Change Project Approach
for Reorienting University Teaching
Towards the Implementation
of Sustainability Principles
Oleksandra Khalaim, Tatjana Tambovceva, Lovísa Eiríksdóttir,
and Shepherd Urenje
1 Introduction
The World Commission on Environment and Development proposed in 1987 a longterm strategy for achieving sustainable development by the year 2000 and beyond
(World Commission on Environment and Development 1987). The report emphasized that attempts to address environment and sustainability problems require a
holistic approach, which embraces the socio-ecological dimension in tandem with
economy changes. Nowadays we can pose the question, why 33 years later the world
is still talking the talk, and finding it almost impossible to walk the talk. Propelled
by technological advances and global integration, the so-called economic growth
experienced over the last century has been accompanied by increased pressures on
socio-ecological resources. The list of the most pressing environmental, social and
cultural issues has continued to grow including the supply of clean energy, availability
of freshwater, ecological restoration, combating global climate change, increased
human migration, increased urbanization and industrialization. Most recently, the
O. Khalaim (B) · S. Urenje
Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development, Uppsala
University—Campus Gotland, 621 67 Visby, Sweden
e-mail: oleksandra.khalaim@swedesd.uu.se
S. Urenje
e-mail: shepherd.urenje@swedesd.uu.se
T. Tambovceva
Faculty of Engineering Economics and Management, Riga Technical University, Kalnciema
Street 6-213, 1048 Riga, Latvia
e-mail: tatjana.tambovceva@rtu.lv
L. Eiríksdóttir
Department of Business Studies, Uppsala University, Campus Gotland, 621 67 Visby, Sweden
e-mail: lovisa.eiriksdottir@fek.uu.se
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities, Sustainability and Society: Supporting
the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, World Sustainability Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63399-8_17
253
for Reorienting University Teaching
Towards the Implementation
of Sustainability Principles
Oleksandra Khalaim, Tatjana Tambovceva, Lovísa Eiríksdóttir,
and Shepherd Urenje
1 Introduction
The World Commission on Environment and Development proposed in 1987 a longterm strategy for achieving sustainable development by the year 2000 and beyond
(World Commission on Environment and Development 1987). The report emphasized that attempts to address environment and sustainability problems require a
holistic approach, which embraces the socio-ecological dimension in tandem with
economy changes. Nowadays we can pose the question, why 33 years later the world
is still talking the talk, and finding it almost impossible to walk the talk. Propelled
by technological advances and global integration, the so-called economic growth
experienced over the last century has been accompanied by increased pressures on
socio-ecological resources. The list of the most pressing environmental, social and
cultural issues has continued to grow including the supply of clean energy, availability
of freshwater, ecological restoration, combating global climate change, increased
human migration, increased urbanization and industrialization. Most recently, the
O. Khalaim (B) · S. Urenje
Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development, Uppsala
University—Campus Gotland, 621 67 Visby, Sweden
e-mail: oleksandra.khalaim@swedesd.uu.se
S. Urenje
e-mail: shepherd.urenje@swedesd.uu.se
T. Tambovceva
Faculty of Engineering Economics and Management, Riga Technical University, Kalnciema
Street 6-213, 1048 Riga, Latvia
e-mail: tatjana.tambovceva@rtu.lv
L. Eiríksdóttir
Department of Business Studies, Uppsala University, Campus Gotland, 621 67 Visby, Sweden
e-mail: lovisa.eiriksdottir@fek.uu.se
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities, Sustainability and Society: Supporting
the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, World Sustainability Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63399-8_17
253