The link between education and environmental management enables practical, experiential learning that is relevant to one’s own surroundings. “Once you manage to instill a sense of environmental responsibility in people, the rest falls into place: some will start composting, others will reduce their use of single-use plastics, and others will bring their own bags when shopping—it all adds up,” says Mag. Inés Tiscornia, assistant coordinator of Environmental Management at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
Environmental education, according to the National Plan for Environmental Education (PlaNEA) of the National Network for Environmental Education for Sustainable Human Development (developed in Uruguay between 2011 and 2014), is conceived as a tool that promotes “active, responsible, and conscious citizen participation in decision-making and the management of their environment, valuing individual and collective dignity and identity,” and places special emphasis on the combination of academic and practical knowledge and skills.
In this regard, our university began a process of raising environmental awareness in 2016 with the goal of improving the institution’s waste management, led by a multidisciplinary group of university professionals headed by Inés Tiscornia.
Initially, the focus was on analyzing and sorting the waste generated, and bins were distributed for paper and cardboard, as well as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic, which were identified as the two most common types of waste. Today, following the establishment of the Environmental Management department in 2019, in addition to monitoring waste recycling and implementing initiatives focused on responsible consumption, the strategy places greater emphasis on individual and collective commitment to sustainable development through environmental education.
“Universities play an essential role in sustainable development. Professionals committed to the environment will be agents of change for society as a whole. They can take action and improve the environmental aspects within their reach, both in their workplaces and in their daily lives. If we all make small changes, the effect multiplies,” says Tiscornia, referring to PlaNEA’s argument that “educating responsible citizens and communities capable of participating democratically in the planning and management of their territories is a shared interest and mission of education and management for sustainable human development.”
On another note, the university is also part of the National Waste Management Plan (PNGR) known as “Uruguay + Circular,” a collective initiative led by the Ministry of the Environment for strategic planning at the national level over the next 10 years, which aims, broadly speaking, to shift the focus from waste to resources. “A powerful message that aligns with the transition toward a circular economy that is taking place worldwide,” says Tiscornia, who participated in the PNGR’s participatory process representing ORT to “contribute his technical perspective from academia.”
As he noted, “There were working subgroups, and one of the ones I participated in was the environmental education subgroup. The PNGR includes a chapter dedicated to participation and education; however, the aim was for environmental education to permeate all other chapters to achieve a comprehensive vision. Furthermore, one of the stated objectives is to promote environmental education across the board in both formal and non-formal education, and we at the universities have much to contribute toward this goal.”
In April 2021, Universidad ORT Uruguay recognized in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, which assesses the work of universities worldwide based on their performance in areas covered by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by UN member states. In SDG 12, on responsible consumption and production, our university ranked among the top 101–200 out of the 503 universities evaluated for this goal.
“When it comes to environmental education, our goal at Universidad ORT Uruguay to raise awareness and encourage participation among students and staff, so that they take ownership of the issue and create a dialogue that provides us with feedback to guide our future actions. We want them to encounter environmental issues in their daily activities at the university,”he concluded.