Abstract:

Universities have voluntarily adopted the values and goals of sustainability, as proposed by the United Nations 2030 Agenda, and find ways of incorporating them into their teaching, research, and administrative activities. However, as literature shows, walking the path of sustainability is not an easy task, and various approaches are tested by universities around the globe, in search of pursuing the Sustainability Development Goals (SDG). This paper focuses on the effort of the oldest university in the Western part of Romania that is at the beginning of the process of incorporating sustainability goals in its modus operandi, in the residential campus that harbors 6000 students during their study years. A collaborative research strategy was developed, to engage students in shaping a vision of the environment-friendly campus starting from the topics and behaviors they recognize as leading to achieving such a goal. Students were engaged in distributing a sociological questionnaire on the topic of sustainability-related behaviors, gathering 1172 valid responses. These responses are presented in a quantitative manner. In addition, the research team analyzed from a qualitative angle, results of a contest between students who shared on social media videos containing their views and interest in sustainability topics. The findings are useful for tailoring campaigns that support the university’s intended efforts to make the campus greener and educate students outside of the classroom how to prepare for adulthood and autonomous life as sustainable citizens. Such an approach considers the specificity of a major stakeholder, the student body, is understood and that the transformational process leading to a sustainable campus is planned and explained accordingly, giving ownership of the process to students.

Keywords:

sustainability, student, campus, environment, co-creative approach, engagement