Challenges and opportunities for sustainability in regional universities: a case study in Mytilene, Greece

Regional Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) may contribute significantly to the promotion of sustainability through several means connected with their functioning. Nevertheless, several challenges can present themselves during the planning and implementation of such initiatives. The aim of this paper is to underline these limitations through the relevant literature and highlight their main consequences on the achievement of sustainability. An empirical study, investigating the perception of students regarding the constraints to achieving sustainability in a regional university of Greece, was conducted and is discussed in relation to the university's specific characteristics – its fragmented nature with campuses situated on five Aegean islands, its public status as well as its role in creating and dispersing knowledge in less developed areas of the country.

[1]  Kay W. Lawrimore,et al.  Science education and sustainability initiatives , 2003 .

[2]  Sara Ojeda-Benítez,et al.  Mexican educational institutions and waste management programmes: a University case study , 2003 .

[3]  Angela S. Lindner,et al.  The “environmental sustainability” problem , 2003 .

[4]  Walter Leal Filho,et al.  Sustainability and University Life , 2000 .

[5]  Angelo Nicolaides,et al.  The implementation of environmental management towards sustainable universities and education for sustainable development as an ethical imperative , 2006 .

[6]  Michael Shriberg,et al.  Is the “maize‐and‐blue” turning green? Sustainability at the University of Michigan , 2003 .

[7]  Torbjörn Brorson,et al.  Training and communication in the implementation of environmental management systems (ISO 14001): a case study at the University of Gävle, Sweden , 2008 .

[8]  Leith Sharp,et al.  Green campuses: the road from little victories to systemic transformation , 2002 .

[9]  John Fien,et al.  Advancing sustainability in higher education: issues and opportunities for research , 2002 .

[10]  John P. Robinson,et al.  Recreating the university from within: Collaborative reflections on the University of British Columbia's engagement with sustainability , 2005 .

[11]  Casper Boks,et al.  INTEGRATION OF SUSTAINABILITY IN REGULAR COURSES: EXPERIENCES IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN ENGINEERING , 2006 .

[12]  T. Wright Definitions and frameworks for environmental sustainability in higher education , 2002 .

[13]  Rodrigo Lozano,et al.  Incorporation and institutionalization of SD into universities: breaking through barriers to change , 2006 .

[14]  P Barnes,et al.  Developing an environmental management system for a multiple-university consortium , 2002 .

[15]  Konstantinos Evangelinos,et al.  An analysis of social capital and environmental management of higher education institutions , 2009 .

[16]  Linda M. Kamp,et al.  Engineering education in sustainable development at Delft University of Technology , 2006 .

[17]  T. Alabaster,et al.  Environmental Accountability: Who's Kidding Whom? , 2000, Environmental management.

[18]  Konstantinos Evangelinos,et al.  Implementation of environmental management systems standards: important factors in corporate decision-making , 2002 .

[19]  Irene M. Herremans,et al.  Environmental management systems at North American universities , 2000 .

[20]  Georgios Venieris,et al.  Accounting Reform in Greek Universities: A Slow Moving Process , 2004 .

[21]  I. Spellerberg,et al.  Need a university adopt a formal environmental management system?: Progress without an EMS at a small university , 2004 .

[22]  Bernd Delakowitz,et al.  The Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz , 2000 .

[23]  Mark Starik,et al.  Initial environmental project characterizations of four US universities , 2002 .

[24]  Alexander Lidgren,et al.  A systemic approach to incorporate sustainability into university courses and curricula , 2006 .

[25]  Nora Munguia,et al.  Deterring sustainability in higher education institutions: An appraisal of the factors which influence sustainability in higher education institutions , 2005 .

[26]  Marta B. Lopes,et al.  Environmental management and audit schemes implementation as an educational tool for sustainability , 2006 .

[27]  K. A. Owens,et al.  As Green as We Think? The Case of the College of Charleston Green Building Initiative. , 2006 .

[28]  Carol Boyle Education, sustainability and cleaner production , 1999 .

[29]  Walter Leal Filho,et al.  Education for sustainability in university studies , 2006 .

[30]  E. Neumayer,et al.  Overcoming barriers to campus greening: A survey among higher educational institutions in London, UK , 2001 .

[31]  Robert J. Koester,et al.  Greening of the campus: a whole-systems approach , 2006 .

[32]  John William Stir,et al.  Restructuring teacher education for sustainability: student involvement through a “strengths model” , 2004 .

[33]  M. J. Norušis,et al.  SPSS 13.0 Guide to Data Analysis , 2000 .

[34]  Robert Thompson,et al.  When sustainability is not a priority: An analysis of trends and strategies , 2005 .

[35]  Lluis Jofre,et al.  Curriculum greening and environmental research co-ordination at the Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona , 2002 .

[36]  Bart Meehan,et al.  Mainstreaming environmental management: Case studies from Australasian universities , 2002 .

[37]  Allison Woodruff,et al.  Environmental Sustainability , 2009, IEEE Pervasive Computing.

[38]  Jean-François Bonnet,et al.  Analysis of electricity and water end-uses in university campuses: case-study of the University of Bordeaux in the framework of the Ecocampus European Collaboration , 2002 .

[39]  Economic incentives for sustainable resource consumption at a large university – Past performance and future considerations , 2000 .

[40]  Tarah Wright,et al.  Giving “teeth” to an environmental policy: a Delphi Study at Dalhousie University , 2006 .

[41]  John Fien,et al.  Advancing sustainability in higher education , 2002 .