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The fact that the world community is engaged in pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) means that an unrivalled opportunity is provided to universities, both in respect of teaching and in research, on individual SDGs, as well as in pursuing their "third mission" linking up with external stakeholders and society. However, not many universities have realised that and many are falling behind. This paper explores the many advantages of the introduction of the SDGs into teaching and suggests that it can catalyse the engagement of students in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) with the concepts of sustainability. The paper fills in a research gap by surveying the current state of the art regarding the theme, presenting current data outlining the extent to which HEI are using SDGs to support their sustainability work. The reasons why some institutions are currently not engaging is also shown. The paper, which consists of a worldwide survey deployed to collect data on the SDGs and sustainability teaching at universities, concludes by providing some recommendations aimed at encouraging further engagement of HEI in incorporatingSDGs as part of their teaching programs. This research is unique in the sense that it provides for the first time offers an overview of the level of emphasis selected universities currently place on the SDGs. Finally, it provides a contribution to current state of knowledge by outlining some actions universities may take, to move forward with their implementation. • The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at universities is still on its infancy. • The SDGs may assist universities to better relate with external stakeholders and society. • A greater involvement of students may be achieved by the integration of the SDGs in teaching. • More systematic efforts are needed to increase the presence of the SDGs in higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By developing and implementing environmental concerns in its principles and infrastructure, universities are becoming increasingly active in promoting societal changes towards sustainable development. These environmental concerns are translated into comprehensive and transversal environmental education programs aimed at building capacities and promoting awareness not only for students but also to the surrounding communities. This paper aims to develop a Balanced Scorecard strategy map for implementing and monitoring environmental education programs in universities. To accomplish this objective, we conducted a literature review on environmental education in higher education, finding 10 primary indicators and 40 sub-indicators needed to implement environmental education programs in universities. Fifteen experts in sustainability research were asked to evaluate these indicators and sub-indicators. Then, those indicators and expert evaluations were used to build a decision tree that supports the Balanced Scorecard. Based on our findings, we created and adapted a strategy map for environmental education based on five dimensions: sustainable development; environmental education; teaching processes and environmental management; learning and environmental growth; and economic and financial responsibility. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a theoretical proposal that can serve as a guide to implement and monitor environmental education programs in universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of sustainable development in higher education is an important goal, and one which requires much planning. The many recurring problems and barriers that hinder the attainment of sustainable development objectives at universities are either directly or indirectly related to deficiencies in planning which pose a significant barrier to the implementation of sustainable development. There is therefore a perceived need to foster a better understanding of how planning may help higher education institutions to become more successful in implementing sustainable development. Based on this need, this paper describes the role of planning as a tool for improved knowledge and sound decision-making towards a better understanding of sustainability in a science and technology context, and the motivation towards transformation. In particular, it reports on a survey in the context of which some of the major obstacles for planning and implementing sustainable development at universities are outlined. The study identified the fact that many universities are yet to have fully developed plans to take into account matters related to sustainable development, and describes some the elements which could be considered in attempts to give a greater emphasis to sustainability to planning in a higher education context. Image 1 • Planning can assist in the implementation of sustainable development in higher education. • Globally, the development of sustainability initiatives in universities varies among institutions and regions. • Institutional commitment is required, along with transformation of perceptions and use of interrelated perspectives. • It is necessary to foster a better understanding of how planning may help universities to implement sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The objective of this paper is to test a procedure for assessing the adoption of sustainable practices in higher education technological institutions services, known as institutes of technology and polytechnic universities. The model, named Sustainability Assessment for Higher Technological Education (SAHTE), consists of 134 criteria that cover five aspects: 1) Governance/Policies, 2) People, 3) Food, 4) Energy/Water, 5) Waste/Environment. This structure is based on international frameworks and standards as GRI, AISHE, SAQ, GreenMetric, Green Report Card, and Campus Ecology. Seven higher technological education institutions are studied, providing data for testing the SAHTE model, as well as auditing the adoption of sustainability practices. The case studies, besides direct observations and document analysis, collected data from 170 interviews to faculty, staff, and students, and they show the lack of governmental incentives toward sustainability in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Although, there is no external incentives that contribute for the adoption of best practices as green offices, the studied institutions show isolated initiatives that mostly are related to solid waste management. There is a consensus among the studied HEI directives that their educational programs does not address properly sustainability issues, which create a barrier for the academic community to perceive the importance to develop a sustainability model for managing HEI institutions. Sustainability in these organizations could be approached in the perspective of service operations and connect their contribution to value creation. In turn, that hinders the implementation of selective waste collection, for instance, a basic service operation that is still incipient in at least six of the seven institutions analyzed. In technological education, the correct treatment and disposal of laboratory waste offer a great opportunity to raise awareness among students, collaborators, and the community while preparing students for situations they will possibly face in companies. The results obtained by the SAHTE model may be useful for planning and developing policies concerning sustainable development, especially in service operations at the HEI examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutes (HEIs) have made a deep commitment to prioritizing sustainable development (SD). Their task is to support practices that improve conditions in societies with respect to ecological, economic, and social issues, e.g., tackling the wicked problems of the world. In this case study, which took place at Feevale University (Feevale), Brazil, and at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), Finland, the following topics were studied: (1) whether there are international and national SD steering policies that might be relevant to higher education development in these particular universities; (2) whether this steering has impacted HEI's own SD policy and steering; (3) whether such in-house operations are affecting SD content within curricula; and (4) how a pedagogic approach influences the incidence of SD-oriented content at the bachelor's degree level. The analysis of policy level data was based on international and national policy papers recognized separately in both universities. As an indicator of the university's level of commitment to sustainability activities, we measured the incidence level of UNECE's SD themes in the curriculum. A hermeneutical approach was applied to the analysis to demonstrate possible systemic interactions between (inter)national SD policy and SD education at HEIs. At HAMK, some evidence was found of a national level top-down steering process in the university's SD activities. At Feevale, the enhancing of SD education is more of a bottom-up process. International steering appeared to be weak in both universities. The study uses unique quantitative data to show how the incidence of SD content in the curriculum is related to the pedagogical approach in each university [content (Feevale) vs. competence (HAMK)]. It was concluded that differences in national SD steering policy and pedagogical approach in the HEI led to divergent curricula structures in relation to the volume of the SD education between the two HEIs. Regardless of such a divergence, an appropriate balance between epistemic and ethical SD competences should be guaranteed for all bachelors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there have been a considerable number of efforts to integrate sustainability into Higher Education Institutions (HEIs); however, there are still challenges that need to be overcome. A process that has received an increasing attention has been the Organisational Change Management for Sustainability. This article is aimed at reviewing the main drivers of the integration of sustainable practices and the barriers to change slowing or stopping it. A systematic literature review was carried out using Web of Science de Thomson Reuters and in Scopus databases focusing on retrieving all papers on sustainability in HEIs published between 2000 and 2016. The drivers of and barriers found for the integration of sustainability in HEIs were compared to those previously described for companies. The similarities on drivers to change found in HEIs and companies were greater for external ones. A lower number of barriers to change were reported in the literature for HEIs than those reported for corporations, nonetheless, it was found that HEIs and companies have several common barriers to change. The article proposes a list of main drivers of and barriers to change, some general and others context specific. The findings on the drivers of the integration of sustainable practices in HEIs can serve to identify additional good practices at companies and vice versa. The barriers to change detected for the process of integration can help into anticipating, preventing and overcoming them. This knowledge can help institutions better plan and use their resources in working to becoming more sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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, the challenges listed should be taken seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last thirty years, sustainability has become an increasing concern for academics, students and policy makers. In this scenario, universities may play a pivotal role in the building of a more sustainable society in two different ways. On one hand, by reducing the negative impacts of their activities on the economy, society and environment; on the other hand, by fostering sustainable practices in curricula and research programs. More precisely, a "green university" implements sustainability in all different dimensions of its activity (i.e., institutional framework, campus operations, teaching, research, community engagement, accountability and reporting). Literature has so far focused on specific aspects of sustainability in the higher education sector, without taking into consideration the simultaneous incorporation of green issues in all abovementioned dimensions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to fill this literature gap by exploring the path toward sustainability of the University of Florence. The results show that the University has defined clear strategies and well-structured initiatives to actually implement sustainable practices; moreover, the current Rector seems to strongly support the journey toward a greener institution. At the campus level, the main projects are related to green buildings, waste management and sustainable mobility, despite financial restrictions. The issues of sustainability are also widely spread both in the educational offer and in the research activity, but systematic coordination between these dimensions and sustainability still lacks. Furthermore, despite the efforts for increasing community engagement, also this dimension needs to be improved. A similar conclusion is possible for accountability and reporting dimension, where one of the weak points is precisely the limited engagement of external stakeholders. • The purpose of the article is to investigate the path toward sustainability in university. • The paper analyzes the six dimensions of sustainability in higher education. • The research analyzes the case of the University of Florence. • The results show the sustainable activities of the University in each dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]