The path toward a sustainable green university: The case of the University of Florence

Abstract

Over the last thirty years, sustainability has become an increasing concern for academics, students and policy makers. In this scenario, universities may play a pivotal role in the building of a more sustainable society in two different ways. On one hand, by reducing the negative impacts of their activities on the economy, society and environment; on the other hand, by fostering sustainable practices in curricula and research programs. More precisely, a “green university” implements sustainability in all different dimensions of its activity (i.e., institutional framework, campus operations, teaching, research, community engagement, accountability and reporting). Literature has so far focused on specific aspects of sustainability in the higher education sector, without taking into consideration the simultaneous incorporation of green issues in all abovementioned dimensions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to fill this literature gap by exploring the path toward sustainability of the University of Florence. The results show that the University has defined clear strategies and well-structured initiatives to actually implement sustainable practices; moreover, the current Rector seems to strongly support the journey toward a greener institution. At the campus level, the main projects are related to green buildings, waste management and sustainable mobility, despite financial restrictions. The issues of sustainability are also widely spread both in the educational offer and in the research activity, but systematic coordination between these dimensions and sustainability still lacks. Furthermore, despite the efforts for increasing community engagement, also this dimension needs to be improved. A similar conclusion is possible for accountability and reporting dimension, where one of the weak points is precisely the limited engagement of external stakeholders.