Increasing University Competitiveness through Assessment of Green Content in Curriculum and Eco-Labeling in Higher Education

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 13; no. 2; p. 712
• Main Authors: Okanović, Andrea, Ješić, Jelena, Đaković, Vladimir, Vukadinović, Simonida, Andrejević Panić, Andrea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Climate change; College campuses; Colleges & universities; Comparative analysis; Competitiveness; Curricula; Economic summit conferences; Education; Environmental economics; Environmental education; GDP; Gross Domestic Product; Higher education; Hypotheses; Society; Students; Sustainability; Sustainable development
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su13020712

Growing environmental problems and increasing requirements of green jobs force universities around the world not only to transform their curricula but also to enrich existing ones with contents related to the promotion of sustainable development. This paper aims to show the importance of measuring and monitoring the share of green contents in all university activities, as only in that way it is possible to monitor trends and give realistic assessments of their effect and importance. The paper presents a comparative analysis of different types of methodologies for assessing sustainable activities at universities as well as research conducted at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia and its comparison with the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). This research aims to point out the importance of increasing competitiveness in higher education through assessment of green content in a curriculum and its promotion. In this way, through eco-labeling methodology, it would be easier to identify those contents that, in a certain share, contribute to the promotion of sustainable development. Furthermore, this methodology can easily be extended across the country and the region, which would bring positive effects to all stakeholders in higher education.