The Role of Green Areas in University Campuses …
61
Table 8 Sustainable practices in green areas on campus
University
Abbreviation
Practice description
University of British Columbia UBC
UBC Farm, fresh organic produce
Brown University
BU
Brown student garden project to
produce salad mix, tomatoes, basil,
zucchini, cucumber, eggplant
University of Georgia
UG
Arbor program, planting trees around
the campus and practicing sustainable
landscaping
University of Minnesota
UM
Cornercopia Student Organic Farm,
participation of students in the
production of food organically in the
student farm
University of Pennsylvania
UP
GreenFund Garden project, an
on-campus garden project started by
students and funded by the
administration
Source Sustainable Endowments Institute (2011b)
4.3 Good Practices in American and Canadian HEIs
and the Possibility for UPF
The survey based on the Green Report Card showed that 141 out of the 322 analysed
institutions (44% of the total) have actions aimed at optimizing the green areas
of their campuses. Table 8 describes practices adopted by 5 out of 52 institutions
recognized as Overall College Sustainability Leaders, schools that achieved the best
grades across all categories.
Among these actions, four of them must be highlighted: the implementation and
maintenance of gardens on campus, mostly with the aim of providing organic food
to the institutional dining rooms, which was pointed out as the most recurrent (59%
of the time); the activities directed to the maintenance of farms in the campuses, also
with the purpose of providing organic food to the institutions with 26% of occurrence;
the creation of gardens with access to the local community—community gardens,
with 23% occurrence and last, with 8% occurrence, actions promoting the planting
of trees on the campuses of the institutions. In this sense, all these actions can be
incorporated into the University of Passo Fundo.
These activities, in addition to encouraging the consumption of organic food
and thus contributing to the promotion of sustainable livelihoods, ensure that soil
management is done properly. Allied to this is the fact that, most of the time, activities
are carried out by the students, making it clear that sustainability education (SDG
4) is practiced in a practical way and together with the sustainable management of
terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15) and in this way the interaction between the two
SDGs is consolidated. With these examples, suggestions of good practices can be
made, adapting to the local reality of the UPF main campus.
61
Table 8 Sustainable practices in green areas on campus
University
Abbreviation
Practice description
University of British Columbia UBC
UBC Farm, fresh organic produce
Brown University
BU
Brown student garden project to
produce salad mix, tomatoes, basil,
zucchini, cucumber, eggplant
University of Georgia
UG
Arbor program, planting trees around
the campus and practicing sustainable
landscaping
University of Minnesota
UM
Cornercopia Student Organic Farm,
participation of students in the
production of food organically in the
student farm
University of Pennsylvania
UP
GreenFund Garden project, an
on-campus garden project started by
students and funded by the
administration
Source Sustainable Endowments Institute (2011b)
4.3 Good Practices in American and Canadian HEIs
and the Possibility for UPF
The survey based on the Green Report Card showed that 141 out of the 322 analysed
institutions (44% of the total) have actions aimed at optimizing the green areas
of their campuses. Table 8 describes practices adopted by 5 out of 52 institutions
recognized as Overall College Sustainability Leaders, schools that achieved the best
grades across all categories.
Among these actions, four of them must be highlighted: the implementation and
maintenance of gardens on campus, mostly with the aim of providing organic food
to the institutional dining rooms, which was pointed out as the most recurrent (59%
of the time); the activities directed to the maintenance of farms in the campuses, also
with the purpose of providing organic food to the institutions with 26% of occurrence;
the creation of gardens with access to the local community—community gardens,
with 23% occurrence and last, with 8% occurrence, actions promoting the planting
of trees on the campuses of the institutions. In this sense, all these actions can be
incorporated into the University of Passo Fundo.
These activities, in addition to encouraging the consumption of organic food
and thus contributing to the promotion of sustainable livelihoods, ensure that soil
management is done properly. Allied to this is the fact that, most of the time, activities
are carried out by the students, making it clear that sustainability education (SDG
4) is practiced in a practical way and together with the sustainable management of
terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15) and in this way the interaction between the two
SDGs is consolidated. With these examples, suggestions of good practices can be
made, adapting to the local reality of the UPF main campus.