PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ON THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS: THE CREATION OF AN INTEGRATIVE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN MODEL FOR ACADEMIC UNITS OF THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE.
Sustainable development. Sustainability. University. Academic Units. Environmental Governance. Sustainable Logistics Management Plan.
The importance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the implementation of environmental agendas is undeniable, notably for their primary mission of knowledge transfer, scientific research and dialogue with society. However, HEIs take on yet another relevant role in achieving environmental goals. As they resemble real cities, they are capable of integrating actions aimed at reducing the impacts associated with the operation of their campuses as well. In this sense, this study seeks to create a model of an integrative sustainability plan aimed at academic units of Brazilian higher education institutions, facilitating the construction of a more sustainable university community and a more practical society for sustainability practices. The operationalization of the research will take place through a case study of UFRN, with the initial purpose of exploring its environmental governance structure, as well as the existence and/or stage of implementation of Sustainable Logistics Management Plans or equivalent instruments adopted by the academic units that are part of the Central Campus, combined with exploratory field research to analyse the perception of users regarding the promotion of local sustainability, considering aspects related to teaching, research, extension and operation of the institutional unit. Data collection will involve research in institutional documents, in addition to the application of the Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) aimed at students, teachers, employees and unit managers. Preliminary results showed that there are no coordinated sustainability actions, and the units do not have a PLS or similar instrument, of an integrative nature, which involves all users, from the perspectives of teaching, research, extension and operation of the unit.