Sustainable Development Goals

USI acknowledges its responsibility towards society, present-day and future, and has therefore decided to assess the situation and make specific commitments in the field of sustainable development. These are available in the USI Sustainability and Environmental Impact Report (in Italian only), which includes information on what has been done over the years, on the current sustainability started, and on those to come. Listed below are the sustainable development objectives.

 

Consumables and waste (SDG 12, 14, 15)

  • Centralise the collection and recycling stations to optimise waste management;
  • Raise awareness of students and staff toward more mindful resource management;
  • Perform opinion polls on the materials used for models in (architectural) studios and raise awareness of them;
  • Advocate with department heads for a partial ban on the use of plastic products;
  • Introduce certified, multi-purpose plastic tableware for take-out meals (in collaboration with cafeterias and suppliers);
  • Raise awareness among the academic community on reducing paper consumption;
  • Reorganise internal servers in fewer server rooms designed to reduce energy consumption and for cooling purposes;
  • Redefine the policy on switching off electronic devices by raising awareness among users;
  • Redefine the policy for the purchase of electronic devices, favoring criteria of sustainability and observing the life cycle;
  • Reduce the environmental impact of cleaning by using environment-friendly products;
  • Review cleaning schedule requirements so that they are kept to an acceptable minimum;

 

Diets (SDG 12)

  • Introduce special vegetarian cooking days (in collaboration with the cafeterias);
  • Introduce products from eco-friendly trade and with minimal and recyclable packaging in vending machines;
  • Encourage local initiatives for fair and transparent trade (e.g., Loonity) and for the reduction of food waste (e.g., Too good to go);

 

Buildings, green areas and energy consumption (SDG 7, 11)

  • Extend energy monitoring to each single building (gradually abandoning shared meters);
  • Develop and introduce a guideline for intelligent management of heating systems based on occupancy;
  • Introduce policies to increase the energy efficiency of buildings (e.g., thermal insulation);
  • Develop an energy supply policy from renewable sources;
  • Raise awareness among the academic community on reducing bottled water consumption;
  • Encourage the sustainable management of green spaces and biodiversity;

 

Mobility (SDG 11, 13)

  • Introduce sustainable mobility solutions (e.g., bike sharing) to reach the campuses;
  • Advertise offers for public transport passes (e.g., Arcobaleno aziendale);
  • Develop and introduce a policy for parking spaces with charging stations for electric cars and motorcycles;
  • Involve Faculties and students in the search for concrete solutions to support mobility;
  • Develop and introduce a regulation for the use of alternative means to flights (when possible);
  • Support a policy to reduce emissions (20% by 2024);
  • Encourage distance learning tools and teleconferencing to reduce long distance travel;
  • Develop and support compensation policies for aircraft emissions;

 

Total CO2 emissions (SDG 13)

 

Information and communication

  • Develop awareness campaigns among the academic community for a more mindful resource management;
  • Participate in national and international initiatives and competitions in the field of sustainability;
  • Participate in rankings for environmental sustainability;

 

Social aspects(SDG 5, 10)

  • Create of a gender budgeting report;
  • Raise awareness and develop communication about blood donations on the various campuses.