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M. F. C. Lemos et al.
need to be addressed if the proposed activities are to yield the expected benefits”
(Avila et al. 2017, pp. 1275–1276) As so, many barriers associated with: management, technology, availability of resources and institutional culture are found and
have to be dealt with. Indeed, the capacity for engaging agents within the community is also fundamental. For this purpose, it is central to disseminate information,
among other actions.
It is important that decision-makers and the community-at-large see campuses
as places of opportunity and areas to foster emerging strategies for managing and
deploying appropriate technologies. In an exploratory study conducted by Aleixo
et al. (2018) to investigate how the stakeholders of the Portuguese Public College
Institutions seize such opportunities, the authors include not only the concept of sustainability, but also sustainability within the HEI and the role of higher education for
sustainable development. The study concluded that while leaders, students, management teams and other stakeholders are aware of the concept of sustainability, they
are not yet familiar with the concept of Sustainable Universities.
The involvement and commitment of an organization’s leadership with a policy
or management system is critical to the successful implementation of such tools. The
example of leadership facilitates the breaking of resistance of the various silos of an
organization and contributes to the adherence of all areas of the institution to new
institutional cultures.
Initiatives for transforming environments, inserting new concepts and breaking
of paradigms require the involvement of as many actors as possible. The adoption
of the participatory process in the construction of institutional policies and in the
operationalization of commitments generates greater commitment and legitimacy
to the process. According to Disterheft et al. (2015), the participatory process is
the key to creating a real community consciousness regarding sustainability and
to incorporating it in the culture of the institution. It can also facilitate dialogue,
empower stakeholders and increase commitment to the issue.
These processes, which value diversity and multidisciplinarity, often imply difficulties in the need of capacity building and leveling of knowledge among all involved
as the first indispensable step of the process. This model of participation, when
adopted within HEI, can be transformed into opportunities as the knowledge to be
disseminated can be incorporated into the academic curriculum, generating inclusion
of the subject in the curriculum and commitment of those involved in the implementation of the developed content.
Bekessy et al. (2007) makes an important remark in stating that, in order for
statements to be more than simple promises and the intended results achieved, HEI
should adopt a posture of transparency in the processes and developments regarding
honorable commitments. Permanent changes can only occur if engagement reaches
as many people as possible, not just a small group.
The research done at the Institute of Technology University in Royal Melbourne,
described in the article “The failure of non-binding declarations to achieve university
sustainability—a case of study” by Bekessy et al. (2007), identified some obstacles
for achieving sustainability at the institution, including: (i) the high academic and
institutional independency of the units within the university, constraining the need of
M. F. C. Lemos et al.
need to be addressed if the proposed activities are to yield the expected benefits”
(Avila et al. 2017, pp. 1275–1276) As so, many barriers associated with: management, technology, availability of resources and institutional culture are found and
have to be dealt with. Indeed, the capacity for engaging agents within the community is also fundamental. For this purpose, it is central to disseminate information,
among other actions.
It is important that decision-makers and the community-at-large see campuses
as places of opportunity and areas to foster emerging strategies for managing and
deploying appropriate technologies. In an exploratory study conducted by Aleixo
et al. (2018) to investigate how the stakeholders of the Portuguese Public College
Institutions seize such opportunities, the authors include not only the concept of sustainability, but also sustainability within the HEI and the role of higher education for
sustainable development. The study concluded that while leaders, students, management teams and other stakeholders are aware of the concept of sustainability, they
are not yet familiar with the concept of Sustainable Universities.
The involvement and commitment of an organization’s leadership with a policy
or management system is critical to the successful implementation of such tools. The
example of leadership facilitates the breaking of resistance of the various silos of an
organization and contributes to the adherence of all areas of the institution to new
institutional cultures.
Initiatives for transforming environments, inserting new concepts and breaking
of paradigms require the involvement of as many actors as possible. The adoption
of the participatory process in the construction of institutional policies and in the
operationalization of commitments generates greater commitment and legitimacy
to the process. According to Disterheft et al. (2015), the participatory process is
the key to creating a real community consciousness regarding sustainability and
to incorporating it in the culture of the institution. It can also facilitate dialogue,
empower stakeholders and increase commitment to the issue.
These processes, which value diversity and multidisciplinarity, often imply difficulties in the need of capacity building and leveling of knowledge among all involved
as the first indispensable step of the process. This model of participation, when
adopted within HEI, can be transformed into opportunities as the knowledge to be
disseminated can be incorporated into the academic curriculum, generating inclusion
of the subject in the curriculum and commitment of those involved in the implementation of the developed content.
Bekessy et al. (2007) makes an important remark in stating that, in order for
statements to be more than simple promises and the intended results achieved, HEI
should adopt a posture of transparency in the processes and developments regarding
honorable commitments. Permanent changes can only occur if engagement reaches
as many people as possible, not just a small group.
The research done at the Institute of Technology University in Royal Melbourne,
described in the article “The failure of non-binding declarations to achieve university
sustainability—a case of study” by Bekessy et al. (2007), identified some obstacles
for achieving sustainability at the institution, including: (i) the high academic and
institutional independency of the units within the university, constraining the need of