Unicamp ranks third among the most sustainable universities in Brazil. The evaluation is based on the ranking UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, held annually by the University of Indonesia and in which the University was in fourth position in 2019. In the 2020 edition, 912 universities were evaluated in the world and 38 in Brazil. USP and the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) remain in the top two positions in the country.
GreenMetric evaluates sustainability indicators in six categories: landscape and infrastructure; energy and climate change; waste; water; transportation and teaching and research. Last year, Unicamp was in 4th nationally and 80th internationally. In this edition, it rose to 3rd position in Brazil and 100th in the world. The best rates at the University are those relating to waste and water. Among the points evaluated in this context are recycling and waste treatment, water reuse and the use of energy-saving devices.
For Unicamp's representative at UI GreenMetric, the architect and urban planner from the Executive Directorate of Integrated Planning (DEPI), Thalita Dalbelo, the ranking once again shows that the University's initiatives around sustainability are recognized. GreenMetric, in this sense, is important to help the University get to know itself better. “Knowing where we are today, we were able to do this analysis and think about how we can improve. But improving not in the ranking, which is just a result. We need to improve to be a more sustainable university”, she assesses.
The improvement in position in relation to Brazilian universities, for the architect, is a positive fact, but it needs to be seen with caution as the pandemic caused rates such as energy consumption and vehicle circulation to temporarily decrease on campuses. “It is a temporary factor and we cannot consider that it will be maintained in the future. That’s why we need to create other forms of improvements for other years.”
The drop in position in relation to international universities must take into account the increase in the dollar. The impact of this variation is expressed in the indicator that gives scores for investments in projects related to sustainability. Although there is an increase in these investments at Unicamp, they are valued in dollars, resulting in a significant loss in conversion.
Challenges
Among the main challenges, Thalita firstly lists the issue of vegetation cover on campuses. Construction of garden spaces, buildings with green roofs and walls are examples that she considers that can be incorporated into new constructions or existing constructions that allow for these changes.
“The points that we most need to focus on over the next year to improve is the proportion of campus areas covered by native vegetation. We need to improve our vegetation cover, also with urban afforestation, gardens and areas with some type of plantation that can be considered green areas”, he observes, saying that this is a challenge mainly for the Limeira and Piracicaba campuses.
Furthermore, she points out that the production initiative of photovoltaic energy at Unicamp is of great importance and can be further expanded to further reduce the consumption of conventional electrical energy.
In relation to the circulation of vehicles, internal circular buses, which encourage the use of public transport, are an important point and were considered in GreenMetric. The acquisition of electric bus, a vehicle without pollutant emissions that began circulating this year, also improved Unicamp's score. Encouraging the use of bicycles and scooters, with the loan of this equipment and good conditions for its circulation, says the architect, could be a challenge to further improve a policy to reduce pollutant emissions on campuses.
Regarding the challenges surrounding the ranking, Thalita mentions that one of them has already been overcome, by including data on the Limeira and Piracicaba campuses, which had not been possible in last year's evaluation. The collection of information from academic units, which are invited to provide data to compose the indicators, can still improve. According to the architect, this is an important point so that there are no losses in the systematization of, for example, the number of courses, disciplines and events that occur on the theme of sustainability.
Check out the presentation of the indicators and a comparison in relation to 2019 here.
sustainable university
The initiative to place itself in the ranking, for Unicamp, integrates a broader look at the issue of sustainability, as pointed out by the director of DEPI, Marco Aurélio Pinheiro Lima. “Unicamp is a university that is preparing to improve its position in relation to the concept of sustainability”, he states.
The professor indicates that there is global concern about topics such as climate change. In this sense, the creation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations (UN), with the participation of 190 countries, in 2015, constitutes a milestone on which educational institutions must align.
“Human practices have a strong impact on the environment and when you are aware and aware that human beings are producing large-scale effects that can attack the environment, we need to do something. The university has to take a position in relation to this and participate in this matter”, she notes.
With this knowledge, Unicamp has been taking the lead in several actions, among which it highlights participation in the creation of International HUB for Sustainable Development (HIDS). HIDS is being designed to be an entirely sustainable and smart district, with an environmentally integrated development model. Recently, the University also became a signatory of the Global Climate Letter (Climate Emergency Charter), which is part of a global effort led by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (UNFCCC).
Concern for sustainability is also part of the creation of the University's first Integrated Master Plan, which is headed by DEPI. The Master Plan aims to plan the use of the University and the occupation of its spaces in line with the principles of sustainability, included in the SDGs.
Furthermore, Unicamp bodies such as the Sustainable University Management Group (GGUS) and the Environment Division work on various awareness-raising actions and programs to make the University increasingly aligned with sustainability.
