Unipd among the most sustainable universities in the world
The University of Padua has gained 60 positions in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2021, ranking among the top 100 most sustainable universities in the world and among the best in Italy. In fact, the University has moved from 157th position in 2020 to 97th out of a total of 956 participating universities.
The academic institutions participating in the GreenMetric ranking are evaluated on the basis of 39 indicators divided into 6 specific areas: environment and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transport, education and research.
“The positive result of the University of Padua – underlines Professor Francesca da Porto, Vice-Rector for Sustainability – testifies to the attention that our University has long dedicated to sustainability policies and to the virtuous path taken to encourage increasingly green research and teaching”.
Starting with the Charter of Sustainability Commitments 2018-2022, the University of Padua has implemented numerous actions to reduce consumption and improve sustainability. “The policies adopted by the University have allowed to improve performance in five out of six indicators of UI GreenMetric World University Rankings. – – says Professor Mara Thiene, delegate for International Rankings – The indicator on Environment and Infrastructure has seen an improvement thanks to the new Pole in Via Beato Pellegrino, the first gas-free building in the University (which earned an award given for the first time to a University in Italy). Important projects have also been the recovery and enhancement of open spaces, such as those of Villa Revedin-Bolasco and the Botanical Garden, as well as the mapping project of the green areas of the University”.
The University of Padua is the first Italian university, and among the few in the world, to certify its carbon footprint according to an international standard. The policies introduced to preserve the environment by the University of Padua have allowed for further improvement, compared to the last edition, also in the indicators on Waste (treatment and recycling), Water (water conservation and recycling) and Transport (policies for sustainable mobility).
Finally, the indicator on Teaching/Research has improved thanks to the introduction of new courses dedicated to environmental sustainability issues, the increase of research funds for sustainable projects, the increase of scientific and cultural events that make sustainability their main focus.