University of Gävle’s work for sustainable programmes wins first prize in USA

“The University of Gävle continues to stay focused on work that contributes toward a thriving, equitable and ecologically healthy world,” says Meghan Fay Zahniser, executive director for AASHE, a leading association for the advancement of sustainability in higher education in USA.

“We have now been recognised in other parts of the world for the work we do here in Gävle, and this award is a very fine recognition and encouragement for our continued work,” Rodrigo Lonzano says. He is a researcher in industrial engineering and management at the University of Gävle.

The work which won the AASHE Sustainability Awards award concerns the process of connecting university competence to actual pedagogical approaches in our teaching. Many years ago, Kaisu Sammalisto, former deputy vice-chancellor for sustainable development at the University of Gävle, and Rodrigo Lonzano, together with colleagues from Belgium, Canada, the US and Mexico began working on such processes.

“We have first distilled all competences in sustainability and then discussed which pedagogical approaches would be the most appropriate ones for each of the competencies. This is something that has never been done before in a systematic manner, and certainly not in the ways we suggest,” Rodrigo Lonzano says.

Rodrigo Lonzano points out that while everybody talks about sustainability goals, no one knows how to transfer these sustainability competencies to the students. Moreover, the sustainability goals tend not to relate to the activities of the university.

“We need to modify these goals to make them fit our activities better, because then our activities will indirectly contribute to fulfilling these goals,” Rodrigo Lonzano says.

“We need to educate our students and give them the possibilities to better understand the impact the decisions they make as students, and, later, as professionals, have on sustainability, for instance on the environment and the climate of the world,” Kaisu Sammalisto states.

The winning article: "Connecting Competences and Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: A Literature Review and Framework Proposal"

http://www.aashe.org/

For more information, please contact:
Rodrigo Lozano, researcher in industrial engineering and management at the University of Gävle.
Phone: 073-461 83 56
E-mail: rodrigo.lozano@hig.se

Kaisu Sammalisto, senior lecturer in industrial engineering and management, former deputy vice-chancellor for sustainable development at the University of Gävle
Phone: 070-608 13 33
E-mail: kaisu.sammalisto@hig.se

Text: Douglas Öhrbom
Photo: Anna Sällberg