EUSTEPs administrative staff teaching module

Enhancing Universities’ Sustainability TEaching and Practices – EUSTEPs – is a project financed by ERASMUS+ program that features the collaboration among four European Universities and one Non-Governmental Organization. The team is coordinated by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), and is comprised of members from University of Siena (UNISI), Italy, University of Aveiro (UAv) and Universidade Aberta (UAb), both in Portugal, and Global Footprint Network (GFN), California, USA. The project aims to introduce a broader and holistic approach to sustainability within universities, having developed already one module dedicated to students and another for educators. In addition to this purpose, the project also envisions the development of a Footprint Calculator for Universities’ campus, allowing Institutions to acknowledge the environmental dimension of sustainability and connect it to their everyday functioning. All the actors whitin HEIs (students, academic staff, administrative staff and management bodies) are called to embrace a more sustainable campus, developing a set of multidisciplinary skills and a necessary shift in attitudes. This module is dedicated to the Administrative Staff of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and embraces a hands-on, experiential approach to sustainability understanding and Ecological Footprint concept. By presenting sustainability within the context of everyday life rather than through mere abstract theories and concepts around sustainability and, bridging with the 2030 UN Agenda Sustainable Development Goals, the administrative staff will be able to grasp how sustainability relates to not only the whole spectrum of daily life but also with their workplace and the administration of HEIs. The core aspect of the EUSTEPs Module to HEIs Administrative Staff is: 1. To make the administrative staff aware of sustainability and Ecological Footprint concepts. 2. To empower them to affect the sustainability of their workspace, as well as their community, bringing sustainability knowledge and its associated skills (usually limited to academics, researchers and students). Throughout this module, the administrative staff will not only be able to learn about sustainability and the human-environment relationship but also track their own individual Footprints; through discussing their results and behavior decisions with peers to shape a “learning by group discussion” process.