836
W. Leal Filho
lenges through research and capacity development, hence contributing towards
fostering closer links between universities and their regions.
(b) Going into the specifics: although the broader, theoretical discussion on sustainability is helpful, there ought to be more attempts to get into specific issues
and themes of regional relevance. For example, energy use, sustainable water
consumption or sustainable production are some of the contexts where there are
relevant approaches can regionally be used, and in the context of which clear
outcomes can be expected.
(c) Disseminating the value of sustainability: a major problem seen in both industrialised and developing nations alike, is that the value of approaches towards
sustainability is not widely acknowledged. A further problem is that not all good
experiences are duly documented, a problem publications going as far as 1999
(book “Sustainability and University Life”, Leal Filho 1999), “Teaching Sustainability at Universities” (Leal Filho 2002) or the “Handbook of Sustainability
Research” (Leal Filho 2005) have tried to address. Here there is a clear need for
more demonstration and information, so as to raise its profile, which may lead
to increased acceptance and hopefully, further use.
There are at present signs that the subject matter of sustainability is progressively
being disseminated as both an aspect of teaching programmes and as a context for
research. As demonstrated by Leal Filho et al. (2018) the ground for the introduction
of concepts of environmental education and sustainability at the regional level is
very fertile. However, prior to being able to fully take advantage of the degree of
acceptance sustainability has, it would be important to cater for the training needs
of university staff, so that they feel confident to introduce concepts of regional sustainability as part of their works. The same applies to students (Shephard et al. 2015)
who need to be more actively engage on sustainability affairs.
As seen in the data and examples described in this book, which are symptomatic of
the reality in many institutions of higher education, a certain degree of preparedness
to pursue sustainability needs to be felt at the regional level. This state of affairs is
also seen in some developing countries, where innovation at university level takes
place at a relatively lower pace than in industrialised nations and where the lack of
resources sometimes prevent active engagement on the debate on regional themes.
But a number of features need to be put into place so as to enable all universities to
fully engage on the debate on sustainability and take advantage of the opportunities
it provides. Some of these are:
i. a greater understanding of the role may play in implementing regional sustainable development;
ii. more reliable in-service training provisions on matters related to sustainability
to academic staff;
iii. set-up of research centres or working groups to debate how best to pursue
regional sustainability via specific initiatives;
iv. development of partnerships and networks (intra-institutional and interinstitutional) to exchange ideas and experiences;
v. the setting-up and execution of specific projects.
W. Leal Filho
lenges through research and capacity development, hence contributing towards
fostering closer links between universities and their regions.
(b) Going into the specifics: although the broader, theoretical discussion on sustainability is helpful, there ought to be more attempts to get into specific issues
and themes of regional relevance. For example, energy use, sustainable water
consumption or sustainable production are some of the contexts where there are
relevant approaches can regionally be used, and in the context of which clear
outcomes can be expected.
(c) Disseminating the value of sustainability: a major problem seen in both industrialised and developing nations alike, is that the value of approaches towards
sustainability is not widely acknowledged. A further problem is that not all good
experiences are duly documented, a problem publications going as far as 1999
(book “Sustainability and University Life”, Leal Filho 1999), “Teaching Sustainability at Universities” (Leal Filho 2002) or the “Handbook of Sustainability
Research” (Leal Filho 2005) have tried to address. Here there is a clear need for
more demonstration and information, so as to raise its profile, which may lead
to increased acceptance and hopefully, further use.
There are at present signs that the subject matter of sustainability is progressively
being disseminated as both an aspect of teaching programmes and as a context for
research. As demonstrated by Leal Filho et al. (2018) the ground for the introduction
of concepts of environmental education and sustainability at the regional level is
very fertile. However, prior to being able to fully take advantage of the degree of
acceptance sustainability has, it would be important to cater for the training needs
of university staff, so that they feel confident to introduce concepts of regional sustainability as part of their works. The same applies to students (Shephard et al. 2015)
who need to be more actively engage on sustainability affairs.
As seen in the data and examples described in this book, which are symptomatic of
the reality in many institutions of higher education, a certain degree of preparedness
to pursue sustainability needs to be felt at the regional level. This state of affairs is
also seen in some developing countries, where innovation at university level takes
place at a relatively lower pace than in industrialised nations and where the lack of
resources sometimes prevent active engagement on the debate on regional themes.
But a number of features need to be put into place so as to enable all universities to
fully engage on the debate on sustainability and take advantage of the opportunities
it provides. Some of these are:
i. a greater understanding of the role may play in implementing regional sustainable development;
ii. more reliable in-service training provisions on matters related to sustainability
to academic staff;
iii. set-up of research centres or working groups to debate how best to pursue
regional sustainability via specific initiatives;
iv. development of partnerships and networks (intra-institutional and interinstitutional) to exchange ideas and experiences;
v. the setting-up and execution of specific projects.