Leaders in Sustainability
The Autonomous University of Nuevo León is consolidating itself as a leader in sustainability at a national and international level.
For the seventh consecutive year, the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL) was recognized as the most sustainable Higher Education Institution in Mexico and as one of the 16 most sustainable universities worldwide.
According to the results of the 2023 call of the GreenMetric World University Rankings que fueron dados a conocer en la madrugada del 5 de diciembre de 2023, la UANL se mantuvo en el selecto grupo de las universidades más sustentables del mundo en donde se encuentran instituciones de muy alto prestigio como las universidades de Wageningen y Groningen de los Países Bajos, las universidades de Nottingham de Reino Unido, la universidad de Trier y Bremen de Alemania, las universidades de California y Connecticut de los Estados Unidos de América, entre otras. Además de mantener el tercer lugar en América del Norte, donde compite con prestigiadas universidades de Estados Unidos y Canadá; y adicionalmente, se mantuvo el segundo lugar a nivel latinoamericano.
Since its entry into the GreenMetric Ranking in 2012, the UANL has maintained a trajectory of ascent, driven by a deep institutional process of transformation towards sustainability, in which, among many others, the following actions stand out:
- The good results achieved in the efficient use of water and energy programs;
- Increase in institutional capacity for self-generation of electrical energy using renewable sources;
- The construction of the Research Center for Sustainable Development (CIDS)
- The CONECTA-UANL sustainable mobility project;
- Expansion of institutional coverage in the proper management of waste;
- Conservation of natural areas that are under the protection of the Institution;
The work of the UANL student organizations, which carry out activities linked to sustainability issues, which has allowed a significant number of events to be carried out, in which a large number of students from all high schools and faculties have participated, on different topics such as the recovery of natural environments in urban areas, reforestation of campuses and their surrounding areas, waste recycling, promotion of human rights, animal welfare, responsible consumption, among others.
By carrying out all these actions, and those documented in the Annual Sustainability Report, the UANL has managed to regulate the growth of its Carbon Footprint, reducing the possible effects that could be caused by carrying out its daily activities, this Despite the great growth that student enrollment has experienced in recent years, which exceeded the figure of 214,000 students this year.
The awards achieved by the UANL in the field of sustainability, at the national and international level, are the result of the work carried out daily by members of the university community, which has also made it possible to provide effective support, within the spectrum of action of the UANL, the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals, the most important initiative promoted by the United Nations (UN) in terms of sustainability.
However, it is also the result of the efforts undertaken by the university authorities headed by the rector, Dr. Med. Santos Guzmán López, to promote an institutional policy aimed at promoting the transversal incorporation of the environmental dimension in their study plans and programs. with a holistic vision, promote the management of a sustainable campus, the application of greenhouse gas reduction policies, sustainable mobility in university spaces, the systematic incorporation of good sustainability practices in administrative and operational areas that are reflected as a quality attribute in all activities carried out, among many other actions; also understanding that the challenge not only involves carrying out actions aimed at supporting the UANL's transition process towards sustainability, but primarily the formation of top-level human capital, endowed with extensive frontier knowledge, capable of compromising its reality and improve it under the focus of sustainability.
In the academic field, the achievements achieved by the University Academy for Sustainable Development (AUDS) deserve special mention, a space whose objective is to establish links within the academic community and the social environment, to carry out research, teaching and dissemination activities. scientific, in terms of sustainability, and which, in November 2019, was awarded the Medal of Ecological Merit awarded by the municipality of Monterrey for its work in promoting sustainable development in university environments and society.
The awards obtained by the UANL in the field of sustainability show that the path followed is the correct one and that the efforts made are bearing fruit, which encourages us to redouble our efforts to continue moving towards a more sustainable future for the Maximum House of Studies of Nuevo León, Neolonese society and Mexico.
- Establish links within the academic community that carry out research, teaching and dissemination activities, in the field of sustainability, to facilitate communication, stimulate research, knowledge exchange and innovation.
- Train and update human resources in the field of sustainable development through the University Academy for Sustainable Development (AUDS).
- Promote social participation in the construction of expressions of environmental culture, socially responsible and democratic.
- Train highly qualified human resources and promote research on sustainability issues.
- Establish strategic alliances with local, national and international social agents, to promote the generation and innovative application of knowledge and sustainable technology.
- Design and operate environmental infrastructure policies, programs and projects.
- Operation of an institutional program aimed at promoting the comprehensive management of different types of waste and reducing their generation on all campuses, eliminating and/or minimizing negative impacts on the environment.
- Design and operate the control panel automated accounting, reporting and evaluation program for university environmental performance, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that the UANL generates as a result of its daily activities.
- Take advantage of the potential that the Institution has to develop clean energies.
- Promote the sustainable territorial development of your campus accompanied by sustainable mobility schemes.