Sustainable University: challenges for integrating sustainability into the planning of Federal Institutes of Education in the Brazilian Amazon in relation to GreenMetric

Abstract

A Sustainable University (SU) should utilize Environmental Management (EM) tools in its institutional routines, such as the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking (GM) as one of the sustainability assessment tools. It presents a global assessment methodology and is widely accepted; however, it does not consider the regional profiles of universities. The objective of this article was to propose guidelines for the Integration of Sustainability in Planning (ISP) of Federal Institutes (FIs) in the Brazilian Amazon in relation to EM. Seven FIs located in the Amazon Biome were compared, as well as their sectoral structures, institutional planning and sustainability documents, adherence to EM tools, and possible integration arrangements. In the field research, EM practices were evaluated. The results show that the seven FIs strive to align with the SU concept, but without systematization and network integration in the sense of union. It is concluded that Higher Education Institutions and FIs that possess a specific EM sector and EM tools demonstrate better sustainability performance. Among the analyzed Amazonian FIs, there is no participation in the GM, and their EM actions are not systemic, as they plan and execute specific actions, distancing themselves from the possibility of ISP. The ISP guidelines pointed out for FIs were the need to adapt institutional documents to encourage the development of actions in Integration Networks; adherence to the GM and the Environmental Agenda Program of the Public Administration (A3P); establishment of a physical EM sectoral channel; and benchmarking with FIs adhering to the GM.