A Methodology for Sustainability Evaluation and Reporting in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology that allows higher education institutions (HEIs) to promote, to evaluate and to report on sustainability. The ultimate goal of the afore-mentioned methodology is to help HEIs achieve sustainability. First, a model entitled Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions (SusHEI) that generally describes and characterizes the functioning of an HEI was defined. SusHEI takes into account the core activities of any HEI (education and research), its impacts at economic, environmental and social levels, and the role of its community. SusHEI allowed for the establishment of internal dimensions interrelated to the functioning of an HEI. Then, a matricial representation of the model was developed. The matrix crosses internal dimensions (and eventually sub-dimensions) with sustainability dimensions (and eventually sub-dimensions) and it is quantified through indicators. There is a wide range of possible sustainability indicators that can be chosen, depending on the purpose and the public to whom the indicators/reports are addressed. The methodology is illustrated by a case-study — the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). This paper provides a methodology that enables the selection of sustainability indicators for sustainability reporting, assessment or even for benchmarking, and also eliminates some of the main weaknesses found in the models currently available.