Instituições de ensino superior na América Latina: um panorama sob a perspectiva da sustentabilidade ambiental

Abstract

Environmental sustainability in higher education institutions in Latin America, requires new methods of teaching and specific practices. In particular, the academic environment in which universities have a responsibility to prepare professionals which act in favor of sustainable development in different areas of knowledge. The objective of this research was to identify whether the Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), considered the best in Latin America according to the Quacquarelli Symonds QS ranking, are also examples of environmentally sustainable universities. The methodological procedures include conducting a survey on the websites of higher education institutions as well as the application of a questionnaire with environmental sustainability practices. The results show that categories: solid waste and environmental practices of HEIs have greater impairment in both research methods. In regards to the sites the results indicate a lack of information available on them. The online questionnaire was answered by only 37 HEIs, which shows a rate of return of 18 % of the questionnaires. The ranking of environmental sustainability shows that the best HEIs are not the best ranking in the QS. However, the survey highlights the need for greater attention of HEIs in support of environmental sustainability on campus and the availability of environmental information on their own sites