WASTE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY 

UAzteca School of Environmental and Waste Management will endorse and abide by the following international declarations, in particular the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership; the COPERNICUS Campus University charter; and the Talloires Declaration.

The School of Environmental and Waste Management also endorses the principles and objectives of the Declaration of Curitiba

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 AUDEM Alliance of Universities for Democracy

The School of Environmental and Waste Management  is committed to endorse the principles of the Global Alliance to promote higher education for sustainable development programme „Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership“ (GHESP) http://www.unesco.org/iau/ghesp/index.html formed by four international organisations with a strong commitment to making sustainability a major focus of higher education in order to combine forces in a unique effort to mobilise universities and higher education institutions to support sustainable development in response to Chapter 36 of Agenda 21. GHESP was formed in 2000, when the three university organisations (ULSF, IAU, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS) and UNESCO agreed to join forces and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to undertake joint actions in the area of higher education and sustainable development. The partnership came about as a result of the work program of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and in anticipation of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). GHESP will be extended for a further five year period in September 2002 in order to implement a renewed Action Plan.

The four founding partners of the initiative will combine strengths in an effort to mobilize universities and higher education institutions to support sustainable development:

COPERNICUS-CAMPUS is responsible for the University Charter for Sustainable Development,

ULSF serves as the Secretariat for signatories of the Talloires Declaration, and promotes education for sustainability based on the Earth Charter;

IAU provides a global Forum for cooperation and a clearing house for information among member universities and institutions of higher education which have formally adopted the Kyoto Declaration on Sustainable Development;

UNESCO is the task manager for the implementation of Chapter 36 [Education, Public Awareness and Training] of Agenda 21 and for the international work programme on education of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), as well as the convener, in 1998, of the World Conference on Higher Education, both of which have called for the renewal of higher education to address the complex societal challenges of the 21st century.

Together, GHESP partners has rallied around the Lüneburg Declaration on Higher Education for Sustainable Development which was a milestone of the organisations’ preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and sets out their collective commitment to action.

The rationale for the partnership is the consensus that higher education must play a central role within the overall process of achieving sustainable development. The partners are convinced that the leaders of higher education institutions and their academic colleagues in all disciplines must make sustainable development a central academic and organisational focus in order to create a just, equitable and ecologically sound future. This requires the generation and dissemination of knowledge through interdisciplinary research and teaching, policy-making, capacity-building, and technology transfer. It is critical that higher education institutions understand and accept their responsibility within the broader context of social and economic development, and the building of democratic, equitable and ecologically-minded societies.

The objectives of the partnership are to:

1. Promote better understanding, and more effective implementation of strategies for the incorporation of sustainable development in universities and other higher education institutions, beginning with the over 1000 signatories to the charters and declarations sponsored by the partner organisations. Emphasis is put on the need for interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research;

2. Undertake a global review and assessment of progress in making sustainability central to curriculum, research, outreach and operations in institutions of higher education. In so doing, assist UNESCO in its role within the UN system with respect to education for sustainable development;

3. Identify, share and disseminate widely, via internet, in print, through seminars and other venues, effective strategies, models and good practices for promoting higher education for sustainable development (HESD);

4. Make recommendations on HESD based on the partnership's research and review and in consultation with key stakeholders from North and South, including business, governments, other UN bodies such as the United Nations University (UNU), as well as other relevant non-governmental organisations;

5. Demonstrate that it is possible to form a partnership of non-governmental organisations working closely with the UN system to develop and implement a joint action plan addressed to achieve common goals; and analyse this experience as an international demonstration project.

The COPERNICUS Campus University charter

http://www.copernicus-campus.org/sites/charter_index1.html

Preamble
Man's exploitation of the biosphere is now threatening its very existence and delicate balance. Over the last few decades, the pressures on the global environment have become self-evident, leading to a common outcry for sustainable development. In the words of the Brundtland report, we must learn to care for the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations everywhere to meet their own needs. The awareness is there. What is required is a comprehensive strategy for building a sustainable future which is equitable for all human beings, as highlighted by the Rio Conference (UNCED) in 1992. This requires a new frame of mind and new sets of values. Education is critical for promoting such values and improving people's capacity to address environment and development issues. Education at all levels, especially university education for the training of decision-makers and teachers, should be oriented towards sustainable development and foster environmentally aware attitudes, skills and behavior patterns, as well as a sense of ethical responsibility. Education must become environmental education in the fullest sense of the term.

The role of universities

Universities and equivalent institutions of higher education train the coming generations of citizens and have expertise in all fields of research, both in technology as well as in the natural, human and social sciences. It is consequently their duty to propagate environmental literacy and to promote the practice of environmental ethics in society, in accordance with the principles set out in the Magna Chart of European Universities and subsequent university declarations, and along the lines of the UNCED recommendations for environment and development education. Indeed, universities are increasingly called upon to play a leading role in developing a multidisciplinary and ethically-oriented form of education in order to devise solutions for the problems linked to sustainable development. They must therefore commit themselves to an on-going process of informing, educating and mobilizing all the relevant parts of society concerning the consequences of ecological degradation, including its impact on global development and the conditions needed to ensure a sustainable and just world. To achieve these aims and fulfill their basic mission, universities areurged to make every effort to subscribe to and implement the ten principles of actions set out below.

Principles of action

Institutional commitment: Universities shall demonstrate real commitment to the principle and practice of environmental protection and sustainable development within the academic milieu.

Environmental ethics: Universities shall promote among teaching staff, students and the public at large sustainable consumption patterns and an ecological lifestyle, while fostering programmes to develop the capacities of the academic staff to teach environmental literacy.

Education of university employees: Universities shall provide education, training and encouragement to their employees on environmental issues, so that they can pursue their work in an environmentally responsible manner.

Programmes in environmental education: Universities shall incorporate an environmental perspective in all their work and set up environmental education programmes involving both teachers and researchers as well as students - all of whom should be exposed to the global challenges of environment and development, irrespective of their field of study.

Interdisciplinarity: Universities shall encourage interdisciplinary and collaborative education and research programmes related to sustainable development as part of the institution's central mission. Universities shall also seek to overcome competitive instincts between disciplines and departments.

Dissemination of knowledge: Universities shall support efforts to fill in the gaps in the present literature available for students, professionals, decision-makers and the general public by preparing information didactic material, organizing public lectures, and establishing training programmes. They should also be prepared to participate in environmental audits.

Networking: Universities shall promote interdisciplinary networks of environmental experts at the local, national, regional and international levels, with the aim of collaborating on common environmental projects in both research and education. For this, the mobility of students and scholars should be encouraged.

Partnerships: Universities shall take the initiative in forging partnerships with other concerned sectors of society, in order to design and implement coordinated approaches, strategies and action plans.

Continuing education programmes: Universities shall devise environmental educational programmes on these issues for different target groups: e.g. business, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, the media.

Technology transfer: Universities shall contribute to educational programmes designed to transfer educationally sound and innovative technologies and advanced management methods.

This document is a follow-up to a number of university initiatives concerned with environmental awareness and responsibility, recent examples of which include:

the Magna Charta of European Universities, Bologna, September 1988

University Presidents for a Sustainable Future,

the Talloires Declaration, October 1990

Urgent Appeal from the CRE, the association of European universities, presented to the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),

Creating a Common Future: An Action Plan for Universities,

Endorsing the Charter

The COPERNICUS Secretariat invites university rectors to endorse the Charter on behalf of their institutions. Their signature will constitute a commitment to secure the support of their university, teachers and students alike, in adopting and implementing environmental guidelines which are consistent with the Charter. The principles of action listed above are general and open-ended. It is left to each individual institution and its students and staff to give them substance compatible with local circumstances. Expressed in terms of specific guidelines, they should form a key element in the mission statement of the university concerned.

What is the Talloires Declaration?

Composed in 1990 at an international conference in

, this is the first official statement made by university administrators of a commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education. The Talloires Declaration (TD) is a ten-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities.

THE TALLOIRES DECLARATION

http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires_td.html

We, the presidents, rectors, and vice chancellors of universities from all regions of the world are deeply concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and the depletion of natural resources.

Local, regional, and global air and water pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes; destruction and depletion of forests, soil, and water; depletion of the ozone layer and emission of "green house" gases threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations, and the heritage of future generations. These environmental changes are caused by inequitable and unsustainable production and consumption patterns that aggravate poverty in many regions of the world.

We believe that urgent actions are needed to address these fundamental problems and reverse the trends. Stabilization of human population, adoption of environmentally sound industrial and agricultural technologies, reforestation, and ecological restoration are crucial elements in creating an equitable and sustainable future for all humankind in harmony with nature.

Universities have a major role in the education, research, policy formation, and information exchange necessary to make these goals possible. Thus, university leaders must initiate and support mobilization of internal and external resources so that their institutions respond to this urgent challenge.

We, therefore, agree to take the following actions:

Increase Awareness of Environmentally Sustainable Development

Use every opportunity to raise public, government, industry, foundation, and university awareness by openly addressing the urgent need to move toward an environmentally sustainable future.

2. Create an Institutional Culture of Sustainability

Encourage all universities to engage in education, research, policy formation, and information exchange on population, environment, and development to move toward global sustainability.

3. Educate for Environmentally Responsible Citizenship

Establish programs to produce expertise in environmental management, sustainable economic development, population, and related fields to ensure that all university graduates are environmentally literate and have the awareness and understanding to be ecologically responsible citizens.

4. Foster Environmental Literacy For All

Create programs to develop the capability of university faculty to teach environmental literacy to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

5. Practice Institutional Ecology

Set an example of environmental responsibility by establishing institutional ecology policies and practices of resource conservation, recycling, waste reduction, and environmentally sound operations.

6. Involve All Stakeholders

Encourage involvement of government, foundations, and industry in supporting interdisciplinary research, education, policy formation, and information exchange in environmentally sustainable development. Expand work with community and nongovernmental organizations to assist in finding solutions to environmental problems.

7. Collaborate for Interdisciplinary Approaches

Convene university faculty and administrators with environmental practitioners to develop interdisciplinary approaches to curricula, research initiatives, operations, and outreach activities that support an environmentally sustainable future.

8. Enhance Capacity of Primary and Secondary Schools

Establish partnerships with primary and secondary schools to help develop the capacity for interdisciplinary teaching about population, environment, and sustainable development.

9. Broaden Service and Outreach Nationally and Internationally

Work with national and international organizations to promote a worldwide university effort toward a sustainable future.

10. Maintain the Movement

Establish a Secretariat and a steering committee to continue this momentum, and to inform and support each other's efforts in carrying out this declaration.