The ecological footprint in the Universities
doi.org/10.20420/ElGuiniguada.2021.410
Keywords:
Huella ecológica, indicador, desarrollo sostenible, sostenibilidad, universidades…Abstract
Currently, one of the most commonly used indicators to catalog sustainable development is the ecological footprint, due to the advantages offered: integrates other environmental indicators, the results are simple and intuitive to interpret, can be applied at different levels (global, national, regional, institutional, business or personal). Although there are some limitations to specify the total environmental impact generated, such as not refer to the loss of biodiversity or not have the data necessary for calculation.
In this paper, it is delivered an analysis of the use of the ecological footprint as an indicator of sustainability from the university perspective. It is described as in the area of universities, the determination of the ecological footprint persecutes to incorporate sustainability into their organization, to which could provide a number of advantages: analysis of the resources consumed, as an educational tool, environment awareness, participation of the entire university community, synergies in various areas of knowledge, stimulation of policies and measures in favor of real sustainable development that can influence the immediate environment or inspire other institutions (hospitals, schools, public administrations, etc.) and society in general. Likewise, it is contrasted that actually, it does not exist an agreed methodology for calculating the ecological footprint at the universities, which also considers the logical inequalities that involves comparing different university contexts (climate, living standards, geographical layout, type of transport...) making it difficult comparisons of the results obtained.
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