Tec, Uniandes, and UC Chile: Combining sustainable efforts on campus

Green roofs, recycling, eliminating single-use plastics, and reducing the carbon footprint are some of the sustainability initiatives promoted by the three private universities from Latin America that form La Tríada.

Representatives from these educational institutions shared their experiences during a panel discussion titled La Tríada: Sustainability through Education and Collective Action.

The panel included Paola Visconti from Tec de Monterrey; Juan Camilo Cárdenas from the University of Los Andes (Uniandes); and Bruna Garretón from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

La Tríada is a collaborative initiative established in August 2018 between these three private universities, which are among the highest-ranking in Latin America, to act together in response to the region’s opportunities and challenges.

Paola Visconti, Director of Sustainable Development and Outreach, shared Tec de Monterrey’s sustainability and climate change plan, known as Ruta Azul.

“What we’ve done is work on the six pillars of our sustainability plan: culture, mitigation, adaptation, education, research, and outreach,” she said.

She outlined each of the pillars included in the sustainability and climate change plan.

• Culture: Encourage decision-making with sustainable awareness.
• Mitigation: Reduce the environmental impact of the institution’s operations.
• Adaptation: Minimize the effects of climate change on facilities, the internal community, and neighboring communities.
• Education: Incorporate education on climate change and sustainable development into future undergraduate syllabuses.
• Research: Promote interdisciplinary research to provide systemic solutions to the complexity of climate change and the need for sustainable development.
• Outreach: Driving climate action throughout society.

“We design initiatives, projects, guidelines, and directives that aim to build a culture of sustainability through the implementation of these initiatives,” she added.

Juan Camilo Cárdenas, Director of the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Latin America at Uniandes, shared some of the steps being taken at his university to reduce its carbon footprint.

“One third of the energy currently consumed by the university comes from renewable sources. Nowadays, there is no square footage of space available on our rooftops because they’re used for green roofs or occupied by solar panels.

“The university has managed to ensure that around 38% of its waste doesn’t end up in the city’s landfills but is recycled instead. Our wastewater goes to a treatment plant,” he said.

He also said that Uniandes has eliminated plastic water bottles from dispensers, replacing them with drinking water stations to fill reusable bottles.

Bruna Garretón, who is an academic and Deputy Director of Outreach and Continuing Education at the Institute for Sustainable Development, talked about four actions being implemented at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

“We’ve added integral ecology and sustainability to the university curriculum, not just in specific academic units, but across the board. 

“Secondly, we’ve created the Institute for Sustainable Development to formalize the commitments the university wants to adopt,” she said.

The third action taken by the university is a carbon neutrality strategy for 2038 with specific targets and an environmental management approach that encompasses both programs and green offices.

“Fourth, infrastructure that is sustainable through the recovery and improvement of green spaces,” she said.

“What we’ve done is work on the six pillars of our sustainability plan: culture, mitigation, adaptation, education, research, and outreach.” - Paola Visconti

Sustainability and impact on the university environment

Sustainability is a subject that can and must be integrated into classrooms, permeate educational institutions, and have an impact on the society around them.

What should a sustainable institution include? According to Bruna Garretón, sustainability must be integrated across the board.

“It must not only be integrated into training but also into research and operational management, which must be evident and consistent.

“It has to be integrated across all areas of the university’s interaction with society, with a long-term vision,” she said.

Paola Visconti highlighted that if the environment surrounding institutions does not change, the work of universities will be in vain.

“Although we may be a sustainable university, nothing will change if our surroundings don’t change. We need to inspire, encourage, and collaborate with others outside the university to achieve these goals,” she concluded.

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