Aligning Campus Strategy with the SDGs …
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able development in some form; most will address campus sustainability and many
highlight their green credentials on their institutional websites. However, while it is
widely recognised that sustainable development needs to be addressed in research,
campus, education and community, fewer universities have actually found ways to
embed education for sustainable development across the entire curriculum (Shiel and
Paço 2012), very few will evidence integrative or holistic approaches to sustainability (Leal Filho et al. 2015). Only some institutions meet the criteria for the title ‘The
Sustainable University’ (Sterling et al. 2013). Across the world, and particularly in
the UK, it is quite evident that while many universities have exemplified ‘campusgreening’, focused on environmental management, and are very good at promoting
their green credentials, integrative approaches to sustainable development are hard
to achieve and less common (Leal Filho et al. 2015).
This paper is set in the context that there is still much more to be achieved (Amaral
et al. 2015; Brennan et al. 2015) if higher education is to make a full contribution
to sustainable development. As the UK report on sustainability in education shows
(National Union of Students (NUS) et al. 2017), leaders recognise that sustainability
is a priority but are still failing to deliver. The biggest barriers identified in the report
are: finances, lack of senior management commitment and strategic direction and
lack of staff resources. In summary, progress to date has been slow, there is further
to go and the SDGs may be a way to accelerate wider engagement.
3 The Goals and Higher Education
The SDGs represent an expanded follow-on, from the eight Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) which sought to “end poverty in all its forms” (United Nations 2015,
p. 2). While some good progress was made towards the MDGs (which expired in
2015) they were never fully achieved; they had very little impact (beyond a research
agenda and taught as a topic on a limited number of programmes) on the dayto day activity of higher education. Sachs (2012) provides a useful summary of
development, from the MDGs to the SDGs, the latter seek a shared focus on economic,
environmental, and social goals as a hallmark of sustainable development. As the
SDGs emerged following rigorous and extensive consultation, they constitute a broad
consensus on which the world can build through cooperation between stakeholders.
Although they are not legally binding, they are likely to be a major influencer on
governments and organisations over the next fifteen years.
The United Nations (2015, p. 14) articulates the 17 goals:
• Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture
• Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
• Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all
13
able development in some form; most will address campus sustainability and many
highlight their green credentials on their institutional websites. However, while it is
widely recognised that sustainable development needs to be addressed in research,
campus, education and community, fewer universities have actually found ways to
embed education for sustainable development across the entire curriculum (Shiel and
Paço 2012), very few will evidence integrative or holistic approaches to sustainability (Leal Filho et al. 2015). Only some institutions meet the criteria for the title ‘The
Sustainable University’ (Sterling et al. 2013). Across the world, and particularly in
the UK, it is quite evident that while many universities have exemplified ‘campusgreening’, focused on environmental management, and are very good at promoting
their green credentials, integrative approaches to sustainable development are hard
to achieve and less common (Leal Filho et al. 2015).
This paper is set in the context that there is still much more to be achieved (Amaral
et al. 2015; Brennan et al. 2015) if higher education is to make a full contribution
to sustainable development. As the UK report on sustainability in education shows
(National Union of Students (NUS) et al. 2017), leaders recognise that sustainability
is a priority but are still failing to deliver. The biggest barriers identified in the report
are: finances, lack of senior management commitment and strategic direction and
lack of staff resources. In summary, progress to date has been slow, there is further
to go and the SDGs may be a way to accelerate wider engagement.
3 The Goals and Higher Education
The SDGs represent an expanded follow-on, from the eight Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) which sought to “end poverty in all its forms” (United Nations 2015,
p. 2). While some good progress was made towards the MDGs (which expired in
2015) they were never fully achieved; they had very little impact (beyond a research
agenda and taught as a topic on a limited number of programmes) on the dayto day activity of higher education. Sachs (2012) provides a useful summary of
development, from the MDGs to the SDGs, the latter seek a shared focus on economic,
environmental, and social goals as a hallmark of sustainable development. As the
SDGs emerged following rigorous and extensive consultation, they constitute a broad
consensus on which the world can build through cooperation between stakeholders.
Although they are not legally binding, they are likely to be a major influencer on
governments and organisations over the next fifteen years.
The United Nations (2015, p. 14) articulates the 17 goals:
• Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture
• Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
• Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all