Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publisher
Edith Cowan University, Western Australia in association with Khon Kaen University, Thailand and Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, Thailand.
Abstract
Universities are responding impressively to the challenges associated with global warming and to the urgent need for sustainable use of the world‘s finite resources. This paper reviews a selection of sustainable development initiatives already taken by universities in North America and Europe and suggests that while many universities are committing themselves to sustainability goals, greater emphasis could be given to the several ways of sharing these goals with the local community; to ways of engaging the community in the process of sustainable development; to ways of empowering universities through various forms of community engagement. Engagement for sustainability and collaboration for sustainability are promoted in this paper as campus - community responsibilities. A community project in the province of Phayao, Thailand for example, illustrates possible avenues of collaboration and engagement. And research projects completed or in progress by individuals and small staff teams from Rajabhat Universities in Thailand demonstrate some of the opportunities already taken to enhance engagement for sustainability. Finally, the paper illustrates how the Rajabhat Universities and Boromarajonani Colleges of Nursing are responding to a mandate from the King of Thailand to contribute sustainably to the local community.
Comments
EDU-COM 2008 International Conference. Sustainability in Higher Education: Directions for Change, Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia, 19-21 November 2008.