Claudia Mac-lean, Luis Santiago Vargas, Gonzalo Uribe, Cristian Aldea, Lorna Lares and Oscar Mercado
The purpose of this paper is to provide a panoramic and systematic view of 10 Sustainable Campus Network (SCN) universities’ internal entities in charge of the sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a panoramic and systematic view of 10 Sustainable Campus Network (SCN) universities’ internal entities in charge of the sustainability effort – such as offices, committees, units, programs, or other, showing how some institutions have gained increasing deployment and momentum. However, their appearance and growth pathways have had significant disparities.
Design/methodology/approach
Global and local agendas have had a strong influence on Chilean higher education institutions. A relevant signal has been the creation of the SCN, formed by 21 Chilean universities, whose vision is to help shape a fair and environmentally healthy civilization contributing from the higher education realm. This work adopts a survey design methodological approach. It describes the following resulting components obtained from the aggregated data: (a) emergence processes and environments, (b) governance models and operational mechanisms, (c) networks and collaboration, and (d) final products generated, for sustainability governing entities within universities in Chile.
Findings
The main findings indicate that at the institutional level, the Cleaner Production Agreement for higher education institutions and the creation of the SCN have been key drivers in the formalization of several entities leading the sustainability efforts within Chilean universities. Also, regarding the degree of commitment to sustainability, the most active internal stakeholder corresponds to students.
Originality/value
The present work represents a pioneering effort in the Chilean context to identify and systematize the challenges, organizational structures, and key accomplishments of sustainability governing entities in higher education nationwide.
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Luis Vargas, Claudia Mac-Lean and Jean Huge
In the past few decades, sustainability in higher education has become ever more prevalent, although the diversity in pace of adoption and the wide range of interpretations and…
Abstract
Purpose
In the past few decades, sustainability in higher education has become ever more prevalent, although the diversity in pace of adoption and the wide range of interpretations and practices is huge. The purpose of this study is to present recent research on organizational change processes in universities.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodological approach applied corresponds to the social issue maturation framework, to identify, describe and assess patterns of change across higher education institutions. The maturation of sustainability in universities can be divided into four stages: emergence, popularization, formalization and maturity.
Findings
The findings indicate that sustainability processes often begin as ad hoc processes which grow and mature over time as a range of different actors join in. However, sustainability in universities is increasingly connected with sustainability in the private sector and with other public actors. Moreover, there is a growing acknowledgement of the interactions between society, industry and academia.
Originality/value
The value of the paper is to provide a critical assessment of the potential of living lab projects initiated in Belgium (Brussels) and Chile (Santiago de Chile) to anchor sustainability firmly both in the functioning of the university and in the interactions with the neighborhood. The authors reflect on the requirements and the implementation of these initiatives as a strong indication of mature sustainability integration in, and by way of, universities.
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Valentina Carraro, Sarah Kelly, José Luis Vargas, Patricio Melillanca and José Miguel Valdés-Negroni
The authors use media research and crowdsourced mapping to document how the first wave of the pandemic (April–August 2020) affected the Mapuche, focussing on seven categories of…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors use media research and crowdsourced mapping to document how the first wave of the pandemic (April–August 2020) affected the Mapuche, focussing on seven categories of events: territorial control, spiritual defence, food sovereignty, traditional health practices, political violence, territorial needs and solidarity, and extractivist expansion.
Design/methodology/approach
Research on the effects of the pandemic on the Mapuche and their territories is lacking; the few existing studies focus on death and infection rates but overlook how the pandemic interacts with ongoing processes of extractivism, state violence and community resistance. The authors’ pilot study addresses this gap through a map developed collaboratively by disaster scholars and Mapuche journalists.
Findings
The map provides a spatial and chronological overview of this period, highlighting the interconnections between the pandemic and neocolonialism. As examples, the authors focus on two phenomena: the creation of “health barriers” to ensure local territorial control and the state-supported expansion of extractive industries during the first months of the lockdown.
Research limitations/implications
The authors intersperse our account of the project with reflections on its limitations and, specifically, on how colonial formations shape the research. Decolonising disaster studies and disaster risk reduction practice, the authors argue, is an ongoing process, bound to be flawed and incomplete but nevertheless an urgent pursuit.
Originality/value
In making this argument, the paper responds to the Disaster Studies Manifesto that inspires this special issue, taking up its invitation to scholars to be more reflexive about their research practice and to frame their investigations through grounded perspectives.
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Antonio Amado‐Becker, Jorge Ramos‐Grez, María José Yañez, Yolanda Vargas and Luis Gaete
The purpose of this paper is to present results of an investigation, where the elastic tensor based on the engineering constants of sinterized Nylon 12 is characterized and is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present results of an investigation, where the elastic tensor based on the engineering constants of sinterized Nylon 12 is characterized and is modeled considering a transversely isotropic behavior as a function of apparent density (relative mass density).
Design/methodology/approach
The ultrasound propagation velocity measurement through the material in specific directions by means of the pulse transmission method was used, relating the elastic tensor elements to the phase velocity magnitude through Christoffel's equation. In addition conventional uniaxial tensile tests were carried out to validate the used technique. Laser sintering of Nylon 12 powder (Duraform PA) has been performed at different laser energy densities, fabricating cube‐shaped coupons as well as dogbone flat coupons, using an SLS 125 former DTM machine.
Findings
Correlations for each one of the Young moduli, Shear constants and Poisson's ratios, presenting an exponential behavior as a function of the sintering degree, were generated. In addition, as the apparent density reaches a maximum value of 977 kg/m3 at an energy density of 0.032 J/mm2, the material behaves in an almost isotropic form, presenting average values for the Young modulus, Shear modulus and Poisson's ratio corresponding to 2,310 MPa, 803 MPa and 0.408, respectively.
Research limitations/implications
The research is limited only to one type of material within the elastic range. Validation of the Young modulus measured along one direction only is performed using a tensile test machine, due to the difficulties in evaluating Poisson's ratios and Shear moduli using conventional tests.
Practical implications
The results presented can be applied to virtual design and evaluating processes such as finite element analysis.
Originality/value
The paper incorporates detailed information regarding the complete elastic characteristics of Nylon 12, including additional measurements of the Shear moduli and Poisson's ratios not studied previously.
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The aim of this paper is to analyze relationships of cooperation and conflict between a mining company and the involved communities, focusing on the presence of the mining company…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to analyze relationships of cooperation and conflict between a mining company and the involved communities, focusing on the presence of the mining company (MSX) in Cerro de San Pedro, Mexico.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper focuses on the co‐operation and conflict between firms, communities, new social movements and the role of government.
Findings
The presence of the mining company has caused a severe social conflict among the inhabitants of San Pedro, Soledad y San Luis, alerting all who are concerned with historic heritage, cultural and environmental issues. At the center of the controversy is the cheap and efficient technology. Federal and state laws were violated. It is quite evident that there was a lack of sensitivity of foreign mining companies toward the consequences of their activities upon the communities and environment. This case also shows the lack of negotiation between firms, communities, new social movements and governments. Information about externalities and future costs of company activities is crucial but more crucial is formulation and implementation of more sensitive policies to avoid damage to the environment, biodiversity and health of the population. Governmental institutions must be aware that their decisions may affect the quality of life of present and future generations for the sake of a small increment in economic growth and large increase in private benefits of a small group of investors. More informed citizens tend to be more active protestors, such as the case of the students in San Luis. Contact between informed individuals of diverse groups and organizations helps to exchange experiences and create public opinion in favor of mobilization. Community participation and involvement in decision‐making of community development planning is quite limited by the lack of critical information. This fact is critical when the local government cannot provide the right information because there are other interests affecting the process.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the lack of sensitivity of foreign mining companies towards local communities.
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Grass roots movements in relationships of cooperation and conflict between firms, communities, and government have an important role to stop a living city from disappearing. This…
Abstract
Grass roots movements in relationships of cooperation and conflict between firms, communities, and government have an important role to stop a living city from disappearing. This chapter describes and analyzes the implications of the collective action used by grass roots movements in the defense of an old mining town, Cerro de San Pedro, of being disappeared due to the pollution of fresh watersheds by the operations of a mining company and the effects on the living city of San Luis Potosì, in the center of Mèxico.
Mauricio Pino Yancovic, Alvaro González Torres, Luis Ahumada Figueroa and Christopher Chapman
This chapter reflects upon the trajectory of research in the geography of tourism in Spain. It begins with a review, including the evolution of the main topics present in the…
Abstract
This chapter reflects upon the trajectory of research in the geography of tourism in Spain. It begins with a review, including the evolution of the main topics present in the subdiscipline, with a special focus on developments since the 1990s. This is followed by an analysis of the current role and potential impact of academic tourism geography and a discussion on the recent growth in the publication of research results in international journals. Of importance are the institutional factors that explain the increasing recognition of research on the geography of tourism in Spain. Finally, the chapter discusses the hegemony of positivist approaches pivoting on land use, local and regional development, impact analysis, and landscape transformation, as well as the emerging links between Spanish tourism geography and the international mainstream schools of thought.