Abstract:

Universities have an important role in the creation and diffusion of knowledge, research, innovation, economic development, and social welfare. Therefore, they are fundamental agents for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), involving to this end all the university community. It is important to understand that universities are complex institutions that, through their staff, students, campus and supply chains, have social, economic and environmental impacts. Thus, by implementing the SDGs in their policy, management, and university culture, they may contribute directly to the achievement of these goals.

The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), has endorsed the global and scalable concept of sustainability in its current strategic plan, perceiving it as an opportunity in order to obtain a sustainable future. The result of this reflection is the "EHUagenda 2030, for sustainable development", which is raised as a roadmap that aims to align the work of the UPV/EHU with the great challenges of the planet.

This study is in the framework of the Campus Bizia Lab (CBL) program, which forms part of the projects in which the EHUagenda 2030 is deployed. he CBL program aims to trigger a collaborative process within the university community in order to respond to the challenges of sustainability within the university itself. This transdisciplinary learning, based on challenges related to sustainability, has a curricular character and is materialized through the completion of the Bachelor´s Thesis.

In this work, in order to work both on the detection and on the resolution of sustainability related challenges/problems of the university, a Bachelor´s Thesis proposal was made, involving in these way students in research projects related to sustainability. The main objective of the Bachelor´s Thesis was to analyze data related to water, electricity and gas consumption in the Faculty of Engineering of Vitoria-Gasteiz (UPV/EHU) and to approach several actions of improvement to reduce them. In addition, with the implementation of this work, methodologies that allow the collection, treatment and analysis of data in a systematic way were established at the Faculty of Engineering Vitoria-Gasteiz (UPV/EHU).

Above the obvious environmental benefits resulting from the implementation of the proposed improvement actions, the project had a positive impact on students' learning outcomes. Thereby, being part of a research team allowed the students to contextualize their knowledge by establishing interrelations with economic and environmental concerns, as well as to apply sustainability values in personal and professional activities. In addition, it trained students in the sustainable use and management of resources, and promoted their participation in collaborative processes that foster sustainability.

Summarizing, this project allows the idea of sustainable development to become a reality through daily learning experiences, contributing to the reduction of energy consumption and acquiring the knowledge and skills to respond to the challenges of today's society.

Keywords:

Bachelor´s Thesis in sustainability, resources consumption, sustainable Campus.