Title: Environmental sustainability: an overview of Brazilian Federal Institutes of Education, Science, and Technology

Authors: Luciana Londero Brandli; Daniel Almeida Hecktheuer; Marcos Antonio Leite Frandoloso; Lisiane Celia Palma

Addresses: Graduate Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Passo Fundo, CAMPUS I–Km 171–BR 285, Bairro São José, Caixa Postal 611–CEP 99001-970, Passo Fundo/RS, Brazil ' Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology South Riograndense, Passo Fundo, Brazil ' Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo – RS, Brazil ' Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), Canoas, Brazil

Abstract: The Federal Institutes of Education Science and Technology (IFs) are higher education institutions specialising in providing professional and technical education in Brazil. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of educational institutions in Brazil in the context of environmental sustainability and to propose a set of guidelines that incorporate sustainability efforts. To accomplish this, a survey at the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (IFs) was conducted. The results showed that the IFs has achieved national coverage and has revealed a substantial array of environmental-related activity in teaching and research, while outreach activities were low. In the activities related to campus life, there is still a great lack of initiative which should be embraced. In order to improve sustainability in these institutions, main constraints, barriers and suggestions for way forward have been identified.

Keywords: environmental sustainability; higher education; sustainability education; sustainability research; outreach; university life; campus life; sustainable development; Brazil.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2015.071868

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2015 Vol.9 No.3/4, pp.262 - 281

Received: 07 Jun 2014
Accepted: 05 Feb 2015
Published online: 21 Sep 2015 *

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