744
M. F. C. Lemos et al.
emphasis on technological innovation has undoubtedly arisen in these areas, which
is compatible with its more concrete nature, this has not happened to the detriment
of consistent proposals in terms of investment in social capital, reinforcement of collaboration networks, improvement of the interaction environment in order to make
it more creative and aligned with the ongoing transformations in the society, associated with the proposals of transformation in the curricula experienced by students
in a day-to-day basis, mostly in the collaboration group, thus also emphasizing the
“education” theme.
However, more arid and less concrete issues—such as “health”, “resilience to
climate change”, “information technology” and “communication”—were addressed
as “transversal” in the Agenda for this very reason—were not excluded from the
interest of the community, although the proposals were more moderate. Certainly,
these issues are crucial to fostering sustainability in society and in the contemporary
context and require special care in the preparation of the Agenda by the institution’s
technical team, given the lack of familiarity with the community-at-large, demonstrating a challenge to be overcome.
4 Conclusion
The contemporary world is characterized by an unprecedented crisis between society
and nature, expressed in the unbridled use of finite natural resources, from unsustainable actions that compromise the services of life support. The Laudato Si’ Encyclical
clearly shows this contradiction and calls for the citizens of the planet to act locally
and globally in a coordinated way to search for sustainable models of coexistence
that can assure adequate living conditions for present and future generations.
In this context, universities face a major challenge in their three dimensions: in
teaching, research and academic extension. Thus, the scientific effort requires multidisciplinary approaches and different participatory methodologies that generate
integral solutions with a sustainable bias. Such research needs to interact and reformulate segmented teaching dynamics with transverse contents that provide students
with an integral view of the individual-nature relationship. In the same approach,
academic extension gains a new weight in offering concrete and affordable solutions
to society by allowing the student and the researcher to consolidate the process of and
the commitment to a new paradigm of sustainability in an integrated and multifaceted
action.
The example presented by PUC-Rio, which describes the long participative process of consolidating sustainability at the University, clearly shows the dynamics,
comprehensiveness and complexity of the agents involved, suggesting the importance of a clear and objective commitment of the University administration, of its
teachers and students groups and of its employees, to new concrete and daily actions
for sustainability as a goal and challenge for all.
The present study confirms the importance of the instrument used, the review of
the Socio-environmental Agenda of PUC-Rio, in order to outline the holistic and
M. F. C. Lemos et al.
emphasis on technological innovation has undoubtedly arisen in these areas, which
is compatible with its more concrete nature, this has not happened to the detriment
of consistent proposals in terms of investment in social capital, reinforcement of collaboration networks, improvement of the interaction environment in order to make
it more creative and aligned with the ongoing transformations in the society, associated with the proposals of transformation in the curricula experienced by students
in a day-to-day basis, mostly in the collaboration group, thus also emphasizing the
“education” theme.
However, more arid and less concrete issues—such as “health”, “resilience to
climate change”, “information technology” and “communication”—were addressed
as “transversal” in the Agenda for this very reason—were not excluded from the
interest of the community, although the proposals were more moderate. Certainly,
these issues are crucial to fostering sustainability in society and in the contemporary
context and require special care in the preparation of the Agenda by the institution’s
technical team, given the lack of familiarity with the community-at-large, demonstrating a challenge to be overcome.
4 Conclusion
The contemporary world is characterized by an unprecedented crisis between society
and nature, expressed in the unbridled use of finite natural resources, from unsustainable actions that compromise the services of life support. The Laudato Si’ Encyclical
clearly shows this contradiction and calls for the citizens of the planet to act locally
and globally in a coordinated way to search for sustainable models of coexistence
that can assure adequate living conditions for present and future generations.
In this context, universities face a major challenge in their three dimensions: in
teaching, research and academic extension. Thus, the scientific effort requires multidisciplinary approaches and different participatory methodologies that generate
integral solutions with a sustainable bias. Such research needs to interact and reformulate segmented teaching dynamics with transverse contents that provide students
with an integral view of the individual-nature relationship. In the same approach,
academic extension gains a new weight in offering concrete and affordable solutions
to society by allowing the student and the researcher to consolidate the process of and
the commitment to a new paradigm of sustainability in an integrated and multifaceted
action.
The example presented by PUC-Rio, which describes the long participative process of consolidating sustainability at the University, clearly shows the dynamics,
comprehensiveness and complexity of the agents involved, suggesting the importance of a clear and objective commitment of the University administration, of its
teachers and students groups and of its employees, to new concrete and daily actions
for sustainability as a goal and challenge for all.
The present study confirms the importance of the instrument used, the review of
the Socio-environmental Agenda of PUC-Rio, in order to outline the holistic and