Environmental management in higher education institutions

Abstract

The current political and economic crisis makes the interest in providing a view on the importance of sustainability through Environmental Management in Higher Education Institutions to be essential. The objective of this work was to identify actions related to the efficiency of inputs, adopted by the Higher Education Institutions (IES) in operation, which can be replicated. For this, we used bibliographic and qualitative research. The results demonstrate that HEIs must commit themselves to inform the community about protection measures in a transparent manner and provide education, training and incentives to their employees regarding the preservation of the environment and possible solutions to environmental problems. And in a participatory way before purchasing inputs, check with the community their real needs, so the environmental effects caused by materials and equipment must be taken into account by the institution before purchase. As a priority, HEIs must carry out relevant environmental activities and guarantee freedom in research and teaching, making the community aware of their social responsibility and the environmental consequences that certain waste can cause. Finally, emphasize the importance of preserving natural resources for present and future generations, and promoting the search for help from employees and students, in order to minimize the negative consequences in research and institutional education, thus guaranteeing, the greatest offer of academic works in the environmental area and courses that deal with environmental issues, in cooperation with other research centers.