MARIZ, Thompson Fernandes.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/2921727745451642; MARIZ, Thompson Fernandes.
Résumé:
This research study focuses on environmental management and puts forward a proposal
for a model of environmental performance to assess the impacts that Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs) have on the environment. It seems that very few HEIs have
incorporated solutions based on ISO 14001, which seeks to identify the aspects that
impact the environment, and even fewer have done so by using solutions based on ISO
14.031. In Brazil, there has been no scientific research which has sought to develop
indicators to assess the environmental performance of anHEIs. The objective of this
research is to develop a model to evaluate the environmental performance of anHEIsby
means of using a set of indicators. This research is being conducted in the Laboratory of
Environmental Management and Waste Treatment at the Department of Chemical
Engineering, Campus de Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil. The research was divided into
four steps: i) conducting a literature review with emphasis on concepts of ISO 14.001 and
14.031, ii) formation of the expert panel iii) characterization and quantification of the
field of study iv) model validation Assessment Environmental Performance. The Expert
Panel showed that the most relevant environmental indicators are the water consumption
(19.2%), followed by energy consumption (17.3%). The experts' responses indicate that
heavy metals, paper and solid waste inert and non-inert (IIA and IIB) represent 34.5% of
the essential indicators to assess the environmental performance of an HEIs. The results
obtained for the solid waste generated in UFCG revealed that these can be classified as
non hazardous, in other words, Class II A. The concentration of ammonia nitrogen were
respectively 5.32, 2.36, 1.96 and 3.8 mg 1"' in the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th evaluations and
that the sewage generated within the UFCG can be classified as sewage weak compared
to chemical oxygen demand. From the point of view of production and generation of its
effluents, UFCG does not contaminate the environment with heavy metals and, in
particular, the collection network where sewage and wastewater is discharged. It can be
said, too, that the heavy metal produced as waste in its various research laboratories, and
dumped into the sewage system of internal UFCG are not enough to cause damage to the
environment, because all contaminants are below recommended by current legislation.
The proposed evaluation model, surely, can be applied in HEIs for the purpose of
performing environmental management in HEIs therefore beyond its novelty, surely will
for the rest of HEIs in Brazil assess their performance and also seek certification in
accordance with the model and the ISO 14,001. The evaluation model of the
environmental performance of HEIs is a way to evaluate a function of HEIs in
consumption of water, electricity, paper, solid waste, contaminants, chemical oxygen
demand, ammonia nitrogen and gases.