Methodological approach for the construction of environmental management indicators in universities

Abstract

Universities have become interested in environmental management. In them, there are problems of inadequate residues and waste management; high energy consumption and demand; water and air pollution; impacts on biodiversity, a deficient supply of healthy foods and sustainable consumption; mismanagement of the territory; absence of environmental education policies and graduates with a low environmental profile. The objective of the article is to provide a methodological approach, consisting of a question's menu, that characterizes environmental performance, for the construction of indicators as an instrument of environmental management, and environmental sustainability. 93 questions were established, classified into ten aspects: institutional; legal; energy and climate change-carbon footprint-; water footprint; solid residues and waste; hazardous wastes; planning, land management and biological diversity; social - healthy food; teaching and research; and economical - sustainable consumption. The determination of environmental performance was proposed through the “Traffic Light” methodology. The menu of questions was weighted through a perception probe by 12 professors in Venezuelan universities, which concludes that it is a guiding input to design, redesign and/or plan policies on environmental management. Its implementation must be coordinated by internal, trained, multidisciplinary personnel, with the endorsement of the authorities, in order to specify the environmental management indicators.