Abstract:

The sustainable use of resources such as water and the prevention of negative impacts on the environment are necessary practices to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) identify food and agriculture as key actors for sustainable development and include different actions to eradicate poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2), improve water quality and achieve universal access (SDG 6), combat climate change (SDG 13) or protect our natural resources (SDGs 12, 14 and 15).

This is a difficult and ambitious challenge that requires the awareness and preparation of society to achieve it. Young people are a major driver of sustainable development and key agents of social change, economic growth and technological innovation. With political commitment and adequate resources, young people have the potential to make the world a better place for all. Today there is the largest generation of young people in history. In this context, the University, through teaching, research and transfer, must contribute by forming citizens committed to sustainability in its three dimensions (environmental, social and economic).

In this communication, we present a service-based learning practice carried out in the subject of Waste Management and Utilization taught in the Food Engineering Degree of the School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (Madrid, Spain; ETSIAAB-UPM), during the academic year 2021-22. The experience has involved 42 university students (from the ETSIAAB-UPM) and 119 high-school students.

To develop the activity, the university students worked on the acquisition of competences and learning related to the respect for the environment and specifically with the sustainable use of resources such as water and the prevention of negative impacts on the environment through the valorization of food waste by transforming it into bioplastics. Subsequently, the university students disseminated the acquired knowledge to groups of high school students who visited the ETSIAAB-UPM by means of an experimental activity which needed the practical collaboration of all the students. The visit was accompanied by an introductory lecture related to the SDGs associated with the sustainability of agricultural and food systems.

The outcome of this activity has been evaluated by comparing the results of a questionnaire that students had to fulfill before and after the experience. The results demonstrate the success of peer-to-peer learning, observing a climate of collaboration and cooperation among students, as well as to effectively carry out service-based learning on the SDGs related to agri-environmental sustainability.

Acknowledgement:
This work has been financed by the Cátedra Fertiberia, the Fundación Premio Arce, and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid under the service-based-learning grant APS22.2003.

Keywords:

Service-based learning, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), valorization, food waste, bioplastics, water regeneration, peer-to-peer learning.