Implementing Sustainable Development Principles into University Management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31150/ajshr.v6i3.3397Keywords:
sustainable development principles in university governance, ui greenmetric ranking, environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, digital infrastructure, renewable energy, setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, water, waste, transportationAbstract
In an era marked by intensifying environmental and socio-economic challenges, universities play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable development. This paper investigates how higher education institutions integrate sustainability into their governance, focusing on the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking as a leading global benchmark. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, it highlights international best practices—from institutions such as Harvard, Oxford, and Bogota—and compares these with initiatives at universities in Uzbekistan. The study details the core UI GreenMetric criteria (Setting and Infrastructure, Energy and Climate Change, Waste, Water, Transportation, Education and Research) and assesses longitudinal performance trends from 2018 to 2023. Findings indicate steady progress toward greener campuses, even among developing institutions, demonstrating the viability and impact of proactive sustainability measures. Finally, the paper offers actionable recommendations, including formulating comprehensive environmental strategies, fostering ecological literacy, strengthening global partnerships, and leveraging technological innovation to embed sustainable development principles into university management.
References
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, “Sustainability tracking, assessment & rating system (STARS),” 2022. [Online]. Available: https://stars.aashe.org/
World GreenMetric Ranking, “UI GreenMetric World University Rankings,” 2023. [Online]. Available: https://greenmetric.ui.ac.id/
A. P. Karaeva, M. R. Chashchin, and E. R. Magaril, “Introduction of the sustainable development principles in universities as a factor of increasing ecological and economic security,” Journal of Applied Economic Research, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 701–725, 2021, doi: 10.15826/vestnik.2021.20.4.027.
M. Shriberg, “Institutional assessment tools for sustainability in higher education: Strengths, weaknesses, and implications for practice and theory,” International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 254–270, 2002.
T. Huh, “Exploring the principles and criteria for governance for sustainable development,” International Review of Public Administration, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 67–78, 2010, doi: 10.1080/12294659.2011.10805180.
W. L. Filho, C. Shiel, and A. D. Paço, “Integrative approaches to environmental sustainability at universities: An overview of challenges and priorities,” Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 1–14, 2015, doi: 10.1080/1943815X.2014.988273.
M. Popescu and I. C. Beleaua, “Improving management of sustainable development in universities,” Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Series V: Economic Sciences, pp. 97–106, 2014.
R. D. Oliveira, J. Leitão, and H. Alves, “Corporate governance and sustainability in HEIs,” in Introduction to Sustainable Development Leadership and Strategies in Higher Education, Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020, pp. 177–191, doi: 10.1108/s2055-364120200000022016.
O. Khamidov, Z. Nurov, F. Saidqulova, and Z. Abdullayev, “UI-GreenMetric-Guideline-2023-Uzbek. Innovations, impacts and future direction of sustainable universities,” 2023. [Online]. Available: https://greenmetric.ui.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/
United Nations, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://sdgs.un.org/
UNESCO, Education for Sustainable Development: A Roadmap, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/
K. Brundiers and A. Wiek, “Beyond interdisciplinarity: Designing sustainability learning pathways,” Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 267–278, 2017.
R. Lozano and M. Barreiro-Gen, “Sustainable universities: Exploring sustainability reporting at higher education institutions,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 300, p. 126850, 2021.
W. Leal Filho, Handbook of Sustainability Science and Research. Springer, 2019.
UI GreenMetric, “Overall rankings—2018.” [Online]. Available: https://greenmetric.ui.ac.id/rankings/overall-rankings-2018
