Our commitment
-
Ensure that food procurement prioritises local suppliers and adopts environmental criteria that promote sustainable agricultural practices and environmental sustainability.
-
Implement sustainable practices in the food production carried out at the University of Coimbra.
-
To be a Positive University with Nature, dedicated to addressing its impacts and influence on nature in such a way that it monitors them and acts on the results to promote the conservation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems, based on the mitigation and conservation hierarchy, preventing risks, mitigating negative impacts and promoting positive impacts in institutional action. This includes protecting species indicated as threatened on conservation lists and controlling invasive species, especially in campus spaces.
-
Taking on the 6Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, redesign and re-educate - as the basis for a circular economy, reducing the consumption of disposable materials and promoting the use of biodegradable raw materials. Ensure correct waste management on campuses, protecting soil, water and natural habitats, in line with the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
-
Encourage local and regional reforestation of areas affected by extreme phenomena such as fires or storms, establishing collaborations with organisations responsible for nature conservation.
-
Creating and preserving an increasing number of green and leisure spaces on the university perimeter, providing a strong and reconciling link between the academic community and the surrounding environment, and making the spaces more pleasant.
Did you know?
In the food procurement process, environmental and proximity criteria are applied when selecting suppliers, encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices in the supply chain. Factors such as: a) origin and environmental impact, b) family farming status and c) certified organic quality are taken into account. The district of Coimbra concentrates the supplier companies responsible for the largest volume of orders placed by the University of Coimbra. Focusing on local suppliers helps to reduce transport costs, greenhouse gas emissions associated with the supply chain and boosts the regional economy. By way of example, you can consult the programme of the procedure [content in Portuguese] for a purchase of deep-frozen products in 2024.
The UNESCO Chair in Biodiversity and Conservation for Sustainable Development is an integrated platform for research, training, information and communication of science in the fields of biodiversity, ecology, conservation and sustainable development, between Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries, and was the first UC Chair to bear the seal of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
The UC has unique and reference spaces that play a crucial role in the promotion, protection and preservation of biodiversity, namely through the Botanical Garden, the Herbarium, the Algoteca and the Cultures and Bacteria Collection.
Various initiatives are carried out in favour of the preservation and restoration of biodiversity, such as the UC.Plantas initiative, which is part of the activities to welcome new students and consists of inviting them to adopt a plant from the flora native to Portugal during the academic year, which is then returned to the JBUC and planted in green spaces in the region.
The Laboratory of Invasive Species in Portugal of the UC Centre for Functional Ecology promotes various activities to control invasive plants with the collaboration of various groups of volunteers.
The University of Coimbra Press plants the number of trees corresponding to the paper used to print the books it publishes to offset the environmental impact of producing printed books. More information at: https://noticias.uc.pt/artigos/arvores-por-livros-imprensa-da-uc-promove-evento-para-assinalar-reflorestacao-da-mata-do-observatorio/