour market. Design/methodology/approach: Since this is a viewpoint article, some statements presented here are characterised by the authors' opinions. However, for a better foundation, bibliographic research related to the theme was carried out. Findings: In the authors' point of view, the COVID-19 pandemic scenario may negatively influence the decisions of Brazilian students that are characterised as potential future entrepreneurs. Educators can use the guidelines presented here to conduct debates with students in order to clarify aspects related to profile, behaviour and other issues. Originality/value: By understanding better entrepreneurial aspects in the COVID-19 pandemic scenario, Brazilian students can make better decisions. This initiative will contribute to future success in the Brazilian entrepreneurial activity and national economy

Climate change scepticism at universities: a global study

Scepticism about climate change is still a popular trend, despite the existence of scientific evidence that this phenomenon is taking place, and that it is influencing the lives of millions of people around the world. The aim of this paper is to assess the extent to which existing scepticism at the university level is found. The methodology consists of a survey undertaken on a sample of universities around the world, in the context of which attitudes and perceptions about climate change are identified. A total of 237 questionnaires were received from 51 countries around the world. The analysis consists basically of descriptive statistics and an investigation regarding trends on scepticism and the geographical location of the universities. The study concludes by outlining some of the presently seen scepticisms and suggests some ways to address them via curricular innovation and initiatives engaging students

Planning and implementing sustainability in higher education institutions: an overview of the difficulties and potentials

Planning in sustainable development is believed to be an important element in allowing higher education institutions to set their goals and to commit themselves towards undertaking concrete actions and measures at all levels in order to implement sustainability. Yet, there is a paucity of research that has looked at the extent to which planning can support institutions of higher education to assess their performances and to determine whether the set aims have been met. This research gap needs to be met to allow a better understanding of how planning can help to promote the integration of the three components of sustainable development–economic development, social development and environmental protection in higher education. This paper explores the challenges for planning the sustainable development in higher education, also outlining the potentials lessons learned that could assist in improving Education for Sustainable Development efforts in Higher Education Institutions. Among its main results are the fact that many universities wish to pursue sustainable development, but their efforts are hindered by lack of institutional support and planning and limited emphasis on approaches, such as problem-based learning. The universities that are engaged in the field have to face many problems, varying from limited resources to lack of trained staff. As a result, integrated approaches to sustainability become difficult to implement. Finally, the paper has identified the fact that many opportunities offered mainstream developments, such as the UN Declaration ‘The World we Want’ or the UN Sustainable Development Goals are not being put to full use