EAUC endorses the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative for Rio+20

19th March 2012

The EAUC is delighted to announce that it has joined a number of other international organisations to officially endorse the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative for Rio+20.

As part of the EAUC's involvement with similar bodies worldwide, including AASHE in North America, ACTS in Australasia, KAGCI in South Korea and Fondaterra in France, we are working on a global scale to raise the profile of sustainability in the tertiary education sector ahead of the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Being held from 20-22 June 2012, the aim of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges.

As part of Rio+20, leaders of the international academic community are being called upon to commit to the development of sustainable practices for Higher Education Institutions. In line with the EAUC's rising international profile and as a result of our continued international collaboration with other tertiary education sector bodies around the world, the EAUC was invited and has agreed to officially endorse the declaration below.


DECLARATION

"As Chancellors, Presidents, Rectors, Deans and Leaders of Higher Education Institutions and related organizations, we acknowledge the responsibility that we bear in the international pursuit of sustainable development. On the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro from 20-22 June 2012, we agree to support the following actions:

• Teach sustainable development concepts, ensuring that they form a part of the core curriculum across all disciplines so that future higher education graduates develop skills necessary to enter sustainable development workforces and have an explicit understanding of how to achieve a society that values people, the planet and profits in a manner that respects the finite resource boundaries of the earth. Higher Education Institutions are also encouraged to provide sustainability training to professionals and practitioners.

• Encourage research on sustainable development issues, to improve scientific understanding through exchanges of scientific and technological knowledge, enhancing the development, adaptation, diffusion and transfer of knowledge, including new and innovative technologies.

• Green our campuses by: i) reducing the environmental footprint through energy, water and material resource efficiencies in our buildings and facilities; ii) adopting sustainable procurement practices in our supply chains and catering services; iii) providing sustainable mobility options for students and faculty; iv) adopting effective programmes for waste minimization, recycling and reuse, and v) encouraging more sustainable lifestyles.

• Support sustainability efforts in the communities in which we reside, working with local authorities and civil society to foster more liveable, resource-efficient communities that are socially inclusive and have small environmental footprints.

• Engage with and share results through international frameworks, such as the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, led by UNESCO, the UN University system, the UN Academic Impact, the Global Compact, the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Management Education initiative and the UN Environment Programme’s Environmental Education and Training initiatives, in order to exchange knowledge and experiences and to report regularly on progress and challenges.”

For more information on the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative for Rio+20, please click here.