Green Campus Program at UDC

What is the Green Campus Program?

February 2014, the Universidade da Coruña (UDC) signed a collaboration agreement with the Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor (ADEAC), as a member of the International Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), for the implementation of the procedure for ecological management under the GreenCampus green flag.

The presentation of the program and the first work meeting was held in march of that year and had the direct involvement of the management teams of the five institutions that initially incorporated the Green Campus program: ETS Arquitectura, EU Arquitectura Técnica, Facultade de Ciencias and Facultade de Ciencias da Educación, located in the Elviña and A Zapateira campuses, as well as, Facultade de Ciencias da Saúde, in the Oza Campus. The meeting also counted with the participation of José Ramón Sánchez Moro, president of the ADEAC, Amalia Blanco Louro, UDC’s vice-rector of Economic Planning and Infraestructure, and Manuel Soto, director of the OMA-UDC.

Objectives and methodology for the Green Campus program

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) groups NGOs from 65 different countries as members and, since its establishment in 1982, has been creating different international programs, such as Blue Flags, Young Reporters for the Environment, Learning About Forests, Green Key or Eco-Schools. For Eco-Schools, FEE has gathered around 38,000 schools in 52 different countries and has the express support of UNEP. Green Campus is a new program that has the same philosophy, methodology and experience as the Eco-Schools, but is adapted to the necessities and difficulties of the university sphere. In Europe alone, more than 40 universities, like Cork University, Trinity College Dublin or Lisbon’s Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde, participate in this program since 2007.

A key part of the Green Campus methodology is the creation of an Environmental Committee, the management of eco-audits and the elaboration of an Action Plan and a Declaration of Environmental Commitment, as well as giving advice and information, communicating and holding a continued evaluation.

The objectives to be achieved revolve around the ten areas of action: 1) water and energy consumption optimization, 2) reduction of waste generation and improvement of selective collection, 3) correct treatment and management for the EEEW (electrical and electronic equipment waste) and the BAW (batteries and accumulators waste), 4) atmospheric, noise and light pollution, 5) sustainable mobility, 6) healthy habits, routines and lifestyles, 7) biodiversity, 8) green purchasing, fair trading and responsible consumption, 9) environmental participation, sensitization and volunteering and 10) climate change.

Green Campus UDC documents (updated in 2020)

Links to Green Campus for the UDC's academic centers

The following academic centers have a section for the Green Campus programs in their own webs, where you can check the situation and specific documentation for each faculty and school:

Green Campus 2020 program monitoring

  • Green Campus program perception survey for the student body: Anonymous survey structured in 28 questions that was released in may 2020 and got 256 responses. The global assessment was positive for 86% of the students, with an average score of 5.8 (1-10 scale). The 27% graded the program between 7 and 9 and a the 10% with more than 9.

    Summary of the 2020 Students' Inquiry Result (gal) | Full Report of the 2020 Students' Inquiry Result (gal)

  • Green Campus program survey about its functioning for the coordinators: Anonymous survey that counted with the participation of 15 people involved in coordinating or co-coordination the programs in their academic centers. The global scoring was Good/Very Good, with an 80%. Almost all the answers were in favour of the coordination between schools and 47% considered positive the contact between other universities. 40% of the coordinators noted the necessity, for a better efficiency of the Environmental Committee’s task, of the implication of the people involved and the formal recognition for their dedication.

    Green Campus 2020 Coordinators Inquiry's Result (gal)

  • Green Campus program presentation lectures included in the Marzo Ambiental 2020 announcement, where also participated several of the GC Committee doing sustainability conferences and workshops in their respective schools.

    • 03/04/2020. Green Campus program in UDC (I), acknowledging the current situation of the program in the university, with the intervention of Francisco García, Green Campus auditor for ADEAC-FEE.
    • 03/09/2020. Green Campus program in UDC (II), with interventions of coordinators of the program between UDC schools.

The details of the lectures can be consulted in the Marzo Ambiental 2020 report (gal), pages 13-14.

Green Campus reports of UDC schools 2019

November 2019

The Green Campus jury, in the 2019 call, evaluated the applications for the Green Flag award. After the examination of the documentation and the ADEAC visit to the schools, the jury concluded in awarding Campus de Ferrol and Facultade de Fisioterapia the Green Flag, after the success in developing the Green Campus program between 2017 and 2019.

Moreover, Facultade de Ciencias da Educación, Ciencias da Saúde, EU Arquitectura Técnica, ETS Arquitectura, ETS Camiños, Canais e Portos renewed their Green Flags until 2021.

Adding a total of 7 Green Flagss, UDC progresses along the path to sustainability

Reports of the schools awarded with a Green Flag, November 2019: 

Green Campus day in UDC academic centers 2017

September 17-29, 2017

Universidade da Coruña (UDC) signed in February 2014 a collaboration agreement with Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor (ADEAC), as member of the International Fundation for Environmental Education (FEE) for the implementation of the procedure for ecological management under the GreenCampus green flag. Three years later, in February 2017, four schools earned the independent and international recognition: Facultade de Ciencias da Saúde (gal), EU Arquitectura Técnica (gal), ETS Arquitectura (gal) e Facultade de Ciencias da Educación (gal).

The key elements of the Green Campus methodology are the creation of an Environmental Committee, conducting eco-audits, the elaboration of an Action Plan and a declaration of environmental commitment, as well as advice, information, communication and evaluation.

In addition to the four academic centers that have the Green Campus flag, at this moment four more centers are incorporated to this program: Facultade de Ciencias, ETS de Enxeñaría de Camiños, Canais e Portos, Facultade de Filoloxía and Facultade de Fisioterapia, whose Green Campus program has been running for at least a full academic year.

The 2016-2017 school year starts with the incorporation of new academic centers, in particular, all of Ferrol centers, grouped under the Green Campus UDC- Ferrol denomination. In Riazor, the ETS Náutica e Máquinas, as well as Normal + CUR centers also joined. In Elviña, the Facultade de Economía e Empresa was also incorporated. Is also expeceted the incorporation the Facultade de Ciencias do Deporte e a Educación Física, located in Bastiagueiro. With all of these, more than half of the university community is now under this management figure for environmental sustainability.

In the following links you can check out the contents of the presentations done during the Green Campus day.


Green Flag 2015 for the EUAT and FCS

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Since December, 19th, this two schools have the Green Flag as a distinctive.

The Escola Universitaria de Arquitectura Técnica (EUAT) and the Facultade de Ciencias da Saúde (FCS) are the first UDC academic centers awarded the Green Campus Green Flag, acknowledging their work for sustainability and environmental improvement. With these, UDC and UVigo are the first universities in Spain being awarded. The Green Campus program started in these schools in March 2014, being added up another three centers to the list (ETSA, Ciencias and Ciencias da Educación)

During the last year and a half, these schools, now awarded with the Green Flag, analyzed their environmental impact, selected, developed and set up several improvements on track to raise awareness within the university community for the necessity and the viability of environmental improvements. Electrical and electronic equipment waste’s managemenent, elaboration of compost, selective collection, energy savings, water savings, diculgation and environmental volunteering are amongst the initiatives fully implemented. The work done by these centers is a good example for all of our university, as well as, for all society.

In the following links you can check out the work done by these schools:


Green Flag 2016 for ETSAC

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The Green Campus Green Flag waves since December inside the Escola Técnica Superior de Arquitectura’s lobby.

This was awarded by the Green Campus jury to the ETSAC in October 19th, 2016, acknowledging their work for Green Campus program, ranging between the fields environmental education and sustainable development. The work team, coordinated by the deputy director Amparo Casares, counted with the collaboration of Victoria Otero, secretary of the ETSAC, María Luisa Mongil, professor Jorge Rodríguez and students Álvaro Villamil, Carlos Gayoso, Marta Fernández and Fátima Gago

Congratulations!

More information: ETSAC Green Campus program (gal)


Green Flag 2017 for Facultade de Ciencias da Educación

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We welcome the forth UDC’s Green Campus Green Flag for the Facultade de Ciencias da Educación. An acknowledgement for their work for the Green Campus program, not only by school’s management but also by the Environmental Committee. The ecological footprint, waste recycling, energy savings and adding environmental and ecological issues to their syllabus are some of the key aspects of the work done by this Green Campus – work that continues during this school year.

Green Flag 2017 for ETSE de Camiños, Canais e Portos

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Environmental Committee statement

A Coruña, Januery 24th 2018

The ETS de Camiños, Canais e Portos has been awarded the Green Campus Green Flag.

The creation of and Environmental Committee, conducting eco-audits, the elaboration of an Action Plan and a declaration of environmental commitment, as well as advice, information, communication and evaluation are key part of the Green Campus methodology, an initiative led by the UDC from the Oficina de Medio Ambiente.

The Green Campus project in our school started in 2015-2016 school year and since then, the program implemented important improvements such as the change of florescent lighting for LED inside our classrooms, a total of 70% in water saving thanks to the now water taps, the creation of a waste recycling area, energy savings due to the new automated and controlled management of central heating with temperature parameters, the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment waste, the confidential destruction of documents, domestic oil recycling, the elimination of rubbish bins inside teachers’ offices… amongst others.

In the last quarter of September an evaluation was held by and external auditor (ADEAC) and after giving their report to a state committee, the acknowledgement arrives after years-worth of work towards a more efficient and sustainable school. Greetings to all.

The Environmental Committee

Escola Técnica Superior de Enxeñaría de Camiños, Canais e Portos.

Green Campus Camiños (gal)

Note: In the jury’s meeting, not only the ETS Camiños, Canais e Portos got awarded the Green Flag, but also those of FCS and EUAT got renewed. 

Jury's report (gal)