Sustainability Skills: The Case of a Portuguese University

Abstract

Based on the state of the art on universities and sustainability, an attempt was made to understand the development of a Portuguese university on the perspective of sustainability, by analyzing the necessary skills for such sustainability. The design used for this research was the case study design. The data collection occurred between September and November 2014, and a data collection protocol elaborated from the theory on sustainability in universities was used. Through observations, interview and analysis of documents as evidence sources, the most expressive results highlight that the University of Coimbra—UC uses sustainability concepts that go beyond teaching and learning. The institution aims to develop, through programs, contests to gather ideas from students and business consultancies, a philosophy that would emerge from the sustainability skills inside the campus, curriculum and community. Through the environmental management of the campus, UC promotes energy savings, preservation of resources, waste reduction, preservation of the property, gas and water as to the energy efficiency plan, and the creation of new courses for sustainable development. It is observed that the university has the efficient sustainability skills as to the analyzed dimensions, and they were monitored as to its goals and programs. With lower emphasis, due to the secular characteristics, the sustainability actions occur on the structures that require alternatives to meet new sustainability concepts, which have been introduced into green universities.