718
S. L. Galván et al.
1 Introduction
In the framework of Agenda 21, the United Nations (UN) urged Institutions, Administrations and Governments to implement strategies for sustainable development in
their respective areas of intervention (United Nations 1992). In this sense, since
higher education institutions (HEIs) are generators and transmitters of knowledge,
they should participate in the discussion and analysis of public policies related to sustainable development (Leal Filho et al. 2015), propose topics for debate, and develop
tools and criteria of evaluation to achieve the objectives of environmental sustainability, based on their three pillars, i.e. education, research and management (Lozano
2006). In this line of work, initiatives such as the Talloires Declaration (ULSF 1990)
and the Copernicus Charter (UEA 1993) stand out at international universities. In
2015, the UN approved the Agenda 2030 on sustainable development, which sets
objectives and targets that cover the issue of waste management transversely (United
Nations 2015).
At HEIs, one of the aspects of sustainable development is the sustainability in
their campus operations (Leal Filho et al. 2015; ARIUSA 2014), and, as key places
of learning, research and cultural activity, HEIs have great potential to catalyze
changes in the community towards sustainability (Zhang et al. 2011). Some of the
most popular initiatives regarding this issue are solid waste management programs
(SWMPs). SWMPs seek solutions to solid waste management, an issue becoming
increasingly relevant in the urban environmental agenda of cities of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), which, due to their high level of urbanization, must
develop new strategies to handle increasingly higher amounts of solid waste while
spaces suitable for new landfills are becoming reduced due to the expansion of urban
and industrial areas (Acurio et al. 2010). These new strategies should certainly point
to the objectives of sustainable development of making more sustainable cities and of
encouraging responsible consumption and production in their communities (United
Nations 2015). Additionally, the inclusion of aspects of sustainability in campus
operations may allow improving the environmental, institutional and socioeconomic
performance of universities (Zhang et al. 2011). These aspects also provide an informal way of learning about sustainable development through “practice what you
preach”, and thus HEIs act as laboratories where knowledge and skills related to
sustainability can be developed (Wass et al. 2012; United Nations 2015; Leal Filho
et al. 2015). All this implies the use of planning and management tools within the
institution, the commitment of the university community, and the development of
tools for communication and dissemination of initiatives, since communication not
only has the power to inform, but also to inspire and activate a long-term change
(Hong 2012).
Sustainable development initiatives at HEIs have had great application in Europe
and the United States (Simkins and Nolan 2004), but, in emerging countries, there
are few documented experiences and few research results related to this subject,
especially in LAC, where the available knowledge remains fragmented and superfi-
S. L. Galván et al.
1 Introduction
In the framework of Agenda 21, the United Nations (UN) urged Institutions, Administrations and Governments to implement strategies for sustainable development in
their respective areas of intervention (United Nations 1992). In this sense, since
higher education institutions (HEIs) are generators and transmitters of knowledge,
they should participate in the discussion and analysis of public policies related to sustainable development (Leal Filho et al. 2015), propose topics for debate, and develop
tools and criteria of evaluation to achieve the objectives of environmental sustainability, based on their three pillars, i.e. education, research and management (Lozano
2006). In this line of work, initiatives such as the Talloires Declaration (ULSF 1990)
and the Copernicus Charter (UEA 1993) stand out at international universities. In
2015, the UN approved the Agenda 2030 on sustainable development, which sets
objectives and targets that cover the issue of waste management transversely (United
Nations 2015).
At HEIs, one of the aspects of sustainable development is the sustainability in
their campus operations (Leal Filho et al. 2015; ARIUSA 2014), and, as key places
of learning, research and cultural activity, HEIs have great potential to catalyze
changes in the community towards sustainability (Zhang et al. 2011). Some of the
most popular initiatives regarding this issue are solid waste management programs
(SWMPs). SWMPs seek solutions to solid waste management, an issue becoming
increasingly relevant in the urban environmental agenda of cities of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), which, due to their high level of urbanization, must
develop new strategies to handle increasingly higher amounts of solid waste while
spaces suitable for new landfills are becoming reduced due to the expansion of urban
and industrial areas (Acurio et al. 2010). These new strategies should certainly point
to the objectives of sustainable development of making more sustainable cities and of
encouraging responsible consumption and production in their communities (United
Nations 2015). Additionally, the inclusion of aspects of sustainability in campus
operations may allow improving the environmental, institutional and socioeconomic
performance of universities (Zhang et al. 2011). These aspects also provide an informal way of learning about sustainable development through “practice what you
preach”, and thus HEIs act as laboratories where knowledge and skills related to
sustainability can be developed (Wass et al. 2012; United Nations 2015; Leal Filho
et al. 2015). All this implies the use of planning and management tools within the
institution, the commitment of the university community, and the development of
tools for communication and dissemination of initiatives, since communication not
only has the power to inform, but also to inspire and activate a long-term change
(Hong 2012).
Sustainable development initiatives at HEIs have had great application in Europe
and the United States (Simkins and Nolan 2004), but, in emerging countries, there
are few documented experiences and few research results related to this subject,
especially in LAC, where the available knowledge remains fragmented and superfi-