The University and Its Environmental Aspects: A Case Study of UFGD on Its Initial Sustainability Practices

1. Introduction

The university plays a significant role in the economic, cultural, and socio-environmental development of countries and, especially, regions. It is impossible to discuss development, growth, or territorial expansion without analyzing the context of the presence of higher education institutions and their transformative power in the space.

According to Goebel & Miura (2004), the university should stop isolating itself in the development of its educational and research projects and start interacting and creating links with the socioeconomic issues of the context it is part of, through mechanisms that facilitate the relationship and cooperation between the university and society as a whole.

In the Brazilian economy, government purchases represent approximately 12.0% of the GDP (Ibge, 2019; Ipea, 2019). Therefore, public entities should be the first to adopt a sustainability approach, embracing practices that respect and value the environment through actions that can be materialized in changes in the way goods and services are consumed, raising awareness among their employees and the local population, and incorporating sustainable policies into the university-society relationship.

Pressures on the environment have increased due to the search for new resource sources and environmental degradation resulting from improper waste disposal in nature and irresponsible use (Valente, 2011).

In response to this scenario, the world turned to the need for a change in behavior patterns. Part of society began to demand environmentally friendly attitudes, leading to the deconstruction and reconstruction of paradigms from a socio-environmental perspective.

Public Administration uses various goods, services, and resources for its activities and must observe the principles outlined in Article 37 of the Federal Constitution of 1988, which are: legality, impartiality, morality, publicity, and efficiency. In this context, public institutions must seek the best conditions to serve society through available and appropriate tools, promoting social well-being. It is understood that in this context, when an institution/university and society interact, there is an improvement in the quality of life and the environment, thus promoting development in the region.

Carvalho (2008) mentions that universities should provide a critical, creative, and emancipatory education that prepares citizens to be aware of their role in society, their duties, and their rights. They should also contribute to the socioeconomic development of their region, aiming for social progress and the ability to innovate and address local needs. The objective of this study was to identify the actions that contributed to the pursuit of a balanced environment in the economic, cultural, and socio-environmental aspects of the Federal University of Grande Dourados - UFGD, between the years 2016 and 2018.

The study is structured in three sections in addition to this introduction. The second section deals with the historical perspective of UFGD and its sustainable practices. The third section presents the final considerations, highlighting the main implications in the analysis of the sustainability context within the university.

2. Historical Perspective Of Ufgd

The Federal University of Grande Dourados is located in the municipality of Dourados, State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Before discussing the environmental aspect of the institution, we will characterize the municipality in which it is located because it is relevant to point out the main characteristics of the municipality and its relationship with the university.

The municipality of Dourados was created on December 20, 1935, with areas separated from the municipality of Ponta Porã (Junior & Da Silva, 2017), and it was elevated to the status of a city-pole in the mid-1970s (UFGD, 2004), still part of the state of Mato Grosso (Calixto, 2019). It currently has a population of 261,019 inhabitants (Ibge, 2022).