Agents of change: universities as development hubs

Capacity building for sustainable development has been a targeted activity over the last decade through university and university consortia networking. Universities from Africa (Botswana and South Africa), Asia (Malaysia and Thailand), Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua) and Europe (Denmark) participated with graduate students and faculty. Initially, some programmes emphasised research and others higher education, but eventually a blend of research and higher education was found to be more productive. Links to external partners in public and private business have been established and have proven to be successful in terms of mutual benefits. Activities comprised joint evolution of new study curricula (including a shift of the learning paradigm to problem-oriented and project-based learning), human resource development, and joint research. The results are promising in terms of concrete results within each type of activity and together they provide vital steps in capacity building in tertiary education to the benefit of development and environment. Universities should play a central role in such global efforts to strengthen tertiary education. Modes of operation are still deficient, but “universities as development hubs” is suggested as a concept to study further and modify to needs. Some of the results and their implications are presented in this paper and more are documented in the references that are cited. In short, universities, in joint action with business and society at large are necessary though not sufficient prerequisites for constructing and maintaining knowledge societies. Such action is equally important in established and developing economies.     

Higher education for sustainability by means of transdisciplinary case studies: an innovative approach for solving complex,real-world problems

Sustainable development and the interplay between its ecological, social, and economic dimensions can be regarded as a highly complex task. As a logical consequence, educating for sustainable development also has a complex character. Traditional unidirectional educational processes are only of very limited use when educating for sustainable development: Firstly, the initial state of the considered system (case) cannot be described precisely; secondly, the target state of the system is also not sufficiently known; and thirdly, the process between initial state and target state and potential barriers that might have to be passed are also not exactly known. Pure analytically based solutions are therefore, not available; a dynamic mutual learning process is required instead.Mutual learning based on real-world cases requires an interdisciplinary point of view, transdisciplinary problem-solving processes, and self-regulated and self-responsible learning. Consequently, besides analytical capabilities and deterministic process planning, dealing with the complex problem of sustainable development requires creativity, social competencies and specific communication skills in order to cope with the dynamic change that characterizes the developments in most facets of society and nature.A “vassal” that puts together all these requirements towards an educational process for sustainable development can be a transdisciplinary case study approach: In Austria this was first applied by the University of Graz within the “Erzherzog Johann case study”. In order to educate for sustainable development, the students had to work on a “real-world problem”, the development of possible ways to achieve ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development of the abandoned iron ore mining region of Eisenerz in the middle of Austria. As a core characteristic of this “real-world” case study, besides the cooperation among students, teachers and researchers of the university, the interaction with stakeholders of the region was of outstanding importance.Within transdisciplinary case studies students, teachers and researchers have to abandon the role paradigm of the teacher as provider of information and the students as “consumers” of the provided information. Knowledge and competences imparted in university classes need to be applied simultaneously within the real-world case to allow a demand-driven process of mutual learning in which students are self-responsible and decide which tools to apply in the process of attaining sustainable development. Because of the dynamics of this process, students experience the process of sustainable development instead of purely memorizing its characteristics. The process of educating for sustainable development and practical applied sustainability therefore, becomes sustainable.     

Going beyond the rhetoric: system-wide changes in universities for sustainable societies

In October 2008, the 5th Environmental Management for Sustainable Universities (EMSU) international conference was held in Barcelona, Spain. It dealt with the need to rethink how our higher educational institutions are facing sustainability. This special issue has been primarily derived from contributions to that conference. This issue builds upon related academic international publications, which have analysed how to use the critical position of universities to accelerate their pace of working to help to make the transition to truly SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES!This issue focus is on the ‘softer’ issues, such as changes in values, attitudes, motivations, as well as in curricula, societal interactions and assessments of the impacts of research. Insights derived from the interplay of the ‘softer’ issues with the ‘harder’ issues are empowering academic leaders to effectively use leverage points to make changes in operations, courses, curricula, and research. Those changes are being designed to help their students and faculty build resilient and sustainable societies within the context of climate change, the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), and the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).The overall systems approach presented by Stephens and Graham provides a structured framework to systematize change for sustainability in higher education, by stressing on the one hand the need for “learning to learn” and on the other hand by integrating leadership and cultural aspects. The “niche” level they propose for innovative interactions between practitioners such as EMSU is exemplary developed by all of the other documents in this special issue. To highlight some of the key elements of the articles in this issue, there are proposals for new educational methods based in sustainability science, a set of inspirational criteria for SD research activities, new course ranking and assessment methods and results of psychological studies that provide evidence that participatory approaches are the most effective way to change values within university members in order to facilitate the development and sharing of new sustainability norms.     

Sustainability in Mexican Higher Education: towards a new academic and professional culture

This article focuses on institutions of higher education and the introduction of sustainability in the curricula of these institutions. It states that a very important part of developing new curricula is the focus on a new academic and professional culture. The key argument is as follows. Normally institutions of higher education build upon the training that students received in previous phases of education. That is why institutions of higher education can focus on education in highly specific and specialized knowledge and skills. Education for sustainability, however, cannot follow this ‘normal’ pathway because much of what students learned in their previous education does not fit into the paradigm of sustainability. That is why sustainability education should include a partial ‘re-education’ and ‘re-programming’ of students. The article presents a framework for such a new academic and professional culture focussing on sustainability. It shows how this framework is developed within the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Azcapotzalco (UAM-A) in Mexico. The article also shows how the development of this framework is embedded in various initiatives on a national and international level. First of all the framework is developed as part of the design and implementation of an environmental plan for the whole university. The making of this plan is encouraged by the Mexican National Association of Universities and Higher Educations Institutions. Since the year 2002 this Association stimulates all major universities in Mexico to develop and implement such an environmental plan. These activities on their turn fit very well into the “United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development” that started in January 2005. Finally the article presents the first promising results of the new course “The environmental challenges” that is based on many elements of the framework. It was started in 2005 in the Division of Basic Sciences and Engineering of UAM-Azcapotzalco, Mexico.     

Fostering collaboration between universities regarding regional sustainability initiatives – the University of Maribor

This paper presents the current position and role of the University of Maribor (UM) in linking stakeholders, in order to achieve sustainable regional development. A strategic approach is proposed for facilitating collaboration of the UM with regional development agencies, the local community and industry, based on collaborative learning and development. Furthermore, elements contributing to a successful learning partnership are identified together with the barriers. The results show that regional stakeholders (university, municipality, NGOs, and companies) are commonly engaged in a sustainable regional development, but their activities are not sufficiently linked. The strategic approach, and collaborative learning have led to many on-going SD projects within the University of Maribor. Room for improvement exists, regarding external university collaboration, especially in the fields of research, knowledge transfer, technological development, dissemination of information, education, and innovations.     

EcoDesign: what's happening? An overview of the subject area of EcoDesign and of the papers in this special issue

EcoDesign is a concept including human sustainability priorities together with business interrelations. Its main objective in the improvement of product development methods is to reduce environmental loads. EcoDesign also includes a more open ambition to use inspiration from a wider field of positive examples of smart products and methods, effective system solutions and attractive designs. It is not clear what sustainable product development is; what we can do is to try our best to find better solutions, get going and make sure that we learn from what happens. Our main goal with this issue was to monitor “How to make it happen?” but we ended up with more questions and the lower ambition of, “What's happening”.Life-style elements such as brand label economy, development of new economies in Asia, aging populations in the old economies etc. makes the picture even more complex and we still wonder, “How to make it happen”. However, a few focal points can be observed:The tools in EcoDesign are not as important as specification and goal setting in early product development phases. How to organize product development is crucial in order to reach higher degrees of sustainability. The interrelations between resources and functionality must be enhanced. Environmental affection must be integrated into the human life-style and throughout the entire life-cycle of all products and services. To us it seems impossible to define a sustainable life-style and force everyone to follow. We must engage all stakeholders in envisioning and creating the sustainable societies we hope to achieve.     

Sustainability Potential Analysis (SPA) of landfills—a systemic approach: initial application towards a legal landfill assessment

Assessing landfills in terms of sustainable development (SD) is a difficult task. Landfills might, for example, remain reactive for hundreds or even thousands of years, a fact that conflicts with the fundamental SD principle of inter-generative equity. The Sustainability Potential Analysis (SPA) is a comprehensive assessment approach that aims at assessing the potential of a system to hinder or support SD from a systemic perspective. In this paper, we present an initial operationalization of this approach for a pragmatic legal landfill assessment and its application to assess two prototypic Swiss landfills as part of a pilot study. Thereby, the six generic criteria of SPA are specified using 18 Functional Key Variables (FKVs), such as “control of pollutant release” or “resilience to intended human impacts.” The first results from the pilot study indicate that SPA and its generic criteria provide a purposeful guiding framework for achieving a systemic and comprehensive SD assessment that seems (i) to be feasible for practical application, (ii) sensitive for relevant SD issues, and (iii) transparent for the addressees of the assessment results.     

Sustainability in higher education: what is happening?

This special issue focuses upon diverse facets of Education for Sustainability. The 33 documents within it are from authors in institutions of higher education from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, Central America and North America. Some authors use discipline-specific foci to foster inclusion of sustainable development (SD) within their educational programs. Many other authors report on their experiences in working within interdisciplinary teams to re-focus education, research and outreach to help accelerate the rate at which educational institutions foster and underpin the values, knowledge and actions to help their students transform society from unsustainable to sustainable patterns.The authors of these articles underscore the importance of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development that began on January 2005 to be an important framework and a catalyst for increasing SD educational, research and outreach efforts within all academic institutions, worldwide.The developers of this special issue hope that the lessons learned by the authors of these articles will help all in envisioning the way forward and in overcoming the resistance to change within and outside of academia as we work together on our joint journey toward sustainable societies.     

Achieving sustainable development: a review of the environmental balancing act in two key clean water act regulatory programs

The goal of achieving “sustainable development” has been embraced by a wide range of stakeholders interested in protecting both the environment and the economy in the United States and globally. The Clean Water Act (“CWA” or the “Act”) includes important regulatory provisions that contemplate the application of sustainable development principles. Yet implementing those programs often raises substantial debate about what sustainable development means, what course of action it requires, and the availability and adequacy of tools to measure or predict whether a given level of use or development is sustainable. Failure to confront those questions can lead to imprudent or wasteful decisions. This paper first will briefly describe the ongoing evolution of sustainable development concepts in the United States, with particular focus on the recommendations of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. Then, it will examine the applicability of those concepts to two important Clean Water Act regulatory programs — the 4316(b) regulatory program for cooling water intake structures and the state water quality standards program — both of which are now under evaluation.     

Less bad is not good enough: approaching zero emissions techniques and systems

Radical changes towards sustainable products and a clean and safe system of production have yet to be developed and implemented in all sectors of industry. Technology holds the key to addressing many environmental problems and achieving sustainable patterns of economic growth. In many cases, companies already have the appropriate technological solution. However, the technology may not be in widespread use because of market and systemic failures and cultural barriers. Examples of market failures are the lack of information about cleaner technologies. Examples of systemic failures are weaknesses in linkages among firms, universities, research and development (R&D) institutions, and others involved in developing, supplying and applying technology. Cultural barriers are caused by the differences in the way companies communicate and do business. This makes “zero emissions” a much needed approach. The Journal of Cleaner Production has devoted this special issue to “Zero Emissions Techniques and Systems – ZETS” in the production and the urgent issues surrounding, “How to make sustainable companies become reality”. To document the state of the art in this field and to report progress are main goals of this issue. The objective of the planners of this special issue is to present perspectives, case studies and pedagogic initiatives from, academic, governmental, business, technical and financial sectors, as well as from NGOs from around the world.It is, however, evident that the term “zero emissions” still has different meanings and refers to different strategies and technologies. “Zero Emissions Techniques and Systems” are really a “SYSTEMS” aspect and not a sectoral approach. It develops more and more like a discussion about a mosaic. Some speak of the image they expect to be seen at the end, others speak of the tesserae they have to shape or the cement that fills the gaps between.     

Increasing the rate of sustainable change: a call for a redefinition of the concept and the model for its implementation

Mankind is committed to taking sustainable pathways in search of a state of sustainability. Thirty years after the “Limits to Growth” published by the Club of Rome the world is still far from the equilibrium of sustainable development (SD). Technology is postponing the depletion of natural resources but is not solving the problem itself, either because the technology is itself not sustainable or because the application of it is being mismanaged. This article attempts to analyze the wide gap between the strategies drawn up and the effectiveness of the actions taken in implementing sustainability. The paper addresses the issue of whether or not mankind can make the right choices and has the right infrastructure of pathways to do so. In short, an answer is sought to the question, “What are the prerequisites for the fastest rate of sustainable change?” This question is tackled by the four authors. They start from critical arguments concerning the effectiveness of sustainable change, explain the terminology used in the article and identify the main factors for increasing the rate of sustainable change, which are then discussed in detail in each part of the text (EG). Then, each from a different starting point, they comment on self-organization (US), sustainable innovation and cultural regions (HK), global cooperation and regional resources (MB) and sustainable research by universities (EG). The individual contributions, when taken together, form a discussion of the crucial factors or prerequisites for sustainable change. It is concluded that only cooperation between regions and regional stakeholders can give sustainable change the driving force needed to overcome global (political) friction and ensure that it moves forward in equilibrium and at a constant rate. Specific measures are put forward to maximize awareness within and among regions.     

The roles of cleaner production in the sustainable development of modern societies: an introduction to this special issue

This issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production is based upon papers presented at the 1st International Workshop Advances in Cleaner Production (CP) held in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2007. The conference had the short-term purpose of deepening the Brazilian discussion on “The Roles of Cleaner Production in the Sustainable Development of Modern Societies”, and it had the long-term objective of providing an on-going interdisciplinary forum for knowledge development and exchange on Cleaner Production (CP) and Sustainable Development. This issue is devoted to papers covering a broad range of perspectives of CP practices and strategies. A special focus is placed upon methodological tools designed to support effective decision-making pertaining to quantitative benefits from CP.The ten papers provide insights from research designed to holistically integrate CP to help society make effective progress to sustainability. Papers cover the importance of informal knowledge, as complementary to formal knowledge, in performing effective ‘Environmental Impact Assessments.’ One paper explores the roles of radical and incremental innovation in the context of alternative automotive technologies. Benefits of Ecodesign are explored in two papers; one concerning its integration with remanufacturing to extend the life of used products and one focusing the adoption of ‘Emergy Environmental Accounting,’ as a complementary decision-making tool. The development of the Brazilian LCI database for ‘hydroelectric power generation’ and its contribution to support regionally relevant LCA studies is highlighted in one paper. The complete production chains of biodiesel and bioethanol are evaluated by using global methodologies, which help in the development of more objective and effective solutions. A “compensatory area”, calculated in terms of emergy, is proposed in order to work in a sustainable way for bamboo production. Finally, a paper about a novel approach for recycling used PET is also included.     

Surveying the state of higher education in energy efficiency,in Australian engineering curriculum

This paper presents the method and results of a survey of 27 of the 33 Australian universities teaching engineering education in late 2007, undertaken by The Natural Edge Project (hosted by Griffith University and the Australian National University) and supported by the National Framework for Energy Efficiency. This survey aimed to ascertain the extent of energy efficiency (EE) education, and to identify preferred methods to assist in increasing the extent to which EE education is embedded in engineering curriculum. In this paper the context for the survey is supported by a summary of the key results from a variety of surveys undertaken over the last decade internationally. The paper concludes that EE education across universities and engineering disciplines in Australia is currently highly variable and ad hoc. Based on the results of the survey; this paper highlights a number of preferred options to support educators to embed sustainability within engineering programs, and future opportunities for monitoring EE, within the context of engineering education for sustainable development (EESD).     

Distributed economies – A new engine for innovation

This article introduces the concept of distributed economies (DE) as a fresh strategy to guide industrial development towards becoming more sustainable. The concept calls for a transformation in the industrial system towards DE departing from the socio-economically and environmentally unsustainable dynamics associated with large-scale, centralised production units that are favoured by neoclassical economic drivers. With DE, a selective share of production is distributed to regions where a diverse range of activities are organised in the form of small-scale, flexible units that are synergistically connected with each other and prioritise quality in their production. However, rather than the total abolishment of large-scale production, our argument concentrates on finding a renewed balance between large- and small-scale and between resource flows that take place within and across regional boundaries. Other desirable characteristics of production units compatible with DE are elaborated. The paper concludes by calling for the deployment of the vast amount of globally and regionally available knowledge for the formation of regionally adapted strategies to create dynamically “self-organizing” business environments.     

Sustainable university: what can be the matter?

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.     

An emergy evaluation of complexity,information and technology,towards maximum power and zero emissions

This paper mostly deals with the role of energy, matter and information flows within both environmental and human-dominated systems. Sustainable growth and development of both kinds of systems require optimum use of available resources for maximum power output, as suggested by Lotka's Maximum Power Principle [Lotka AJ. Contribution to the energetics of evolution. In: Proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the United States of America, vol. 8. 1922, p. 147–50; Lotka AJ. Natural selection as a physical principle. In: Proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the United States of America, vol. 8. 1922, p. 151–5.], recently restated by Odum [Odum HT. Maximum power and efficiency: a rebuttal. Ecol Model 1983;20:71–82; Odum HT. Environmental accounting. Emergy and environmental decision making. N.Y.: John Wiley & Sons; 1996.] as Maximum Em-Power Principle within the framework of his Emergy Synthesis approach. In times of declining resources, this principle translates into increased efficiency and optimum use of any kind of waste and co-products. Ecosystems and any self-organizing systems always apply this strategy and their selection–evolution mechanisms are based on their ability of growing on any untapped resource available. In order to do so, they increase the number of components and patterns for resource degradation in order to optimize the resource throughput and power output. Such a strategy also applies to human-dominated, economic systems, where the ability of dealing with co-products and wastes by means of appropriate designs as well as reuse and recycling processes may lead to “zero-emission” patterns (increased complexity, optimal resource throughput, minimization of emissions, resource exchange among system's components) and be the key for successful and sustainable development. In this paper Life Cycle Assessment and Emergy Synthesis approaches are suggested as joint tools for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of progresses towards industrial symbiosis and more sustainable production and consumption patterns within a zero emission framework.     

An investigation of three-dimensional characteristics of flow regimes within the urban canyon

Canyon geometry is an important determinant characteristic airflow regimes observed within urban canyons. Three principal flow regimes are: “skimming” flow, “wake interference” flow and “isolated roughness” flow, following the nomenclature of Oke (1987, Boundary Layer Climates, 2nd edn, Methuen, London). The transition between flows is determined by canyon geometry and can be described in terms of threshold height/width (H/W) ratios for an arbitrary length/height (L/H) ratio.The determination of threshold H/W ratios has previously relied on repeated wind tunnel experiments or repeated runs of a numerical model, with canyon geometry altered until the observed flow regime changes. The present numerical investigation of typical three-dimensional flows within urban canyons identifies the key parameters which mark transition between flow regimes. On this basis it is possible to establish the geometric thresholds between regimes with analysis of a horizontal cross-section of a few simulated flows.     

A new generation of designers: perspectives for education and training in the field of sustainable design. Experiences and projects at the Politecnico di Milano University

This paper is a contribution to the debate on the redefinition of needs and perspectives of university level education in the field of sustainable design. It discusses the role of design research in relation to the production of new educational forms, methods and tools for a new generation of designers (and designer educators) enabling them to more effectively confront the transition towards a sustainable society. The paper is based on two premises; Firstly: in today’s climate there is a need for a general redefinition of education, as a result of the influence of new technological opportunities and changed socio-cultural conditions. Secondly: the design activity itself needs to be redefined in order to positively and effectively contribute to the radical change required by the transition towards a sustainable society. Industrial designer, educators and other design practitioners are all searching for ways to enhance their environmental capabilities and to produce sustainable designs. The academic discipline of design education in Italy (at the higher educational level) has responded by broadening its scope to produce more ‘environmentally skilled’ designers sensitive to issues of sustainable production and consumption. The Interdepartmental Research Centre in Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (CIR.IS) of the Politecnico di Milano University has developed an innovative and highly flexible response to these new design education needs. A set of interrelated projects—co-ordinated by the author—is outlined in the following paragraphs. These projects are funded by the Italian Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA). A university network (RAPI.RETE) has been established and a group of innovative and technologically advanced tools (ECO.CATHEDRA, ECO.OFFICINA, ECO.DISCO and DPS.MANUAL) are being developed to support teachers and students in the educational content and processes. The tools are now going to be distributed (free of charge) in Italian Universities and, both the ANPA and the CIR.IS have given their consent for their translation/adaptation into other languages (without charge).     

Incorporation and institutionalization of SD into universities: breaking through barriers to change

Many years have passed since sustainable development (SD) became world famous in the Brundtland Commission publication, “Our Common Future”; however, still many universities are unaware of it or confuse it with environmental sustainability. The SD concept contrasts with existing teaching methods, mainly focused into resource depletion. This paper focuses on SD incorporation and institutionalization into universities. This process is bound to face resistance from inside and outside stakeholders. Several approaches and strategies are presented to overcome this resistance. The paper also presents the types of conflicts that might arise and the role of the campus SD champion in preventing or solving them.