Sustainability in higher education institutions: environmental management and sustainable development initiatives

• Autor(a) principal: Lara, Pedro Túlio de Resende
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Monografias Ambientais
• Texto Completo: http://periodicos.ufsm.br/remoa/article/view/5341
• topic: Sustainability; Higher Education; Environmental Management; Sustentabilidade; Ensino Superior; Gestão Ambiental

The universities have the historical role of transmissionof scientific knowledge and, in large part from their own production. Through the accumulation ofknowledge and developing techniques and more sophisticated over time, nature has beenincreasingly exploited, reaching very high levels of extraction in the past two centuries. Thisculture of exploitation persists in the globalized world, it is believed that through educationsustainable consciousness can be awakened. In fact, the position change occurs at a time wheneducational institutions (primary and higher) raised concern over sustainable development.Although play key role in the quest for sustainability, education alone will not lead to its purpose.For this purpose, besides academic activities that foster environmental education and training ofcritical thinking with respect to rational exploitation of the environment, it is necessary for highereducation institutions (HEIs) to work around an integrated environmental management coveringenvironmental and social impacts caused by its own activity. This article discusses the importanceof higher education as the awakening of consciousness development, and its relevance as a tool for building social integration for sustainability by providing infrastructure and environmentalmanagement models, programs and encouraging social and environmental initiatives.