Methodological approach for the construction of environmental management indicators in universities

Universities have become interested in environmental management. In them, there are problems of inadequate residues and waste management; high energy consumption and demand; water and air pollution; impacts on biodiversity, a deficient supply of healthy foods and sustainable consumption; mismanageme...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Luisa Villalba, Edgar Useche
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-06-01
Series:Cleaner Environmental Systems
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666789421000088
Description
Summary:Universities have become interested in environmental management. In them, there are problems of inadequate residues and waste management; high energy consumption and demand; water and air pollution; impacts on biodiversity, a deficient supply of healthy foods and sustainable consumption; mismanagement of the territory; absence of environmental education policies and graduates with a low environmental profile. The objective of the article is to provide a methodological approach, consisting of a question's menu, that characterizes environmental performance, for the construction of indicators as an instrument of environmental management, and environmental sustainability. 93 questions were established, classified into ten aspects: institutional; legal; energy and climate change-carbon footprint-; water footprint; solid residues and waste; hazardous wastes; planning, land management and biological diversity; social - healthy food; teaching and research; and economical - sustainable consumption. The determination of environmental performance was proposed through the “Traffic Light” methodology. The menu of questions was weighted through a perception probe by 12 professors in Venezuelan universities, which concludes that it is a guiding input to design, redesign and/or plan policies on environmental management. Its implementation must be coordinated by internal, trained, multidisciplinary personnel, with the endorsement of the authorities, in order to specify the environmental management indicators.
ISSN:2666-7894