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Purpose: The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 is at the core of many sustainability initiatives on Mexican higher education institutions (HEIs). Yet, progress to SDG 13 and the entire 2030 Agenda might today appear unlikely to meet. To change this situation, it is necessary to form professionals aware of the impacts of climate change and competent to respond efficiently to its adaptation and mitigation. In this context, the purpose of this study is to reveal the beliefs and concerns about global warming of Mexican students enrolled in engineering bachelor's degrees at higher education institutes that promote sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: In an exploratory study, engineering university students at six large public universities in Mexico answered questions regarding their beliefs and concerns regarding climate change. The study was carried out by using the Global Warming's Six Americas survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by a research team from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication at Yale University to identify different audiences within the American public regarding climate change. Participants were recruited via convenience/snowball techniques which provided access to a diverse sample. Those who agreed to partake in the study were directed to an online platform via Google forms. Data were collected from January to April 2021. Coding and data treatment was conducted according to the developers' codebook and SPSS scripts. After running the statistical program scripts to determine the respondents' segment, a univariate descriptive analysis was performed for each item in the questionnaire to describe general properties in each variable. Subsequently, a series of correspondence analyses was conducted to examine the existence of clusters or patterns that could indicate relationships among selected questions. Findings: The findings of this study revealed that the majority of the Mexican engineering higher education students participating in the survey fell in the segment of alarmed, 47.3%, or the segment of concerned, 46.%. Furthermore, 78.6% of higher education students in the alarmed segment were extremely sure that global warming is happening. In addition, 98% believed that it is caused mostly by human activities. Furthermore, 89% stated that global warming would harm them personally significantly and 96% thought that future generations would be harmed considerably. About 78% believed that people in Mexico and the USA are currently being harmed by global warming. On the other hand, about 45% of students in the concerned group noted they were extremely sure. In addition, 96% of them thought that global warming is being produced mostly by anthropogenic activities. Furthermore, 39% said global warming will harm them personally to a great deal. However, nearly 80% noted that global warming would also hurt future generations. Although those students in the alarmed and concerned group show similar beliefs and concerns about global warming, the magnitude of concern was more significant for those in the alarmed segment. Research limitations/implications: There are several limitations to the study. First, the online questionnaire did not allow for clarification or follow-up on behalf of the respondents. Therefore, it could be possible that respondents misunderstood some items. However, the research team took the following measures to limit confusion: (1) The questionnaire had been previously used in several studies. None of these studies reported problems related to confusion, so the research team took this fact as evidence of the acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. (2) A face-to-face pilot test was carried out with 30 university students where no problems of comprehension were reported. (3) The target population had adequate prior knowledge of climate change, so the possibility of misunderstandings was likely low. A second limitation relates to the nature of the study. Fighting to mitigate the global climate crisis is a positive social norm. Respondents may have provided answers in line with this social norm and presented themselves as more pro-environmental than they actually are. Second, because of our selection criteria, our data may overestimate the general public's "worldviews" on climate change. Finally, this study was carried on during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have impacted items' responses. These limitations constitute future opportunities for future research. Specifically, future research might ideally use a large-scale comprehensive study evaluating the broader Mexican public's beliefs and views about climate change. Furthermore, because our data showed that our respondents were very concerned about climate change, but did little in terms of behavioral mitigation, future research should continue to examine and explore differences in various measures of climate friendly behaviors among different segments of the population. Practical implications: This study's findings have at least twofold implications for university authorities and sustainability practitioners in their pursuit of meeting SDG 13. The first implication is related to academic life. Undoubtedly, having a high percentage of students believing in global warming and mainly that this phenomenon is by anthropogenic activities is a strong indication of their knowledge. But, indirectly, these results validate the sustainability teaching and research efforts in their HEIs, implying the commitment to sustaining and improving the quality of their sustainability-educational initiatives in all institutional areas. The second implication of our findings is related to HEIs' future commitments to address the target of SDG 13 during the present Decade of Actions. Results also lead us to reflect on the role of Mexican HEIs as agents of change, beyond offering good instruction on climate science as an agent of socialization to encourage positive mitigation and adaptation behaviors among the general population. Social implications: The social implication behind the environmental values of younger people found in this study is that a deeper understanding of these millennials' beliefs and concerns toward global warming will help Mexican policymakers implement policies in this regard and hopefully will be endorsed by a significant proportion of the Mexican population. Originality/value: The originality of this study is the application of the Global Warming's Six Americas survey questionnaire in higher education settings. Therefore, the knowledge generated determines the quality of the article. As findings in this study revealed, there is apparently little disagreement among the Mexican engineering higher education students about the belief of the existence of global warming and this phenomenon is being caused mainly by human-related activities. Nevertheless, a minority of students still believe that global warming is caused naturally or not occurring. However, it is not possible to claim victory, as these achievements should not be considered, in any way, a guarantee that students will carry out behaviors in their daily lives that impact a reduction in global warming. Nevertheless, the study provides insights to allow university authorities to ensure that the current beliefs and concerns will not fade in the post-pandemic times. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken a pivotal era toward the goal of increasing the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Purpose: Students play an unequivocal role in sustainable universities as they are theorized to embody the mission of a sustainable university through a sustainable lifestyle and spread sustainability practices during their professional careers. Despite this, it is not well known how or why students come to embody a sustainable lifestyle. This study aims to better understand the relationship between happiness, academic achievement and sustainability behaviors among the student population in a Mexican higher education institution. Design/methodology/approach: In a questionnaire study, engineering and psychology university students at a large public university in northwestern Mexico answered questions regarding their environmental sustainability behaviors, happiness and academic performance. A stratified random sampling technique was used to obtain the sample population that best represents the entire population. After chi-square tests, it was confirmed that the three variables were independent of one another. Therefore, a series of correspondence analyses were conducted to examine clusters or patterns that could indicate relationships among the three variables. Findings: The main finding from this work was that the happiest and most academically astute participants were only slightly environmentally sustainable or not sustainable at all. The lack of environmental sustainability in students from one of the most top-rank sustainable universities in Mexico does not align with previous sustainability reports. External factors to the university, such as cultural values and extreme weather conditions, may have influenced students' sustainability behaviors. Research limitations/implications: As with any other questionnaire study, the provided data is subject to interpretation, judgment and bias. In addition, the environmental and happiness index used in this study are not free of criticizing, and some author had disputed its efficacy. Finally, this study's findings did not determine any causality or directionality between any of the latent variables. However, causality and directionally between environmental sustainability-happiness and happiness-academic performance have to be found in both directions. Practical implications: Despite the unsustainability of students in this study, this study has several contributions. First, it provides an evaluation of a sustainable university from the perspectives and behaviors of students. The views of students as they relate to the complexities and visions of a sustainable university have remained relatively underexamined. Second, these analyses point to specific sustainability-oriented challenges and inadvertent barriers (e.g. extreme weather patterns) toward the embodiment of a sustainable lifestyle. These challenges and barriers suggest that sustainable universities need to address the dynamic changes inherent in sustainable development. Finally, this study indicates that the link between happiness, academic performance and sustainability may be more complicated and driven by cultural and structural barriers. The issue of barriers, as they relate to sustainability behaviors, is highly relevant and presents important opportunities and questions for future research. Originality/value: This study provides an evaluation of a sustainable university from the perspectives and behaviors of students. Students' views as they relate to the complexities and visions of a sustainable university have remained relatively underexamined. Second, these analyses point to specific sustainability-oriented challenges and barriers as they relate to the embodiment of a sustainable lifestyle. These challenges and barriers suggest that sustainable universities need to address the dynamic changes inherent in sustainable development. Finally, this study indicates that the link between happiness, academic performance and sustainability may be more complicated and driven by cultural and structural barriers.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to debate how companies may better become a sustainable learning organization by offering the most used and insightful concepts of sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: Through literature review, learning organization and sustainability perspectives are explored and compared. Findings: Learning sustainability experiences around the world have provided tools and mechanics to companies to enhance economic growth without affecting environment and communities. Originality/value: The paper explains points of convergence and divergence between learning organization and sustainability approaches and provides insightful remarks from literature.

Purpose: To explore some of the factors that could obstruct the implementation of the sustainability initiatives in higher education institutions as a way for assisting key players to improve the effectiveness of their potential or current sustainability initiatives and being ready for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Design/methodology/approach: It was conducted a literature review of published and unpublished articles, conference proceedings, university reports, books, and website documents. It was not target any specific discipline. However, most of the material was from engineering, economics, sociology, and related sciences. The time frame of the literature review was from 1990 to 2002. Important references prior to 1990 were also analyzed. Findings: The adequate conditions for the successful implementation of sustainability programs do not exist. There are many obstacles preventing the success of sustainability initiatives on campuses around the world. However, sustainability initiatives on campuses are flourishing despite these difficulties. Originality/value: Usually, literature about sustainability on campus is focused most on good experiences, paying little or no attention to describe the issues hampering their evolution. What went wrong is mentioned without sufficient consideration or given a secondary status making it impossible to learn from bad experiences. This paper reveals several failures as a way to anticipate solutions for overcoming institutional barriers confronted in particular situations. (Contains 1 table.)

In 2013, the Mexican Constitution was amended to allow private firms to participate in the energy sector market. Consequently, the energy reform opened the energy market to private investors, ending the state monopoly of PEMEX and CFE. This article aims to assess the impact of the 2013 Mexican Energy Reform on energy household consumption and, if proven effective, explore its potential to help achieve SDG 7. This longitudinal study gathered data before and after the energy bill reform, from 2012 to 2018, with a non-experimental design. Data analysis to determine the effect of the price variance was estimated through price elasticities of demand, and a logarithmic model was used to determine the relationship between the price and cost of electricity, gas, and fuel. Findings suggest that the 2013 Mexican Energy Reform led to an increase in energy prices that, on the one hand, reduced the consumption of energy generated using fossil hydrocarbons but, on the other hand, affected the portion of the population with less income. Consequently, it is possible to conclude that the 2013 Mexican Energy Reform is irreconcilable with SDG 7 unless substantial additional efforts are made to leave no one behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the original publication, there is a mistake in the order of all figures. The correct version is given in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been widely contended that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an ambiguous concept that fails to strike the right balance between corporate economic interests and social demands. The present article argues that energy efficient principles can be used as a CSR tool to fulfill the sustainable development goals in the UN's agenda 2030, so responding to the demands of a range of stakeholders while strengthening profitability. To advance the argument that energy efficiency principles can help to operationalize CSR, an extensive literature analysis was conducted to assess the state of the art in relation to CSR and energy efficiency. The findings confirm the effectiveness of energy efficiency initiatives in responding to the social demands of The Sustainable Development Goals, specifically goal 7, while increasing profitability and/or saving cost. The paper also highlights how energy efficiency can be reported quantitatively in environmental and economic terms beyond narrative reports, so addressing an implied critique of CSR initiatives. The paper concludes that energy efficiency initiatives create competitive advantages informed by the highest ethical principles, with benefits for corporations and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sustainable consumption of water is nowadays vital around the world because water shortages have prevented economic growth in many regions. This article reports the strategy in the University of Sonora for conserving this natural resource by presenting a case study constructed through direct participation in the design, operation, and maintenance of its Sustainability Management System (SMS), which is ISO 14001 certified, and by discussing the efforts to eliminate any inappropriate behaviors that generates wastewater on campus. The University of Sonora, just as any other higher education institution, has obtained environmental and economic benefits by implementing its SMS. The main benefit has been maintaining very low levels of wasted cubic meters of water, since the total of the three periods is approximately 38 m3, which are equal to $59 dollars. Through this effort, the institution presents itself before society as a responsible entity in the use and care of our natural resources. Findings of this article provide insights to enrich the current debate on how to prevent, eliminate, and reduce water use inefficiencies on campus, and, in that way, contribute to mainstream knowledge toward achieving sustainability in universities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose — The concepts of sustainable development (SD) and management systems (MS) are finding increasing acceptance in a variety of fields, including academy, politics, and non-governmental organizations. These concepts are also being used by the general population. This paper aims to describe the perception of different experts by discussing the usefulness of sustainability management systems (SMS) as holistic systems that might integrate environmental, social, and economic elements. Design/methodology/approach — This research was framed by the general systems theory and its nature is totally qualitative and exploratory in order to understand the significant attributes that affect or benefit a management system to reach sustainability. A total of 14 interviews were conducted with several experts around the world. Some are professional persons in sustainability issues in general, and some in environmental, health and safety (EHS) issues in particular. Findings — The results shows that, although there is a continuous debate on the sustainability approach, several core elements can be addressed for sustainability management systems (SMS). For instance, 71.4 percent of the interviewees agreed that management systems are useful for sustainable development, or at least potentially useful, and 42.9 percent of the experts declared that having a clear understanding of the long-term economic benefits for the company is an important incentive for their implementation. Research limitations/implications — Interviews were conducted with a limited number of experts and there was no field verification of claims. Therefore, conclusions derived from these sources depend on the veracity of the information provided by participants. Expert bias may also have an impact on the outcomes of this research. Practical implications — The findings provide management systems' practitioners with key elements when sustainability management systems are being created, maintained and evaluated. Originality/value — The findings are not results from general concepts, but rather elicited from empirical data from fourteen sustainability, and health and safety experts around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article presents a comprehensive managerial model for a sustainable university created by D.Sc. L. Velazquez with empirical data collected from about 80 higher education institutions around the world. The sustainable university model offers a clear perspective about how people responsible for sustainability initiatives achieve their initial momentum to progress to advanced steps in the process to become a sustainable university. This model depicts a structured framework that is comprised of four phases in a strategic management process. In these phases, four diverging strategies, and many practices undertaken by key players of sustainability initiatives in higher education institutions are analyzed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To battle climate change, the search for sustainable solutions and the reduction of environmental impacts are activities that must be pursued in all areas of human life. This study aimed to conduct a Life Cycle Evaluation of the environmental aspects and potential benefits associated with two different innovative adaptations to a sauna bath. The first adaptation is related to the selection of wooden materials for the bath's interior construction; the second is related to the source of thermal energy. For the selection of wooden materials, experiments were performed to evaluate a graphene coating and its capacity to increase the durability of wooden materials. For the thermal energy source, a solar air heater was experimentally assessed to confirm its capacity to supply the thermal energy required to operate the sauna bath. Finally, the material selection and the heating operation were integrated in a Life Cycle Impact Assessment, contrasting two scenarios: "business as usual sauna bath" and "sustainable sauna bath." The findings showed a significant reduction of around 61% of total emissions from the application of a solar air heater and wooden materials treated with a graphene coating. At the end of this study, "human well-being," "ecosystems," and "resources" were expressed in monetary values to assess the impact of the above practices in a sauna bath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nail care salons have become a profitable, familiar business around the world; however, this service business has been linked to occupational exposures and, occasionally, to air pollution. Despite these alleged links, there is currently no scientific evidence to conclude whether activities in nail salons affect the health of workers or the environment. Under this context of uncertainty, a Sustainable Service Program was conducted to prevent, eliminate, and/or reduce the creation of occupational and environmental risks in five nail salons in Hermosillo, Mexico and six nail salons in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The findings of this study indicate a need to strengthen the organizational structure of nail salons in order to address their general lack of strategic planning. The integration of occupational and environmental concepts was more feasible at the strategic level, but even with a low level of integration on the operating level, it was possible to pick some lowhanging fruits. There is nothing wrong with setting easier goals and targets at the beginning, but at some point, owners have to aim for more challenging goals. Hopefully, the program would improve after each iteration, and each nail salon would offer a more sustainable service. The Sustainable Service Program changed the way the participating salons operated, but without a doubt, this would not have been possible to implement without the partnership between nail salons, the University of Sonora, and the Paulista University. The scientific value of this article is the confirmation of a Sustainable Service Program as an effective tool for preventing, eliminating, and/or reducing risks at Small and Medium Enterprises. Notwithstanding the differences in economic circumstances in both countries, findings highlighted the benefits in participating nail salons, providing information on which to base future research on Sustainable Service Program applied to Small and Medium Enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]