Environmental management in undergraduate teaching institutions in Brazil

Abstract

Environmental management practices are ways in which public organizations can improve environmental performance. Eco-efficient behavior improves the use of environmental resources and saves waste production, allowing significant savings. Environmental performance avoids the addition of costs resulting from the application of the polluter pays principle. The objective of the research is to characterize efficiency indices in environmental management in the Federal Institutes of Education in Brazil State. Socio-environmental variables were used to determine efficiency indicators in environmental management. The equation used in the research allows to indicate that indexes obtained from zero suggest maximum inefficiency in environmental management and one indicator suggests maximum efficiency in environmental management. The equation has the variables pi = score assigned to the variable i; n = total number of i variables. We conclude that there is no environmental management that indicates efficiency in environmental management. The indices of the variables that characterize the existence of a professional that evaluates environmental issues, the formation of servers for environmental management, the elaboration of environmental management reports, the use of environmental indicators on the campuses, and the use of sustainability criteria in public procurement are percentage indices which indicate the inefficiency in environmental management carried out in educational institutions, research and technological extension.