This post is also available in: Español

Vice Presidency of Sustainability

The establishment of the UANL Vice Presidency of Sustainability represented an institutional, state, and national touchstone of sustainable development that promotes environmental protection and social commitment, as well as the democratic life between the university community and society.

The Sustainable UANL project was developed with a holistic approach, considering the campus a “learning laboratory”, that is, a sustainable community model in a world of sustainable living. The project is based on four significantly relevant principles: academics, research, administration, and service to the community through knowledge transfer.

Although building a sustainable future is everyone’s job, educational institutions play a critical role due to the responsibility society has attributed to them at educating citizens through humanism, equity, and sustainability. Therefore, a paramount strategy is to draw the university community and society into involvement and collaboration by keeping them informed and aware of the initiatives and actions UANL take toward sustainability.

 

Scientific dissemination enables open access to knowledge. Its main objective is to spread new information that contributes to better decision-making and personal actions. UANL disseminates information through different methods: courses, workshops, conferences, publications, websites, social media, TV programs, and email, among others. The worldwide web is now the primary means of communication as it allows information to reach more people and places. Institutional websites are designed around data accessibility and usability, together with attractive, clean page layouts.

In this context, the Vice Presidency of Sustainability and the Department of Project Development currently manage the communication and dissemination programs about sustainable development, which are offered to our community and the different social sectors related to UANL through electronic means such as social media and websites, printed media, video production, forums, contests, seminars, and conferences.

Communication Strategy

The Vice Presidency of Sustainability’s communication strategy to promote sustainable principles, values, and actions inside and outside the university considers the activities below:

• The design and setup of a website and a Facebook page for better communication and connection among the university community, leading them to sustainable actions.

As of today, there is no other communication means that can compare with the Internet in terms of dynamism and rapid growth. Unlike traditional communication means, websites and social media enables back-and-forth interactions and makes information exchange more efficient. Therefore, the Internet may easily become the preferred digital platform where sustainability activists can gather.

The website and social media were designed and managed by experts on sustainable development and digital communication system management, which provides great features, accessibility, security, and a fast user-friendly navigation.

The Facebook and Instagram pages currently have 15,424 followers from 45 different countries and records 1,266,756 visits per year (2019 – July 2020).

Likewise, the Vice Presidency of Sustainability’s website (https://sds.uanl.mx) has over 1.2 million annual visits from more than 60 different countries (2019 – July 2020).

Together, the website and the Facebook and Instagram pages record over 2.5 million visits per year (2019 – July 2020), which enables a wide dissemination of the progress achieved toward our sustainable development, in order to make the university community get involved and collaborate.

• Every year, more than 1,000 events on sustainability are held, such as courses, seminars, conferences, and forums. This encourages our community and society to engage in the movement.
• Video production about relevant events where the Vice Presidency of Sustainability has participated.
• Interviews for Desarrollo Sustentable TV, where renowned sustainability experts share their knowledge and experiences.
• Weekly production of the Mundo Sustentable TV show for TV-UNI channel, in collaboration with the Vice Presidency of Extension and Culture.
• Looking at Sustainability Photography Contest for UANL students

 

Furthermore, through its communication and dissemination program, the Vice Presidency of Sustainability plans and carries out the Sustainability Campaigns, a virtual communication instrument that encourages several actions for sustainability, such as sustainable water use, promotion of cultural diversity, respect for human rights, environmental protection, efficient energy use at homes and offices, health, and healthy eating, among others. It also keeps the university community and society informed of the institutional progress on the efficient use of water and energy, management of municipal solid waste and hazardous waste, climate change mitigation actions, and activities by the University Academy for Sustainable Development, as well as the daily activities by academic-administrative staff and students at incorporating the principles, values, and practice of sustainability, so that UANL is acknowledged as an environmentally and socially responsible higher education institution.