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Environmental Accountability: Who's Kidding Whom?
J Walton1, T Alabaster, K Jones
1Centre for Environmental Informatics School of Sciences, University of Sunderland, Benedict Building, St. George's Way, Sunderland SR2 7BW, UK, UK.
Environmental Management
|September 12, 2000
Summary
Higher education institutions (HEIs) struggle to embed environmental responsibility due to a lack of strategy and institutional culture. Enthusiastic individuals and environmental reporting show promise for driving progress in sustainability initiatives.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Higher Education Studies
- Sustainability Management
Background:
- International declarations promote environmental responsibility in higher education institutions (HEIs).
- The Talloires Declaration is a key global initiative for HEIs to address environmental concerns.
- The role of the Talloires Secretariat (University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, ULSF) as a stimulus requires examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine international HEIs that have signed the Talloires Declaration.
- To assess the effectiveness of the Talloires Secretariat (ULSF) in stimulating environmental action.
- To identify driving forces, barriers, and opportunities for environmental responsibility within HEIs.
Main Methods:
- An international survey of HEIs was conducted.
- Results were presented and analyzed in a discursive format.
- Analysis focused on macro (national) and micro (institutional) framework levels.
Main Results:
- No surveyed HEIs possessed an embedded institutional environmental culture.
- Most HEIs lacked integrated university-wide environmental response mechanisms.
- Enthusiastic individuals, particularly senior management, were key driving forces and opportunities.
- Environmental reporting, disseminated via the WWW, emerged as a flexible and cost-effective mechanism.
- The ULSF was found not to be a primary stimulus for institution-wide action.
Conclusions:
- HEIs face significant barriers to environmental responsibility, primarily stemming from a lack of strategic integration and institutional culture.
- Individual champions and the adoption of private-sector-style environmental reporting are crucial for advancing sustainability in higher education.
- While international declarations exist, their effective implementation within HEIs requires addressing both macro and micro-level challenges.