CIÊNCIAS ULisboa presents its Sustainability Report with the year 2030 on the horizon

With the Rectors Room of the University of Lisbon (ULIsboa) packed with attendees and curious onlookers, the presentation of the 2nd edition of the CIÊNCIAS ULisboa Sustainability Report, held last Friday, revealed indicators and goals achieved in areas as diverse as well-being, composting, energy consumption, professional training, and many other activities that characterize the daily life of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (CIÊNCIAS ULisboa). The public presentation allowed for the identification of pioneering initiatives, totaling 115 indicators that take into account the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations for 2030, but also did not neglect the results that still show room for improvement.

“This administration is committed to continuing to improve the work done around sustainability and the achievement of the SDGs,” commented Conceição Freitas, faculty dean of Ciências ULisboa, during the presentation event for the 2nd edition of the Sustainability Report.“ If these best practices are applied in other schools (of ULisboa), they can also serve as inspiration for more projects and initiatives. We all benefit from having a broader experience in this matter of sustainability,” added the faculty dean of Ciências ULisboa.

The Report was produced by the Sustainability Committee of CIÊNCIAS ULisboa, in conjunction with its Service Units, with the aim of taking stock of the different aspects of sustainability between 2022 and 2024, even though the data presented refers to a time horizon of 6 years.
Of the 115 indicators analyzed, 42 show positive evolution, and 33 show a neutral trend. Less encouraging are the 27 indicators with negative evolution and the 13 indicators whose metrics are still unavailable or non-existent.

Without hiding what is going well and what is going less well, the Report sets the tone for the application of practices that can both enhance the fight against poverty and the eradication of hunger, as well as simply prevent water waste and make use of food scraps, and also take into account psychological support services, research activities or sports practice.

Also deserving of special mention are the 38 best practices that are already part of the daily life of the CIÊNCIAS ULisboa community. In this regard, it is also important to highlight the role that the CIÊNCIAS ULisboa Living Laboratory for Sustainability has played over time.

“We want to highlight the active role that CIÊNCIAS ULisboa has played in promoting these (sustainability) themes,” said Cecília Rodrigues, Vice-Rector of the University of Lisbon (ULisboa). In addition to the educational offer that already incorporate these "cross-curricular activities" which can be useful for the daily operations of the various schools that make up the University, Cecília Rodrigues praised the contribution made by CIÊNCIAS ULisboa to the development of "effective public policies and concrete actions". "I would like to extend a special thank you for carrying out this work within our University," she emphasized.

The Vice-Rector's thanks were directed to the entire academic community, but Margarida Santos-Reis, a professor of Ciências ULisboa and coordinator of the Commission for the Sustainability of CIÊNCIAS ULisboa, did not forget to highlight someone with a key role in drafting the Report: "Without António Vaz Pato, we would not have reached where we are today," stressed the professor of CIÊNCIAS ULisboa, alluding to the main author of the Report.

Margarida Santos-Reis pointed out that "universities have a strategic role in sustainability" and also noted that all the initiatives listed in the Report have involved students. And she quickly identified a dividing line between the various projects and interventions. Regarding best practices, she highlighted the CIÊNCIAS in Harmony program, an initiative "already extendable to ULisboa," the Solar Urban Garden, the Autonomy 21 program that promotes the integration of people with Down syndrome, a composter and a vermicomposter that allowed closing the cycle of collection and use of all food waste from bars and cafeterias of the Faculty and vegetation, the Sustainability Week promoted by the students, or the support for entrepreneurship given by Tec Labs."It's a transparent report. We haven't omitted the areas where we're not improving or are actually getting worse," said Margarida Santos-Reis.

E And because nothing was hidden, on the less positive side of sustainability, the following stood out: increased water consumption, difficulty in estimating type III carbon footprint emissions due to personal data protection legislation, a transition to clean energy that has room for progress, and the need to move forward with a plan for universal accessibility. During the event, Margarida Santos-Reis also pointed to a goal to be achieved in the near future: "We have work to do with our professors so that they integrate the SDGs into the teaching programme."

In addition to the presentation of the Report, the event included a debate session with the participation of several representatives from academia and private and public entities that stand out for their work in the area of ​​sustainability. The debate panel included Manuel Pinheiro, professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and member of the Coordination Committee of the Sustenta Network; Antje Disterheft, co-founder of the Rede Campus Sustentável and Vice-President of the Copernicus Alliance; João Silva Rodrigues, responsible for the SGS Global Biosciences Center; Nuno Gaspar de Oliveira, consulting manager of the Natural Business Intelligence; Sara Goulartt, Deputy Director of the Climate and Environment area at EDP; and Catarina Freitas, Senior Specialist in Environment, Climate, Energy and Sustainability at City Hall of Lisboa. The moderation was handled by David Avelar, researcher at Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C) and member of the Sustainability Committee of CIÊNCIAS ULisboa.

All assessments coincided on the added value of publishing the Report – not least because “when we don’t report, we don’t know what’s behind (a given reality),” as Manuel Pinheiro pointed out. Across various sectors, there are signs of change, but also warnings. “Science is fundamental to decision-making, and we cannot forget it,” observed Sara Goulartt regarding the demands involved in sustainability, while also pointing out a path forward: “Companies spend a lot of money on environmental impact studies, but it’s not always known where that data is located.”

The same science that helps identify problems and create new tools has also begun to change mindsets. In some cases, the change is quite surprising. Nuno Gaspar Oliveira points out that some entities linked to the financial sector already prioritize sustainability in their decision-making. “I didn’t expect to say this, but it seems to me that the financial system will be a powerful tool (in favor of sustainability). If anything changes, it will also be due to the financial system,” he says. The winds of sustainability are already being felt.