Track: Sustainability

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including its 17 SDGs was adopted in 2015 by Heads of State and Government at a special UN summit. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda was a landmark achievement, providing for a shared global vision towards sustainable development for all. Higher Education Institutions should not be away from this challenge, for by not using their combined forces to help solve emerging problems of global society. Management and Engineering courses need to engage with a public that lacks sustainability practices, which is a significant challenge. The accumulation of solid waste in landfills is one of the casus of the global warming due to the greenhouse effect gases, such as carbon dioxide. This comes from the decomposition of several materials disposed in the landfills. Such an accumulation is a consequence of the production, consumption and indiscriminate waste of products once their lifetime is over. This paper describes and evaluates a case in which researchers, in collaboration with their Higher Education Institution (HEI) communities, attempted to align the public participation process to stakeholders’ sustainability literacy and practice in a sustainable HEI development process in two Latin America countries: Brazil and Colombia. Both universities compare their solid waste management, their lack of environmental culture of the university community, as well as other 2030 Agenda related issues.