Comparative Analysis of Sustainable Practices …
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cational institution, as a whole or as a part, that addresses, involves and promotes,
on a regional or a global level, the minimization of negative environmental, economic, societal, and health effects generated in the use of their resources in order
to fulfill its functions of teaching, research, outreach and partnership, and stewardship in ways to help society make the transition to sustainable lifestyles”. Many more
authors dissected what a sustainable university is and explained its role in sustainable
development (Alshuwaikhat and Abubakar 2008) and (Ryan et al. 2010).
A great number of universities that committed to sustainability have focused more
on environmental management; more specifically making the campus greener. The
greening of the campus can be tracked back to North America where Higher Education has made great advances in implementing sustainability within university
sites through management and administration (Wright and Elliot 2011). Canadian
universities have played a role in propelling efforts across the world; and this can
be attributed to the 2008 Higher Education Sustainability Act (HESA) which promulgated the university sustainability grant program (Wright and Elliot 2011). In
2010, $50 million was budgeted to support the implementation of major campus
sustainability initiatives.
The United States of America (USA) has also been at the forefront of sustainability
in higher education and there are many examples of good practices. The University
of Michigan restrained pollution since 1998 within its campus. The university joined
the Green Lights Program initiatives to promote more effective use of energy (Callewaert and Marans 2017). Students get to go on summer practices in agriculture and
ecosystems development and lectures about sustainable development organized by
Appalachian State University. The University of Buffalo is another example from
the USA where 15 policies focused on efficient use of energy and consumption are
being implemented. New York University is saving US$9 million annually due to
effective management of energy.
There has also been a number of initiatives in the Asian countries, for instance
in China. China’s Agenda 21 plan of 1994 authorized the higher education system,
under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, to promote sustainable development
(Niu et al. 2010). Since 1997, more than 300 universities have established courses
on sustainable development as they strive to incorporate sustainability into their
curricula (Niu et al. 2010). In 2011, Tongji University, Zhejiang University, and
eight other universities set up and co-hosted the China Green University Network
(CGUN) in Shanghai which had the purpose of providing a platform for universities
to communicate and develop the green campus concept. Since then 18 universities
have become members of CGUN (2014).
Africa has also been paying attention to the need for sustainability and, in addition
to Agenda 2030 that was adopted by member states of the UN, the African Union
introduced Agenda 2063 which has several aspirations for socio-economic transformation and pays attention to the need for sustainable development (African Union
2015). Sustainability is not a new focus in Africa and more stakeholders are taking
initiative. In South Africa, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) align with the
National Development Plan (NDP), which has objectives that relate to people, prosperity, planet, peace and partnership (Dhlamini 2017). These sustainable frameworks
587
cational institution, as a whole or as a part, that addresses, involves and promotes,
on a regional or a global level, the minimization of negative environmental, economic, societal, and health effects generated in the use of their resources in order
to fulfill its functions of teaching, research, outreach and partnership, and stewardship in ways to help society make the transition to sustainable lifestyles”. Many more
authors dissected what a sustainable university is and explained its role in sustainable
development (Alshuwaikhat and Abubakar 2008) and (Ryan et al. 2010).
A great number of universities that committed to sustainability have focused more
on environmental management; more specifically making the campus greener. The
greening of the campus can be tracked back to North America where Higher Education has made great advances in implementing sustainability within university
sites through management and administration (Wright and Elliot 2011). Canadian
universities have played a role in propelling efforts across the world; and this can
be attributed to the 2008 Higher Education Sustainability Act (HESA) which promulgated the university sustainability grant program (Wright and Elliot 2011). In
2010, $50 million was budgeted to support the implementation of major campus
sustainability initiatives.
The United States of America (USA) has also been at the forefront of sustainability
in higher education and there are many examples of good practices. The University
of Michigan restrained pollution since 1998 within its campus. The university joined
the Green Lights Program initiatives to promote more effective use of energy (Callewaert and Marans 2017). Students get to go on summer practices in agriculture and
ecosystems development and lectures about sustainable development organized by
Appalachian State University. The University of Buffalo is another example from
the USA where 15 policies focused on efficient use of energy and consumption are
being implemented. New York University is saving US$9 million annually due to
effective management of energy.
There has also been a number of initiatives in the Asian countries, for instance
in China. China’s Agenda 21 plan of 1994 authorized the higher education system,
under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, to promote sustainable development
(Niu et al. 2010). Since 1997, more than 300 universities have established courses
on sustainable development as they strive to incorporate sustainability into their
curricula (Niu et al. 2010). In 2011, Tongji University, Zhejiang University, and
eight other universities set up and co-hosted the China Green University Network
(CGUN) in Shanghai which had the purpose of providing a platform for universities
to communicate and develop the green campus concept. Since then 18 universities
have become members of CGUN (2014).
Africa has also been paying attention to the need for sustainability and, in addition
to Agenda 2030 that was adopted by member states of the UN, the African Union
introduced Agenda 2063 which has several aspirations for socio-economic transformation and pays attention to the need for sustainable development (African Union
2015). Sustainability is not a new focus in Africa and more stakeholders are taking
initiative. In South Africa, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) align with the
National Development Plan (NDP), which has objectives that relate to people, prosperity, planet, peace and partnership (Dhlamini 2017). These sustainable frameworks