Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education pp 1626–1636Cite as

Sustainability Commitments, Institutional Level

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:

Definition

The sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private, including universities, manage their sustainable development policy within the education sector. It includes formal institutions and regimes cooperation and empowerment to enforce international recommendation in the area of education for sustainable development as well as formal and informal arrangements (institutional platforms of cooperation) including higher education initiatives, to implement sustainable development through education and curricula, research, campus operations, and organizational change management.

Introduction

Based on the concept of sustainable development (SD) which concentrates on the three interconnected “pillars” of sustainability, the economic, social, and environmental, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) officially came into force on 1 January 2016. Implementation and monitoring of the SDGs and the 2030...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   849.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Agenda (2030) Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015 (A/RES/70/1)

    Google Scholar 

  • AIM Report (2016)Progress report United Nations principles for responsible management education, Asian Institute of Management. http://www.unprme.org/reports/PRME2016V8FINAL24June2016.pdf

  • Calder W, Clugston R (2003) Progress toward sustainability in higher education. Environ Law Report 33:10003–10023

    Google Scholar 

  • COPERNICUS University Charter for Sustainable Development (1993) European Rectors‘ Conference (now: European University Association, EUA)

    Google Scholar 

  • FGV Report (2017) The Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, Sharing Information on Progress SIP. http://www.unprme.org/reports/SipReport1completo.pdf

  • GreenMetric Report (2018) Indonesian University World University Ranking. http://greenmetric.ui.ac.id/

  • GRI web, GRI Standards Download Center. https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

  • Grindsted T (2011) Sustainable universities − from sustainability in higher education declarations to national law. J Environ Econ 2:29–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Grindsted TS, Holm T (2012) Thematic development of declarations on sustainability in higher education. Environ Econ 3(1):32

    Google Scholar 

  • GUPES web, Global Universities Partnership on Environment for Sustainability. https://www.unenvironment.org/es/node/10655

  • HESI (2017) Higher education sustainable initiative, summary report. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/17374HESI_2017_Report.pdf

  • Incheon Declaration 2015 and Education 2030 Framework for Action for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4, 19-22.05.2015 (Republic of Korea) and 4.11.2015 (UNESCO, Paris). http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002456/245656e.pdf

  • Kyoto Declaration, International Association of Universities (IAU), Japan, 19.11.1993

    Google Scholar 

  • Leal Filho W, Azeiteiro UM, Alves F, Pace P, Mifsud M, Brandli L, Caeiro S, Disterheft A (2018) Reinvigorating the sustainable development research agenda: the role of the sustainable development goals (SDG). Int J Sust Dev World 25(2):131–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Leal Filho W, Jim Wu Y, Londero Brandli L, Veiga Avila L, Azeiteiro UM, Caeiro S, Rejane da Rosa L, Madruga G (2017a) Identifying and overcoming obstacles to the implementation of sustainable development at universities. J Integr Environ Sci 14(1):93–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leal Filho W, Londero Brandli L, Becker D, Skanavis C, Kounani A, Sardi C, Papaioannidou D, Paço A, Azeiteiro U, Olim de Sousa L, Raath S, Wessel Pretorius R, Shiel C, Vargas V, Trencher G, Marans R (2017b) Sustainable development policies as indicators and pre-conditions for sustainability efforts at universities fact or fiction? Int J Sustain High Educ 19(1):85–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Litten L (2005) Measuring and Reporting Institutional Sustainability, Paper presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) (45th, San Diego, CA, May 29-Jun 1, 2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R, Ceulemans K, Alonso-Almeida M, Huisingh D, Lozano FJ, Waas T, Lambrechts W, Lukman R, Huge J (2015) A review of commitment and implementation of sustainable development in higher education: results from a worldwide survey, Journal of Cleaner Production 108:1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R, Lukman R, Lozano FJ, Huisingh D, Lambrechts W (2013) Declarations for sustainability in higher education: becoming better leaders, through addressing the university system. J Clean Prod 48(2013):10–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mcmillin J, Dyball R (2009) Developing a whole-of-university approach to educating for sustainability: linking curriculum, research and sustainable campus operations. J Educ Sustain Dev 3:55–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PRME SIP, A basic guide to the Sharing Information on Progress (SIP), For Current and Prospective Signatories of the Principles for Responsible Management Education. http://www.unprme.org/resource-docs/SIPToolkitFINALWeb.pdf

  • PRME web, Principles for Responsible Management Education. http://www.unprme.org/index.php

  • Rosenau JN, Czempiel EO (1992) Governance, order and change in world politics. In: Rosenau N, Czempiel EO (eds) Governance without government: order and change in world politics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sáenz O, Benayas J (2011) Higher Education, Environment and Sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean, In: Higher education in the World 4: Higher Educatio’s Commitment to sustainability: from understanding to action, Global University Network for Innovation (GUNI, pp.161–176)

    Google Scholar 

  • SDG Accord Report (2018) Annual report to the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) as part of the SDG Accord mandatory institutional reporting New York, 11th July 2018. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/20216the_sdg_accord_un_high_political_forum_doc__interactive.pdf

  • SDSN (2017) Getting started with the SDGs in universities: a guide for universities, higher education institutions, and the academic sector. Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Edition. Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Australia/Pacific, Melbourne. http://ap-unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/University-SDG-Guide_web.pdf

  • Sulitest Report (2018) Raising & mapping awareness of the global goals, Report from Sulitest, Tangible implementation of the HESI & Contributor to the review of the 2030 Agenda. https://www.sulitest.org/files/source/hlpf2018.pdf

  • Talloires Declaration, Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, October 1990. http://ulsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/TD.pdf

  • Tiyarattanachai R, Hollmann NM (2016) Green Campus initiative and its impacts on quality of life of stakeholders in Green and Non-Green Campus universities, Springerplus. 5:84. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4729722/

  • UN (1995) Our Global Neighborhood, Report, Commission for Global Governance

    Google Scholar 

  • UN (2014) United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/69/211, Follow-up to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014): Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development, 19.12.2014

    Google Scholar 

  • UNEP (1972) Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, United Nations Environment Programme. http://www.un-documents.net/unchedec.htm

  • UNESCO (2014) Shaping the future we want, UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014), Final report, UNESCO, Paris. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002301/230171e.pdf

  • UN-Habitat (2017) Habitat Uni Action Plan: turning universities into levers for the implementation of the NUA and SDG11. http://uni.unhabitat.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017Mar06_UNI_ActionPlan_universities.pdf

  • UN-Habitat UNI (2017) UN-Habitat’s partnership with universities worldwide, Info Flyer. http://uni.unhabitat.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017Mar06_UNI_InfoFlyer.pdf

  • UNISA (2015) United Nations Global Compact, The University of South Africa Communication on Engagement 2015: towards Sustainability and Social Transformation. https://www.unglobalcompact.org/system/attachments/cop_2016/291081/original/UNISA_UNGC_2015_COE_REPORT_FINAL_APPROV_MANCOM.pdf?1465374142

  • Waas T, Verbruggen A, Wright T (2009) University research for sustainable development: definition and characteristics explored, Journal of Cleaner Production. 18:629–636

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (1989) Sub-Saharan Africa: from crisis to sustainable growth, report, World Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright T (2004) The evolution of sustainability declarations in higher education. In: Corcoran P, Wals A (eds) Higher education and the challenge of sustainability. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 7–14

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

    Katarzyna Cichos

Authors
  1. Katarzyna Cichos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katarzyna Cichos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Sciences, World Sustainable Development Research and Transfer Centre, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

Section Editor information

  1. University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

    Rudi Pretorius

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Cichos, K. (2019). Sustainability Commitments, Institutional Level. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11352-0_486

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation