Sustainability Integration Approaches in Higher Education Institutions. A Case Study

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the importance of Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions. Two are the main objectives. First what is a sustainable university? Tools and approaches to assess the integrated contribution of universities towards sustainability are discussed. The ideal sustainable university, from each approach, is identified. But also the areas with the greatest contribution to sustainability according with the literature reviewed. Sustainability curricula and other academic activities (such as service learning or cooperation for development) are essential in this context. The second objective is how to stablish sustainability strategies towards an Education for Sustainable Development at an institutional level and at academic level. In this sense, it is developed an evaluation of a case study with sustainability in mind since many years (Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain) based on the existing assessment proposals for a more real and practical understanding and to analyze the usefulness of these tools to propose a strategic plan towards an Education for Sustainable Development of any Higher Education Institution.