Editorial

Citation

Leal Filho, W. (2000), "Editorial", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 1 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2000.24901caa.001

Editorial

Welcome to the third issue of IJSHE. With this issue we complete the first volume of the journal. As usual, we have tried to provide further insights into the subject matter of sustainability at higher education institutions, with an international flavor.

We are particularly pleased to have been able to publish the paper "Sustainability: a new paradigm for industrial production", prepared by Jutta Gutberlet from the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia and delivered at the 5th International Symposium on Environmental Geotechnology and Global Sustainable Development, held in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 17-23 August 2000, supported by IJSHE. This is a thought-provoking piece, addressing issues of great relevance from the angle of a developing country, also providing a good overview of the current debate on sustainability under the perspective of industry, pointing out the role of environmental education.

The papers from Christa Henze and Josef Noeke provide some insight into approaches used in German universities and the problems they experience in implementing sustainability-related initiatives, while the contribution from Jonathan Levy and Kumkum M. Dilwali looks at the role of economic incentives for sustainable resource consumption at a large university in the USA. Some interesting perspectives in the field of teaching are provided in the paper "Teaching sustainable development to engineering students", prepared by Slobodan Perdan, Adisa Azapagic and Roland Clift, from Surrey University. Finally, Viviane Simon-Brown outlines the links between sustainable living and consumerism in the US society, having in mind the information needs of staff working at the National Cooperative Research Extension Service (NCRES).

By the time this issue reaches its readers, the Copernicus conference in Cracow, Poland, 5-7 July will have been held. IJSHE plans to publish the results of that meeting and some of the papers in future issues, so that readers may be able to get to know more about the work going on in some of the universities which integrate that network.

The good news over the summer 2000 is that the "Earth charter international campaign" was launched at The Hague. The event was organized in collaboration with The Netherlands National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development and took place at the Peace Palace. Readers of IJSHE will recall that the idea of a charter concerning environmental protection and sustainable development was first recommended by the World Commission on Environment & Development (Brundtland Commission) in 1987. The Earth Council and Green Cross International coordinated the process and undertook a wide consultation which resulted in a document regarded as a true statement of commitment to the protection of the world's environment.

Moreover, the book Communicating Sustainability was launched at the World Conference "Man and city. Towards a human and sustainable development", held in Naples, Italy, 6-8 September 2000. The meeting, attended by over 300 delegates from various parts of the world and followed-up by the World Conference of University Professors, was regarded as a good occasion to present the book, since it was aimed at addressing the need for a better understanding of sustainability.

Further information about the launching of the Earth Charter, about the new book and on the latest developments on sustainability, worldwide, are found in this issue. Enjoy your reading!

Walter Leal Filho