The Environmental Management Ordinance (2009:907) requires a university’s systematic environmental management and sustainability work to be followed up and presented. At Umeå University, a follow-up is conducted annually in conjunction with the joint environmental report for all government agencies submitted to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, as well as through the university’s quality system. The most important results are presented in the university’s annual report.
Follow-ups and reports of the university’s environmental sustainability work is an important part of continuously working to reduce the university’s negative environmental and climate impact and increase the positive effects of sustainable development. Additionally, follow-ups provide important information to the University Management, staff, students, partners and external stakeholders when it comes to university contributions in achieving the sustainable development goals, the intentions of the Climate Framework and other environmental and other climate-related targets in society.
Environment and sustainable development in 2020
The results of Umeå University’s environmental sustainability work in 2020 demonstrates the following.
New environmental policy, regulation and action plan
In 2020, the university’s environmental sustainability work was improved substantially. Not least, a new environmental policy came into force. According to the policy, Umeå University’s overall objective is to use a proactive and innovative approach to take action for a sustainable society and make sure that the goals of the 2030 Agenda are met. A new regulation for the university’s environmental sustainability work was also established in 2020. The regulation aims to ensure that the need for support and governance following the requirements of the Environmental Management Ordinance and other environmental legislation of relevance is adhered to. Another aim of the regulation is to support the university’s work in accordance with the sustainability criterion in the Higher Education Act and the above mentioned climate and sustainability frameworks. Furthermore, the drafting of the university’s first action plan for climate and sustainability commenced in 2020.
Energy consumption, emissions and purchase
Follow up of the university’s environmental sustainability work takes place according to the requirements set in the Environmental Management Ordinance and the annual environmental report to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. For 2020, the environmental report indicated that the university’s total energy consumption was reduced by 10 per cent compared to 2019, which equals the annual energy consumption of 162 regular-sized homes. When it comes to carbon dioxide emissions from business travel, the effect of the pandemic was evident since the carbon dioxide emissions from business travel was hugely reduced to 85 per cent of that of 2019.
Furthermore, the share of public procurements and awards of contract that set environmental requirements was followed up and amounted to 47 per cent in 2021. In financial value, this means that environmental requirements were set for 81 per cent of the value of all public procurements and awards of contract.
Sustainable development in education
Umeå University follows up the scope of sustainability perspectives in education. This includes both quantitative and qualitative measurements. The follow up shows that approximately a tenth of the university’s 145 study programmes focuses on sustainable development and that a substantial number of the programmes, as many as 96 programmes, contain one or more qualitative targets relating to sustainable development.
In 2020, the Faculty of Science and Technology has, together with the Centre for Educational Development (UPL), developed the institution-wide CPD course Education for Sustainable Development, which is held by UPL. Course participants have come from all faculties and the Umeå School of Education. The aim of the course is for participants to improve their skills and approach to sustainable development in order to integrate various aspects of sustainable development into their own courses and programmes.
When it comes to sustainability work at departments, the Bachelor’s Programme in Environmental Health is one example with a clear link to promoting sustainable development and achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda. The Faculty of Arts has integrated sustainability aspects into their action plan for doctoral education and the overall aim is for sustainable development to be an integral part of all doctoral education at the faculty by the end of 2021. The Faculty of Medicine has integrated sustainability aspects into the programme syllabus for the six-year-long Medical Programme. The Department of Epidemiology and Global Health has a team working on the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals, and a strategic team discussing future initiatives in sustainable development within education. The Faculty of Social Sciences has included sustainability analysis into all first- and second-cycle study programmes.
Sustainable development in research
In 2020, the Umeå Transformation Research Initiative (UTRI) was formed. UTRI is an interdisciplinary node for sustainability research at Umeå University with the aim to bring together various disciplinary perspectives, individuals and research groups, as well as work towards simplifying for innovative research on sustainable transition to be conducted at Umeå University.
