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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 11

Publication Date: November 25, 2023

DOI:10.14738/assrj.1011.15759.

Kavasakalis, A., & Sidiropoulou, K. (2023). University of Patras: a "Green" University? A Case Study of a Greek University Institution.

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(11). 91-105.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

University of Patras: a "Green" University? A Case Study of a Greek

University Institution

Aggelos Kavasakalis

Department of Educational Sciences and Social Work,

University of Patras, Greece

Kyriaki Sidiropoulou

Higher Education Policy: theory and praxis, Department of

Educational Sciences and Social Work, University of Patras,

Greece

ABSTRACT

The unprecedented intensity of climate change shows how urgent the need to make

our societies more sustainable is. It is therefore positive that many enterprises and

educational organizations worldwide are making efforts to integrate the principles

of sustainable development into their way of operating. The aim of this article is to

highlight the research findings on the actions and processes adopted in a Greek

university, the University of Patras, to promote sustainability and ‘green’ operation.

It is a qualitative survey conducted at the University of Patras with the participation

of 13 professors of the university as the key - actors as they: a) teach relevant

courses, b) participate in relevant actions, c) hold (at the time of the research)

positions of responsibility in the leadership of the university. By generating the

data, through the use of thematic analysis of official university texts and semi- structured interviews it is concluded that this university is in an early stage of

transformation to a green operating model.

Keywords: Sustainable development, Green Universities, Environmental Policies, Higher

Education, University of Patras.

INTRODUCTION

Although the environmental problem is an issue that has been of concern to humanity for many

years, in the knowledge society environmental degradation continues to be a key issue of

debate and global concern. Mainly because due to the increased anthropogenic activity,

environmental problems are more complex to deal with, as their effects are not usually

immediate and visible to those who cause them, but to future generations (Naustdalslid, 2011).

In this context, various ‘green’ development models have been developed in the last decades,

such as, for example, sustainable development, in order to ensure the well-being of the planet

while meeting all contemporary social and economic needs (Ghissellini et al., 2016). Integrating

sustainability into aspects of life is not an easy task, instead the challenges are many and a

profound cultural change is required by any organisation wishing to become more sustainable

(Cortese, 2003).

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 11, November-2023

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

This paper argues that higher education is expected to contribute effectively to this effort (Leal

Filho, 2015), through the institutionalization of sustainability principles in curricula, research

and the functioning of universities in general (Lozano, 2010). By adopting a holistic approach

to sustainability, through the implementation of the "sustainable university", higher education

may be the most important helper in addressing the environmental problem (Velazquez et al.,

2006).

The research, the results of which are presented in this article, focuses on the actions/policies

adopted by the University of Patras in the context of sustainability. First, the most important

developments in addressing the environmental problem at the global level are summarized and

then the concepts of sustainable development and sustainable university are described.

Subsequently, the data of a qualitative survey conducted at the University of Patras with the

participation of 13 university professors are presented. The participants were key actors as

they: a) teach relevant courses, b) participate in relevant activities, c) hold (at the time of the

research) positions of responsibility in the leadership of the University. Data production was

based on the use of thematic analysis of official University texts, as well as the use of semi- structured interviews.

KEY-POINTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE POLICIES

Although large-scale environmental disasters due to anthropogenic activity have been evident

since the late 1960s (Avrami, 2021), public discussions on how to address rapid climate change

began in 1990 and beyond (Seo, 2017). In particular, the first international commitments on

global warming were made at the third United Nations (UN) conference in Kyoto, Japan, in

1997. The Kyoto Protocol (KP) was originally based on the principle of "differentiated

responsibility" (UNFCCC, n.d.) and involved 37 industrialized countries aiming to reduce their

emissions compared to 1990 levels for the period 2008-2012 (UNFCCC, 2008). The Copenhagen

conference in 2009 aimed to replace the KP with an ambitious emissions reduction target for

developed countries of 25-40% by 2020 and 80-95% by 2050. This commitment was not met

with a satisfactory response from participating countries, resulting in the Copenhagen

conference going on record as one of the most unsuccessful meetings convened in the history

of global climate conferences (Groen et al., 2012).

The following year in Cancun, Mexico, the goals of the summit were less ambitious, given that

no progress was made in Copenhagen to prevent rapid climate change. Some considered this

agreement a success, since the previous year the UN's desire for a safe climate pathway seemed

unlikely to be achieved (Brown, 2011). Twenty years after the historic Rio conference, in 2012

world leaders met again for a conference in Rio de Janeiro (Hecht et al., 2012). The most

important outcome of the Rio+20 (UNEP, n.d.) was the adoption of the report "The Future we

want" which was the UN's declaration on sustainable development and which included

sustainability goals (EEA, n.d.).

The 20th conference followed in 2014 in Lima, with the participation of 196 member states.

Lima replaced the "principle of differentiated responsibility" established by the KP, as now all

countries were equally responsible for climate change, and therefore had a specific role to play

in addressing it (Shockley & Boran, 2015). At the end of 2015, one of the most important

conferences takes place in Paris, as for the first time all countries were determined to

participate in the effort to reduce their emissions by submitting their Nationally Determined

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Kavasakalis, A., & Sidiropoulou, K. (2023). University of Patras: a "Green" University? A Case Study of a Greek University Institution. Advances in

Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(11). 91-105.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1011.15759

Contributions (Arora & Mishra, 2021). New actions and negotiations started to give hope for a

meaningful effort to tackle climate change. It is worth noting that although 144 states ratified

the Paris Agreement in 2017, and while the 21st COP is often referred to in international

literature as a turning point in climate negotiations, in fact its legal force is weaker than the KP

and is based entirely on voluntary action by countries to reduce emissions (Seo, 2017). In 2021

the 26th climate summit was held in Glasgow and was considered another optimistic meeting,

after the Paris conference, due to the universal participation of countries. Two hundred

countries participated in the summit in order to commit to the 'Climate Pact', which was a

follow-up to the Paris Treaty (Arora & Mishra, 2021). The most recent UN climate conference

was held in November 2023 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The meeting was attended by more than

35,000 people including representatives of Member States, stakeholders and NGOs to discuss

the 1.5οC temperature target. Discussions at this conference also focused on the impacts of

climate change, green finance and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (United Nations,

n.d.).

Following the historical development of international climate conferences, the environmental

issue seems to be a problem that is still a major challenge today. International discussions and

negotiations are moving at a slow pace, at a time when, according to scientific estimates, even

if the objective of keeping the temperature within the 1.5°C limit is achieved, it may not be

enough to avoid a possible ecological disaster.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABLE UNIVERSITY

Sustainable or sustainable development has been an area of debate since the 1970s (Amaral et

al., 2015), when environmental scientists called for limits to the 'Western' development model,

as human activity was beginning to accelerate the pace of climate change (Ruggerio, 2021).

Sustainable development is a multidimensional concept that is under constant exploration

(Katsenou & Flogoiti, 2020). According to Johnston et al. (2007), there are more than 300

definitions of the field worldwide. The word "sustainable" acts as an umbrella term and is

associated with many areas of life and society, such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry, education

and economy. In other words, sustainability can be applied to a product, understood as a

process and can evolve into an entire philosophy (Wall, 2018).

The Brundtland Report formulated the most commonly accepted definition of sustainability,

according to which, sustainable development is defined as the balance of co-evolution of three

interrelated pillars: environment, society and economy. This balance must meet current needs

without compromising future generations and their needs (Iqbal &Piwowar-Sulej, 2021). More

generally, since the Earth Summit in Rio, the concept of sustainable development has taken a

leading role and has been incorporated into almost every national constitution around the

world. In addition, it has become a priority for many companies, worldwide, to align with the

principles of sustainability (Ruggerio, 2021).

This article argues that higher education is expected to play a central role in promoting and

enhancing sustainable development for two reasons. First, the universities’ research effort has

discovered pollution, loss of biodiversity, global warming and global warming. Second, the

university bears the responsibility for the education at the highest level, the development and

evolution of future citizens, who will play an important role in every aspect of life: economic,

social and political (Leal Filho, 2015).