Finnish universities promoting sustainable development?
Keywords:
higher education, sustainable development,, sustainable university, Agenda 2030, eco-social civilizationAbstract
One of the UN Agenda 2030 goals related to education aims to ensure that all learners have the skills and knowledge needed for advancing sustainability. Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences have committed to their own sustainability and responsibility program aiming to fulfill those UN goals. Academic universities in Finland have a similar commitment with their sustainability and responsibility theses. Both of these commitments aim to achieve the UN sustainable development goals but single universities are at different stages in their sustainability action. In this article we use qualitative research methods to analyze how four different universities frame their sustainability action and how they fulfill those pledges. Universities’ strategies, sustainability programs and websites on sustainability were used as research material. In the article we present the universities’ goals, plans and actions which are part of the sustainability transition. The aim is to further the discussion on higher education’s role on sustainable development and bring forth ways to promote it. The research shows that the way universities present their sustainability action is part of a larger picture that universities try to create of themselves as sustainable and responsible actors. How well does the universities sustainability image then compare with their action - that cannot be reviewed on the basis of this research material. In a sustainable university sustainability is an integral part of every action in the organisation. In practice that means a holistic approach in which sustainability is linked to every action in university and it is reviewed on a regular basis. For now, it is too early to judge how universities fulfill their own and international sustainability goals.
