Ambiente e Sustentabilidade | Comunicações em congressos, conferências e seminários / Communications in congresses, conferences and seminars
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- Awareness in sustainability and waste recycling in Sintra: participatory methodsPublication . Dinis, Helena; Martinho, Ana Paula; Rodrigues, Sandra; Vilarinho, Candida; Castro, Fernando; Quina, MargaridaIn Sintra, SMAS is the public service responsible for managing water distri-bution, wastewater drainage and treatment, and urban waste collection and transportation to an appropriate final destination (bulk service), serving 385,654 inhabitants across 320 km² area. Effective waste management is critical to maintaining a high quality of life, but it re-quires both individual and institutional responsibility. The high consumption of goods driven by economic and societal trends necessitates the adoption of new behavioral pat-terns that promote social, economic, and environmental development. Believing that "so-cial responsibility and environmental preservation mean a commitment to life and the fu-ture", in this paper is proposed participatory strategies to awareness the citizens regarding conscious purchasing, prevention, recycling, proper waste disposal, the impacts of waste on public and environmental health. The aim is to increase participation, in an informed way and minimizing environmental and public health impacts of waste management system in Sintra.
- Impacto das alterações climáticas na saúde: perceções médicas e desafios das políticas de saúde em PortugalPublication . Ponte, Nidia; Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo GuedesO estudo qualitativo que analisou as perceções de 13 médicos/as portugueses/as sobre os impactos das alterações climáticas na saúde e a eficiência das políticas públicas, deu agora origem a um novo projeto que analisa a dimensão intercultural, focando-se no diálogo entre médicos/as de cuidados primários e utentes de contextos socioculturais diversos nas Unidades Locais de Saúde do Porto.
- Teachers’ inner changes for sustainabilityPublication . Ossmane, Elis; Simão, João; Caeiro, Sandra
- Sustainability and social security futures: the case of Guinea BissauPublication . Bá, Mamadu Udi; Jacquinet, Marc; Sucuma, Arnaldo; Martins, António Eduardo Pais Falcão BarbosaGuinea-Bissau (GB) faces significant challenges in maintaining and developing a sustainable social security system over the next two to three decades. This analysis explores for future scenarios and their implications for the country's social protection framework, considering multiple interacting factors. Besides demographic and macroeconomic indicators, the present paper tackles the issues of the structure of the population, the main categories of vulnerable people, climate change, the technological change and practices and advance the idea of social security for vulnerable people and times of multidimensional change
- Assessing circularity in the agri-food sector: a case studyPublication . Scandurra, Federica; Salomone, Roberta; Caeiro, Sandra; Gulotta, Teresa Maria; Sandra Caeiro2The agri-food sector (AFS) faces challenges in providing affordable and healthy food for an increasing population. In this context, Circular Economy (CE) has gained interest as an approach to drive the food system to sustainability. However, circularity does not always lead to sustainability. The lack of a defined set of metrics to monitor CE in the sector makes it relevant to select assessment approaches that capture CE's contribution to sustainability. For this reason, the present study aims to support the dairy cooperative Fattoria della Piana, a best case of CE, in assessing its circular strategies. The study links Life cycle assessment (LCA) with circularity indicators collected in the literature. This preliminary study analyses the core of the circular exchanges of the cooperative, represented by the anaerobic digestion and combined heat and power plant (AD-CHP) plant. The study presents a valuable assessment approach for companies in the sector, highlighting the complexity of assessing CE. LCA evidenced valuable credits from avoiding mineral fertilizer and natural gas use thanks to their substitution with the treatment plant's outputs. Indicators suggest its ability to recirculate waste for energy purposes and nutrients. Future studies will explore the overall cooperative' system, evaluating the three dimensions of sustainability.
- Ecological footprint assessment as a pathway to sustainabin the OpenEU AlliancePublication . Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Martins, Rute; Caeiro, Sandra; Mapar, Mahsa; Casanova, DiogoThe integration of sustainable practices into the daily operations and infrastructure of HigherEducation Institutions (HEIs) plays a vital role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) (Purcell et al., 2019; Žalėnienė & Pereira, 2021). Developing action-oriented competenceswithin HEIs, such as collaborative sustainability governance strategies and actions, is a key inthis process (Mapar & Caeiro, 2024; Saleem & Dare, 2023). As part of this effort, assessing andreducing the Ecological Footprint (EF) has become a priority in many HEIs, with EF monitoringserving as an essential decision-making tool to encourage more responsible resource use withinthe institution (Valls-Val & Bovea, 2021). The OpenEU Alliance, coordinated by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, brings together tenEuropean HEIs — including both Distance Teaching and face-to-face HEIs — in a joint effort todrive digital transformation in higher education and establish a pan-European, student-centred,inclusive, digital, and green Distance Teaching university. As a part of this broader initiative, aspecific task has been set to reduce the Alliance EF by 5% over four years (2024–2028). To thatend, the adopted tool was the University Footprint Calculator (Mancini et al., 2022), an open-access digital tool, developed under the EEUSTEPs Erasmus project (EUSTEPs, n.d.), that allowsHEIs to evaluate and keep records of consumption of natural resources and ecosystem serviceswithin their activities and operations. The methodology involved: (i) establishing the baseline EFfor each university in Year 1, and propose a set of recommendations to reduce the EF based onthe most impactful categories; and (ii) monitoring the changes over the following three years, totrack the progress towards the overall OpenEU EF reduction by Year 4. This study presents the outcomes of the first year of OpenEU Alliance EF assessment, in whichkey initial milestones were achieved, including the establishment of a Community of Practice inEcological Footprint, with representatives from all partner universities. Activities comprised twointroductory meetings and a training session to explain the EUSTEPs calculator and the datacollection process, followed by regular meetings to share the efforts and challenges within theprocess. Based on that, each partner university collected its data on infrastructure and utilitycategories (e.g., energy use, buildings) and community-related activities (such as mobility foracademic purposes or food services). The achieved results provide a solid foundation fordeveloping the recommendations and implementing future actions. The collaborative framework, fostered within the OpenEU Alliance and supported by its baselineassessment, not only enhances data transparency but also builds institutional capacity toimplement targeted, impactful measures for reducing the EF. Through continued monitoringand shared learning, the Alliance will achieve its ultimate EF reduction target by 2028,contributing tangibly to the broader goals of the OpenEU Alliance on digital transformation,inclusivity, and green higher education.
- Exploring environmental literacy in online education at Universidade AbertaPublication . Martins, Rute; Caeiro, Sandra; Guimarães, David; Mapar, Mahsa; Nicolau, Paula BacelarThe implementation of Environmental Literacy in university curricula, together with the development of an environmental culture, emerges as a necessity given the current challenges faced by society, namely climate change, biodiversity loss, among others. Universities that are committed to implementing and developing sustainability practices include teaching as one of their key areas of action, through the creation of sustainability courses and/or curricular units as part of their academic offerings, among others (Caeiro et al., 2020; Farinha et al., 2019). Environmental Literacy incorporates the cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioural perspectives, encompassing knowledge, attitudes, and environmentally responsible behaviour, which can be interrelated (Kaya & Elster, 2019; Maurer & Bogner, 2020; Teksoz et al., 2012). Additionally, faculty support also plays a role in Environmental Literacy implementation (Vallée, 2024). Limited research has examined the development of environmental literacy among adult learners or how comprehensively higher education integrate sustainability across academic programs. Thus, this study aims to: (i) characterize the environmental literacy profiles of undergraduate students and faculty members at Universidade Aberta; and (ii) provide a preliminary assessment of the extent to which environmental sustainability is integrated into undergraduate curricula. This study is part of the APECHE (Assessing and Promoting Environmental Culture in Portuguese Higher Education) project, which involves eight Portuguese universities. This study is contextualized within Universidade Aberta, a public distance-learning university whose primary target audience is adults actively engaged in the workforce. The study adopts a mixed-method approach, incorporating a: (i) quantitative analysis to characterize environmental literacy, applying an online survey to 480 students (1st year) and 95 faculty members from the same undergraduate programs in the first data collection phase and 177 students (2nd year) in the second phase. The survey covered the three core domains of environmental literacy (knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours); and (ii) qualitative analysis to evaluate the extent to which environmental sustainability is integrated into the curricula. Therefore, a content analysis to the undergraduate programmes was conducted using the Curriculum Assessment System for Sustainability (CASS) model (De Oliveira et al., 2025). The categories of analysis included the course synopsis, keywords, competencies, content, bibliography, teaching methods, and assessment strategies. The findings reveal that the Environmental Literacy profile of 1st- and 2nd-year students and faculty members show that most already engage in individual environmental practices and have a solid environmental knowledge and attitude although revealing an attitude-behaviour gap regarding meat consumption and transportation habits. Furthermore, preliminary results from content analysis suggest the scant implementation of environmental topics into the content of the undergraduate programs and related pedagogical strategies. This study offers a characterization of the environmental literacy levels of adult students at the point of entry into higher education in Portugal and throughout their academic journey, as well as faculty members, supporting reflection on strategies to develop Environmental Literacy. This study fosters the Sustainable Development Goal 4 as it highlights the vital role of higher education institutions in cultivating environmentally responsible citizens.
- Assessing portuguese healthcare professionals' perspectives on climate change-related health policies and national health service readiness: a qualitative studyPublication . Ponte, Nidia; Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo GuedesO resumo enquadra-se na necessidade de reforçar a preparação do setor da saúde perante os impactos das alterações climáticas, da perda de biodiversidade e de tensões sociopolíticas. O estudo analisa as perceções de médicos em Portugal sobre as políticas de saúde relacionadas com as alterações climáticas e sobre o grau de preparação do Serviço Nacional de Saúde para responder a esses impactos. Recorreu-se a metodologia qualitativa, com 13 entrevistas semiestruturadas a médicos de várias especialidades (28–73 anos). Conclui-se que as políticas existentes são ainda incipientes e exigem medidas mais proativas e articuladas, destacando-se a necessidade de comunicação mais consistente e de orientações clínicas mais claras para lidar com efeitos das alterações climáticas na saúde pública.
- Caminhos regeneradores para Tocar-no-Mundo: vivências transformadoras da relação com a NaturezaPublication . Moreira, Jorge; Alves, Fátima; Castro, Paula Cristina de Oliveira; Mendes, José Manuel; Crespo Aznar, Pablo; Echavarren, José Manuel; Figueiredo, Elisabete; Guerra, João; Mañas Navarro, José Javier; Vidal, Diogo GuedesEsta comunicação refletiu sobre as práticas e experiências regeneradoras que aprofundam a relação sensível e transformadora com o mundo natural — um contributo inspirador para repensar o nosso lugar na teia da vida.
- A thermodynamic journey: unlocking cold thermal energy storage with phase equilibrium studiesPublication . Sequeira, Maria Carolina; Nikitin, Timur; Caetano, Fernando J. P.; Diogo, Herminio; Fareleira, João; Fausto, RuiAs the urgent demand for sustainable energy solutions increase, thermal energy storage (TES) systems have become crucial in improving energy efficiency and ensuring supply-demand balance1. In low-temperature sectors such as refrigeration, cold-chain logistics, and medical applications, phase change materials (PCM) are particularly valuable due to their high latent heat capacity and reversible phase transitions1,2. However, finding PCM that are not only efficient and reliable, but also environmentally safe, remains a challenge. Over the last few years, our research has focused on phase equilibrium studies of potential organic PCM, providing valuable experimental data and thermodynamic insights for designing low-temperature TES systems. This work began with the study of binary systems of di-n-alkyl adipates, specifically diethyl/dibutyl adipates, which revealed eutectic behaviour with a eutectic point at -33 ºC. Expanding on this, we investigated n-alkane systems, including n-octane/n-decane and n-decane/n-dodecane, both of which exhibited eutectic transitions at sub-zero temperatures. Recently, efforts focused on n-alkanes, namely n-nonane/n-decane and n-nonane/n-undecane, paying special attention to odd–even carbon chain effects on the phase diagrams. These studies uncovered new low-temperature PCM potential candidates and clarified phase change behaviours for this kind of systems. The latest work on adipates, particularly dimethyl and dipropyl, revealed a eutectic behaviour near -20 ºC, showing great suitability as low-temperature PCM. Those studies significantly expand the database of viable PCM, enhancing our understanding of low-temperature phase behaviour. This work brings together four years of contributions to the rapidly advancing field of sustainable low-temperature TES, offering both practical and theoretical insights.