Discussion 2 – Collaboration and Leadership RUS Italian network, a local case example

1. RUS – The Italian Network of Universities
for Sustainability

2. The vision
• Fundamental role of research and education for
envisioning and shaping change
• Holistic / interdisciplinar / multidisciplinar approach
required for effective action
• Universities as “anchor institutions”
• Transformative
• Responsive
• Demand-lead

3. Structures and
infrastructures
People, ideas
and behaviours
Top-down Bottom-up
vs
Sustainabililty in Universities

4. • Accelerate progress towards an institutionalized
commitment to sustainability to achieve the SDGs
• set a shared framework for sustainability metrics,
data collection quality and quantity, mapping of
transferrable sustainable practices
• Foster sustainability education and research, in
recognition of their fundamental role in achieving the
SDGs.
• Disseminate sustainability culture and promote the
active engagement of all urban stakeholders on a
gradual commitment towards green growth
The RUS experience – objectives

5. The RUS experience – action plan
Activities organized around thematic subjects
• Mobility
• Energy
• Waste
• . . .
Coordination by corresponding panels
• strategic management tools
Periodic evaluation and assessment
• meetings among participant

6. The RUS experience – existing best practices
• Living Labs: stakholder engagement. Politecnico di Torino,
Bologna, Politecnico di Milano e Università di Milano;
• AlmaLowCarbon: multidisciplinary research on energy and
environmental sustainability for the transition towards a
“low carbon” society. University of Bologna;
• Green public procurement: Ca’ Foscari and Politecnico di
Torino;
• NeSSO, internal university network for the impementation of
Sustainable Practices, University of Siena;
• Waste programs: smart waste collectors waste monitoring
programs. Politecnico di Milano and Milano Bicocca;
• Carbon Management, Ca Foscari and Milano Bicocca;
• Environmental Education Center, University of Bari “Aldo
Moro”

7. The RUS experience – state of the union
• In 2013 a group of 12 Italian Universities started a
coordinated action for the implementation of
sustainability in their organization and the creation
of sustainable campuses.
• During 2015, after the endorsement by CRUI, about
50 Italian Universities formalized their expression of
interest in being part of the network.
• Formal agreement establishing RUS to be submitted
to the Italian University Rectors Committee in the
coming weeks.
• RUS will be operating starting June 2016