The scope of the project was to transform the higher education institutions into a living model and active engine of sustainability that can be divided into a three-fold transformation: Integrating Sustainability in Academic Courses: Universities are increasingly embedding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their teaching. This involves providing faculty with theoretical knowledge and pedagogical methodologies to transform how sustainability is taught in all scientific disciplines. The "Living Lab" Model: Transforming the campus into a "living laboratory" allows institutions to put sustainability science into practice. These labs adopt solutions that deliver social, economic, and environmental benefits to the university and its wider community. Scaling Sustainability for Broader Impact: To leverage the university’s role as a thought leader by creating and standardizing tools (like the online SDG mapping tool) to benchmark and share best practices. It can raise public awareness, influence other institutions, and empower the community to act as informed "sustainability citizens" capable of driving transformative change in society.
The project was initiated to systematically embed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into higher education by advancing transformative, student-centered learning practices and integrating sustainability into institutional operations. Key Needs Addressed: -Developing a mapping tool to help institutions map, assess, and enhance their SDG integration systematically into courses and university operations. -Addressing gaps in common standards and methodologies for SDG integration in academia. -Promoting institutional and behavioral change toward sustainability among students, faculty, and staff. -Providing students with the mapping tool to make informed choices by identifying which modules incorporate sustainability concepts, raising sustainability literacy. -Stimulating innovative learning and teaching practices through student-centered approaches that implement green competencies and sustainability education such as Action-Based Learning, to replace passive formats. The project aimed to create a relationship between academic innovation and institutional sustainability, ensuring that educational advances inform campus operations and community engagement, and vice versa.