How Nordic universities are
contributing to global
sustainability
Meeri Karvinen, coordinator of NSCN
Aalto University, Finland
The International Symposium on Northern Development
Québec City, Canada
25.-27.2.2015
Contents
1) Establishing Nordic Sustainable Campus
Network, NSCN
2) NSCN and Rio+20 Project in the Nordic
universites
3) The level of sustainable development in the
Nordic HEIs
– Preliminary results of the project based to:
- Workshop at Univ. of Copenhagen Oct´14
- The survey
1) Establishing Nordic
Sustainable Campus Network,
NSCN
Background: Nordic university
collaboration
• Official collaboration since 1976
– Nordic network for university administrations, NUAS 1976
– Today: Joint Nordic Master’s programs, Nordic Five Tech, N5T
• Sustainable development a strong value in the Nordic region
– Development of Nordic Environmental policies
• After the Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment 1972
– Nordic ecolabel, the Swan 1989
• After the Brundtland Commission : concept of sustainable development 1987
– Nordic strategy for sustainable development since 2001
• Still: No official collaboration in the field of sustainability
until 2011: Nordic Climate Festival@Aalto
The establishment of NSCN in Jan 2012
NSCN
NUAS Sustainability
A platform for connecting
sustainability experts
in Nordic higher
education institutions
About NSCN
Our mission:
To integrate and strengthen sustainable development in Nordic HEIs
– Greening the campus
– Research and teaching
NSCN in numbers:
• 40 Member institutions, including also universities of applied sciences and
university colleges
• More than 100 persons in the mailing list
Recent development:
• January 2015 merger with NUAS NUAS Sustainability
– Working group consists of 2 representatives/country, Iceland 1
+coordinator
Enables integrating SD-perspective into university activities as a whole
Local networks around the world
Nordic Sustainable Campus
Network (NSCN), since 2012
UK
Work in progress:
Campus Sustainability
Network in Japan,
CAS-Net JAPAN
(Central, southern)
China Green Campus Network
Europe: several networks (CGUN), since 2011
Korean Association of Green
campus Initiatives, since 2008
Hong Kong Sustainable Campus
Consortium, since 2010
Africa:_____?
APSCC*
Latin America______?
Australasian Campuses
Towards Sustainability, since
2002
* Association for promoting Sustainability in Campuses and Communities (India)
A few more on networks: international-sustainable-campus-network.org/about/links.html
ISCN conference @ NUS, June´13, Meri Löyttyniemi, www.aalto.fi/nscn
2) NSCN and Rio+20 Project in
the Nordic universites
Background: Rio+20 initiative for HEIs
Main targets of the initiative:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Teach sustainable development concepts
Encourage research on sustainable development issues
Green our campuses
Support sustainability efforts in the communities in
which we reside
Engage with and share results through international
frameworks
Main targets concerning higher education set in the
outcome document (The Future We Want) of Rio+20
World Summit
1.
2.
3.
4.
Transparent and effective governance, implementing
sustainable management practices
Integrating sustainable development into all teaching
Change in attitudes, commitment of decision makers
Development and usage of new technology
http://rio20.euromed-management.com/
Declaration-for-HEI.pdf
The Rio+20 project: goals
”Implementation of Rio+20 in the Nordic HEIs”
•
•
Responses the targets set in the Rio de Janeiro 2012 UN World Summit
Implements the SD-strategy of the Nordic Council of Minsters: A good life in a
sustainable Nordic region 2013
• 2014-2015 by Aalto University and 6 partners
• Goals:
• To inventory how the Nordic HEIs are implementing SD
• To analyze the steering mechanisms, drivers and obstacles affecting the
implementation
• Joint indicators and recommendations to more effectively implement SD
The Rio+20 project: implementation
Project milestones:
– 2014 Feb: Project launching seminar in Iceland
– 2014 Aug: NUAS Facilities and Environment Conference 24.-27.8. in
Helsinki/Espoo, Finland
– 2014 Oct-Nov: A wide survey conducted2014 Oct: Workshop on
steering measures, 24 attendees
• A part of ”Making universities sustainable” conference in Copenhagen 22.-24.10.
climate.ku.dk/green_campus/sustainableuniversities
– 2015 May: Workshop on measuring and indicators in Gothenburg (GU)
– 2015 Oct/Nov: Case competition on sustainable urban planning
– 2015 Oct: Final seminar in Oslo
3) The level of sustainable
development in the Nordic HEIs
Preliminary results of the project based to:
- Copenhagen workshop
- The survey
Nordic HEIs and sustainability – what
do we know?
• Universities have developed SD strategies individually: the level of
implementation varies from very high to near zero-level
– 6 universities have joined the ISCN
–
12 Nordic HEIs have signed the Rio+20 initiative
• The steering mechanisms vary between the countries: effect on the
implementation
– In Sweden the university legislation provides universities to implement an
environmental management system
• The Copenhagen workshop
– Finding out the steering mechanisms that effect the most the implementation of SD in
higher education institutions
• The project survey
−
−
the first benchmarking survey concerning SD in the Nordic HEIs
Includes: steering mechanisms, enablers & obstacles, level of integration and the
organization concerning SD
Copenhagen workshop
1. To what level your organization has integrated SD?
2. Select 3 most effective drivers that affect the implementation of SD.
Have reached the targets set
University of
Gothenburg,
Sweden
Cornell university,
USA
Operational stage
DTU, Denmark
University of
KTH
Aalborg
Stockholm,
Copenhagen,
University,
Sweden
Denmark
Denmark
University of Oslo,
LUT
Norway
Lappeenranta,
Finland
Ghent University,
Belgium
INTERNAL DRIVERS
European regulation (e.g. Bologna
process, EU directives)
The strategy of your university
Nordic strategy for sustainable
development
Key strategic performance indicators
(KPI)
National strategy for sustainable
development
Financial resources (e.g. incentives,
budget)
HFT
Stuttgart,
Gernamy
National university legislation
Aalto University,
Finland
National quality assurance system
concerning sustainability in HEIs
Sustainability reporting system
Results-based steering
Teaching evaluation system
Other
International sustainability
commitment
Planning stage
Start-up stage
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Not at all planned or integrated
Oslo College
University
EXTERNAL DRIVERS
National
University of
Singapore
University of
Lund,
Sweden
•
•
Other universities role
model
Public expectations
Cost of resources
Cost of energy
Media
Climate change
Energy prices
Waste and chemicals
regulation
President's commitment
Culture
Environmental management system
Other
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Staff & students activity
Students’ voice
Formal student democracy
Individuals
Image, rankings
Research
Bottom-up processes
The survey: How sustainability is
steered in the Nordic universities
• 152 persons responded
• 5 countries and 53 institutions, even 9 rectors represented
• 3 Respondent groups: teaching/research, administration,
environmental/sustainability
• The respondents were unsatisfied with the recent situation: 72% of the
respondents think that better steering than today is needed
External drivers
Internal drivers
Other drivers
The survey: Inventorying the levelof
sustainability in the Nordic HEIs
• According to the survey:
– Only 16,5% of the Nordic HEIs do not
mention SD in their strategy
– The integration of SD into all
activities is at least in a planning
stage in 65% of Nordic HEIs
– The respondents were in averidge
not particularly satisfied nor
disapponted with their organization’s
level of sustainability
• Most satisfied with campus operations,
least with SD in teaching
Focus areas of the Nordic HEIs
%
Conclusions
•
•
•
•
SD is a strong value in the Nordic HEIs, highlighted in strategies
Nordic HEIs are in a planning/operational stage in integrating SD
level of implementation is considered quite modest
Sustainable campus and research relating to sustainability are the most important
focus areas in the Nordic HEIs, whereas biodiversity, sustainable transportation
and training teachers to include sustainability aspects can wait
There is a clear need to join forces in the Nordic region and develop ways to
improve the level of sustainable development in universities
Final seminar & Rio+20 project results will be published in October 2015,
University of Oslo, Norway
Follow us at: www.nordicsustainablecampusnetwork.wordpress.com
Rio+20 project partners in Making Universities Sustainable Conference
24.-26.10.2014, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Thank you!
www.aalto.fi/nscn