Espirales. Revista multidisciplinaria de investigación científica, Vol. 6, No. 42
July - September - 2022. e-ISSN 2550-6862. Pp 12-21
DOI : https://doi.org/10.31876/er.v6i42.822
The green university and its importance beyond the times
of pandemic Covid-19
La universidad verde y su importancia más allá de los tiempos de pandemia
Covid-19
Alex Rosendo Fiallos Barrionuevo*
Emma Yolanda Mendoza Vargas*
Harold Elbert Escobar Terán*
Enrique Intriago Zamora*
Received: September 22, 2021
Approved: January 25, 2022
* Ph.D, Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo,
Ecuador afiallos@uteq.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2777-1791
* Ph.D., Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo,
Ecuador, emendoza@uteq.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0220-4328
* Ph.D., Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo,
Ecuador, eintriago@uteq.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1409-0268
Abstract
The environmental crisis facing the world today has been added
to the current health crisis by COVID-19, constituting one of the
main concerns of several international organizations. The "green
university" initiative is inserted in this process, as it is the key
entity in the development of the educational process, but with a
vision of generating greater personal and collective responsibility
regarding the proper use of resources, the implementation of
good practices and the promotion of environmental awareness
that can be replicated by students once they are trained as
professionals and are inserted in the different areas of society,
which is why it acquires a high prominence.
Keyword:
Environment, pandemic, sustainability, green
university.
Cite this:
Fiallos, A., Mendoza, E., Escobar,
H., Intriago, E. (2022). The green
university and its importance
beyond the times of pandemic
Covid-19 Espirales. Revista
Multidisciplinaria de investigación
científica, 6(42), 12-21
Alex Rosendo Fiallos Barrionuevo, Emma Yolanda Mendoza Vargas, Harold Elbert Escobar Terán , Enrique Intriago
Zamora
Espirales. Revista multidisciplinaria de investigación científica, Vol. 6, No. 42
July - September - 2022. e-ISSN 2550-6862. pp 12-21
13
Introduction
The term "green university" refers to the environmental sustainability carried out by an
educational entity of higher education, that is, where the sustainable approach that tries
to satisfy current needs without affecting future generations and the satisfaction of their
own needs is evident and prevails, orienting its activities and fundamental strategies to
practices to conserve the environment, the development of educational programs and
projects, and the study of sustainability (Lopera, Lopera, & Duque, 2019)..
The pandemic experienced, even today, has had a very negative impact on many
aspects of life and society. It has implied a worldwide crisis in terms of health, but it has
also had a much broader perspective, also implying a humanitarian crisis that today
requires large-scale coordinated actions in all countries in order to respond to major
social, economic and environmental challenges. (López, Chávez, & Vélez, 2020)..
It has been stated several times that the consequences of the rapid decrease in
economic activities have been positive in the sense that the level of carbon emissions
and pollution has been reduced in the short term. However, in the long term, the
sustainability of commitments and agreements established by different governments,
civil society and institutions is mandatory. Thus, the social responsibility that this current
situation merits leads to reflect on the ways of acting and the options to sociological
problems from the possibilities available today, making use of the tools provided by the
virtual world given the circumstances of social distance. (López, Chávez, & Vélez, 2020)..
In October 1990, a total of twenty-two universities around the world signed the Talloires
Declaration, a document in which they made a commitment to be at the forefront of the
processes of generation, promotion and maintenance of sustainability in the university
context. As a result of this declaration, higher education institutions, in recent decades,
Resumen
La crisis ambiental que hoy en día enfrenta el mundo se ha
sumado a la actual crisis sanitaria por COVID-19, constituyendo
unas de las preocupaciones principales de varios organismos
internacionales. La iniciativa de “universidad verde” se inserta en
este proceso, por ser esta la entidad clave en el desarrollo del
proceso educativo, pero con una visión de generar mayor
responsabilidad personal y colectiva en cuanto al uso adecuado
de los recursos, la implementación de buenas prácticas y el
fomento de la conciencia medioambiental que puedan replicar
los estudiantes una vez que se formen como profesionales y se
inserten en los diferentes ámbitos de la sociedad, por lo cual esta
adquiere un alto protagonismo.
Palabras clave:
Medio ambiente, pandemia, sostenibilidad,
universidad verde.
The green university and its importance beyond the times of pandemic Covid-19
Espirales. Revista multidisciplinaria de investigación científica, Vol. 6, No. 42
July - September - 2022. e-ISSN 2550-6862. pp 12-21
14
have increased their dedication and support in addressing the challenges related to
sustainability, thus beginning to drive change, as a result of creating a social culture in
this regard and determining themselves as a model for sustainable development. In this
way, sustainability began to permeate the core functions of higher education
organizations.
The situation indicated, has given the guideline for many universities in the challenge
towards sustainability, beginning processes of organizational and structural
modifications oriented to a greener university, all of which allow a preparation of leaders
and professionals who, from their work and profile guarantee sustainability in future
times and contribute to the development process of sustainable cities. (Lopera, Lopera,
& Duque, 2019).. The optimization of social, economic and environmental resources will
generate the basis for the achievement of this great challenge.
In recent decades, both the issue of sustainability and research in the field of
environmental education have been pointing the way and the need to improve not only
the link of human beings with the environment, but also the knowledge about it and the
change in attitudes towards its conservation. Unfortunately, this is not always positive,
nor have the best results been obtained. In fact, there seems to be a certain causal
relationship between attitudes and knowledge in this regard. (Zarta, 2018).
This article attempts to provide an overview of the importance of the "green university",
especially in current times when the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been
relevant. Incorporating environmental and sustainable issues in the framework of higher
education as a core competency in the training of future professionals, and making them
aware of the environment, promoting commitment to cultural, social and economic
change through attitudes, values and skills are essential tasks.
In this regard, the university community must achieve sufficient knowledge that favors
the proposal of solutions to environmental problems and the improvement of the
quality of life based on conceptual, methodological, bioethical, pedagogical, etc.
principles. (Lopera, Lopera, & Duque, 2019)..
Fostering environmental commitment in university and institutional centers turns
education into an environment oriented to learning about the sustainability of vital
aspects for the development and growth of better academic programs. However, even
the management of educational institutions in this sense brings great challenges, even
more so in difficult times and under circumstances such as those related to the current
pandemic. (Salas, 2021).
Materials and methods
This paper offers an overview and global reflection on the importance of the so-called
green university in the context of the pandemic caused by COVID-19. For this purpose,
a qualitative approach was adopted, providing this general perspective on the subject
through the search and analysis of available and updated information on the subject in
Alex Rosendo Fiallos Barrionuevo, Emma Yolanda Mendoza Vargas, Harold Elbert Escobar Terán , Enrique Intriago
Zamora
Espirales. Revista multidisciplinaria de investigación científica, Vol. 6, No. 42
July - September - 2022. e-ISSN 2550-6862. pp 12-21
15
quality sources and publications, which made it possible to obtain a characterization of
the main aspects related to the subject.
The theoretical methods used are the historical-logical, by means of which trends on
the subject can be determined; analysis and synthesis, which favors the development of
the research process; abstraction-concretion, used to concretize conceptions and
theoretical aspects; and documentary analysis, by means of bibliographic exploration
of quality contents.
Results
The background of the green university concept is based on some important facts. From
their foundation to the present day, universities have evolved from being teaching
communities to complex institutions with dissimilar structures where diverse groups and
individuals with different cultures, ways of thinking, knowledge and ideas coexist. Over
the years, these institutions have evolved and responded to social needs. For example,
they have begun to work in networks, as well as to understand the need to make
essential changes in their management, planning and organization, oriented towards
sustainability and environmental preservation. (Lopera, Lopera, & Duque, 2019).. These
fundamental changes involve administrative and policy issues in which the design of
educational strategies is indispensable.
It also involves aspects such as the mission of the institution, which should be reoriented
to the commitment to a sustainable future, based on the commitment to research,
environmental education, the conformation and implementation of projects and
programs to enhance professional competencies related to sustainable development,
considering that it will train responsible professionals in this area and who will then
possibly be in charge of other projects and institutions where they should also promote
this subject matter (Arredondo, Saldivar, & Limón, 2018). The educational institutions
themselves should have an academic unit that is in charge of projects and programs on
clean energy, environmental responsibility, reuse and recycling, preservation of
resources, which will lead to the proposal of changes in the management, participation
and management of green universities. (Lopera, Lopera, & Duque, 2019)..
It is of vital importance that these commitments are established in all higher education
institutions in three fundamental aspects oriented to sustainability: green buildings, as
they favor the reduction of energy consumption and the improvement of community
welfare; the implementation of the ISO 14001 Standard, as well as an environmental
management system, which are a group of useful tools for compliance with
environmental regulations aimed at increasing efficiency in each process and reducing
the impact on the environment. (Martínez, 2012).
It is necessary to emphasize that, despite the importance of higher education entities
to commit themselves in this sense and outline guidelines and strategies, they cannot
lose sight of the main process of this type of institutions: education. Therefore, this
involves the reaffirmation of the importance of education for sustainability, as well as
The green university and its importance beyond the times of pandemic Covid-19
Espirales. Revista multidisciplinaria de investigación científica, Vol. 6, No. 42
July - September - 2022. e-ISSN 2550-6862. pp 12-21
16
the need to take into account economic, social and political factors of sustainable
development. (Lopera, Lopera, & Duque, 2019)..
It is also key to understand that the training of all professionals must contain
methodologies, contents and effective practices in the formation of competences
related to sustainability, oriented to the profiles of future professionals. But to create
these competencies, three important areas must be taken into account: the one related
to knowledge; the methodological one, linked to doing and the attitudinal one, related
to knowing how to be and to value, for which the development of values and attitudes
on sustainability are essential. (Zabala & García).
It should also be reflected that in order to comply with these guidelines and to be able
to define a university institution as "green", it is necessary to provide evidence of how
this institution has development programs that do not harm the environment, where the
entire university community is involved.
If universities are institutions that prepare and train generations to constitute the work
force of a country, countries need "green" universities for their social and economic
development, which at the same time are linked to the processes of innovation, research
and problem solving, based on knowledge of reality, current circumstances and the city
itself.
For this reason, the academies play a very important role in the preparation of
responsible citizens and leaders with full social awareness, in charge of projecting and
sustaining sustainable cities in some way, enriching the results and projects. (Salas,
2021). The pandemic caused by the coronavirus has been, above all, a misfortune for
humanity. The number of deaths has now exceeded one million people infected and
more than sixty thousand dead. The United Nations (UN) Secretary General has affirmed
the need to consider the fight against COVID-19 as an immediate priority in the world.
However, this should not detract attention from the climate crisis, the impacts of which
are still considerable. (ECLAC-UNESCO, 2020).
In the current situation where billions of people are adapting to life under the prevailing
restrictions to cope with COVID-19, it is worth asking whether these circumstances and
experiences can help to visualize what a more sustainable world should look like, and
how to cope with climate change as well.
One of the actions that have been part of the global response to the coronavirus is the
intensive reduction of emissions and air pollution, which contributes to the reduction of
deaths and complications linked to air pollution. Pollution, for example, has for several
years accounted for millions of deaths per year worldwide and is a serious environmental
problem today. This situation is just one example of the seriousness of the issue, which,
added to the current pandemic crisis, makes it even more necessary to take measures,
design strategies, formulate programs and raise awareness of these issues.
Alex Rosendo Fiallos Barrionuevo, Emma Yolanda Mendoza Vargas, Harold Elbert Escobar Terán , Enrique Intriago
Zamora
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According to Garcia et. al. (2020)the current pandemic has generated much debate
about how air pollution, for example, has affected the ability of some countries to
control the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the number of critical cases. Above all,
greater efforts are now being called for, not only to optimize the public health system
that has come under enormous pressure, but also to clean up the air that negatively
harms human health.
Recently, studies from Harvard University have shown that those patients who have
suffered COVID-19 and whose domicile is located in areas of the United States with
higher levels of air pollution prior to the pandemic, have a higher probability of death
from the infection compared to patients living in areas with much cleaner air. Likewise,
other studies of the SARS epidemic in China have found that patients who also live in
regions where the air is highly polluted are twice as likely to die from SARS as those
who live in regions with better air quality. (Lopez M. , 2020).
This shows that reducing air pollution levels, for example, is very likely to help people
cope much better with COVID-19 or future pandemics, which may become increasingly
frequent due to the disintegration of natural habitats, climate change and intensive land
use.
If in the last 50 years the preservation of the environment has become one of the most
important issues in regional and global agendas, environmental education is key to
achieve this goal, being one of the pillars that has the ability to redirect and modify the
behavior of citizens in order to achieve a balance between man and nature. However,
with the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic and in view of the requirement and
obligatory nature of social isolation in all regions, the goals set in this sense have had
to be rethought and the strategies drawn up by governments and institutions, mainly
educational ones, must include new guidelines to address this new affectation. (López
M. , 2020).
The pandemic has shown the importance of global citizenship and the concept of
shared humanity, as well as the role of academia in promoting both concepts. The
pandemic has forced the international academic community to explore new ways of
teaching and learning, including distance and online education.
While the Covid-19 pandemic has so far brought about radical changes in the economic,
social and political areas, education is no exception, the principle of safeguarding public
health made the shift from face-to-face to virtual higher education a reality (Román,
2020). It was not a change of modality, it was an "emergent adjustment" due to the
health context, where it made use of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICT) to face the situation; these measures were taken, but without losing the forms
typical of face-to-face classes: synchronization of space-time, activities and feedback,
rigid schedules and the same number of contents (Román, 2020).
The green university and its importance beyond the times of pandemic Covid-19
Espirales. Revista multidisciplinaria de investigación científica, Vol. 6, No. 42
July - September - 2022. e-ISSN 2550-6862. pp 12-21
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The actions described above are articulated with an online system to meet all academic
and administrative requirements through teleworking and digital platforms for the
academic part (UNESCO IESALC, 2020). University management that also involves the
adequacy of human, material and financial resources.
Congruent with all that, according to the analysis carried out within the institution, the
Quevedo State Technical University (UTEQ) tuned to this new reality in terms of teaching
and learning activities, has a wide range of academic elements that in times of pandemic
changed its physical state to virtual and came to stay, among others, we can mention:
• Student portfolio: homework, evaluations, academic reports, and support
inputs.
• Teaching portfolio: - resume and supporting documents, analytical plan,
syllabus, lesson plan, teaching guide, teaching resources, evaluations, reports.
• Academic Management: Academic follow-up reports, self-evaluation reports,
inputs for external evaluation, internal and external communications,
agreements, minutes.
The actions taken by UTEQ lead to the optimization of large material, human, economic
and environmental resources that can be quantified in statistical terms, without
considering the administrative management with virtual electronic activity within the
institution. Thus, a new era of learning is assumed. UTEQ has already learned the lesson
about the importance of implementing sustainability initiatives; and at the moment,
within its return to face-to-face teaching, the only thing that has changed in 75% are the
virtual face-to-face classes, for physical face-to-face classes of teachers and students in
the university classrooms.
What has been described is the reality in which all universities in Ecuador and the world
are immersed in general terms, as well as a great part of the universal educational
system. It is in this way that the University is inserted in this process, as it is the place
where the educational process is developed, emphasizing the importance of knowing
and complying with environmental regulations. It should be noted that the "Green
University" initiative arises with the vision of generating greater collective and personal
responsibility regarding the correct and efficient use of resources, as well as promoting
the implementation of good environmental practices by the teaching and administrative
staff and students of universities and other educational centers in each country.
(Ordorika, 2020).
In addition, taking into account that education is a key component to generate a change
of habits in citizens, the work between the Ministries of Environment should be
permanent with the institutions that lead this process at the national level, in order to
promote ideas and develop initiatives that strengthen the link and the work between
the State and the academy for the proper use of resources. (Ordorika, 2020).
Alex Rosendo Fiallos Barrionuevo, Emma Yolanda Mendoza Vargas, Harold Elbert Escobar Terán , Enrique Intriago
Zamora
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If one of the most important entities within society, such as universities, is not committed
to the environment and to the design and implementation of initiatives to share
information to raise awareness among students, teachers and the community in general
on issues of environmental interest, it will not be possible to take advantage of the
experience left by the pandemic, in terms of sustainability, thanks to the use of virtual
resources, with the result that society itself, fundamentally, will be the most
disadvantaged.
Conclusions
The year 2020 presented a new challenge for humanity. The global crisis caused by
COVID-19 has reached all countries, but especially those of Latin America and the
Caribbean have suffered in a context of low economic development, high vulnerability
and inequality. This is a social fact that has convulsed social relations, values and
institutions, so managing this crisis fundamentally involves understanding the
interrelationship between various components and dimensions to generate proactive
solutions.
For the achievement of this goal to be sustainable, the participation of all sectors is
needed, among which the education sector is imperative. This pandemic has allowed
reflection on the importance of science, of filling information gaps, of the fact that this
virus lives hours outside the host and remains on various surfaces and environments,
which can be routes of transmission.
Therefore, environmental education and awareness is essential, not only because of the
relevance of climate change and the damage that man has caused to the environment
for years, but also because the current crisis caused by the pandemic requires more and
better investment in all environmental components to mitigate the effects that society
may suffer. The term "green university" should encourage all institutions of higher
education to make a commitment to include this issue in their strategic plans, to create
and foster values in teachers and students, to formulate new environmental policies and
to redesign environmental sustainability plans that will have an impact on reducing the
risks and effects of the environmental crisis and the pandemic.
The Quevedo State Technical University is attuned to the importance of applying
actions in favor of sustainability and has implemented actions that will be maintained
post-pandemic in the use of virtual resources for the implementation of academic
practices of university work.
..........................................................................................................
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July - September - 2022. e-ISSN 2550-6862. pp 12-21
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