Sustainable NOVA FCT

Milestones  |  Publications  |  News  |  Events  |  Contacts

NOVA School of Science and Technology has been developing several activities in the field of Sustainability, having come to the following path:

2021

• Implementation of a pilot initiative for the relocation of waste containers in two buildings on the Campus, which consists of increasing the number of islands of recycling bins inside the buildings (recycling + general waste), and removing individual undifferentiated crates from private offices and secretariats.
• Construction of new Waste Collection Points and reinforcement of the network of Outdoor and Indoor Ecopoints on the FCT NOVA Campus.
• FCT NOVA occupies 4^th place in the Geração Depositrão 13 contest, achieving the best ranking ever by a Higher Education Institution in the national top of electrical and electronic waste collection campaign.
• FCT NOVA was distinguished with the Green Flag Award 2021 for the second consecutive year, within the scope of the Eco-Schools Program in the 2020-21 school year, in recognition of the work developed by the Sustainability team of Sustainable FCT NOVA.
• Participation in the 3^rd Sustainable Campus Conference (CCS 2021) under the theme “Sustainable Campus: Challenges and Opportunities”, where the 4^th Sustainable Campus Meeting (ECS 2021) of the Sustainable Campus Network (RCS) took place.
• NOVA University Lisbon ranks 53^rd worldwide in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2021, a ranking that assesses the Institutions' commitment towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
• The NOVA School of Science and Technology | FCT NOVA Campus is the focal point of the Innovation District Almada, a project that aims to create a new global city, which will combine a unique and sustainable lifestyle in a new geography of innovation and technological knowledge.
• Participation in the EcoCampus Portugal 2021 Meeting, with a presentation by FCT NOVA on “Outdoor Spaces for Sustainability”.

2020

• Participation in the 2^nd Sustainable Campus Conference (CCS 2020) under the theme “Smart Initiatives for a Sustainable Campus”, where the 3^rd Sustainable Campus Meeting (ECS 2020) of the Portuguese Sustainable Campus Network took place.
• Integration of a FCT NOVA representative on the NOVA 4 the Globe Sustainability Council, an interdisciplinary platform that promotes dialogue within NOVA's community across different areas of knowledge that contribute to Sustainability of NOVA University Lisbon.
• Assignment of the Green Flag 2020 Award to FCT NOVA, granted by ABAE under the Eco-Schools Program in the academic year 2019-20, distinguishing the School and recognizing the work developed by Sustainable FCT NOVA in pursuing a + Sustainable Campus.
• Celebration of World Environment Day, through an online lecture on “Sustainable Public Purchases” with Paula Trindade, alumna of FCT NOVA, and a debate under the theme "The Planet we want for the 21^st century", with 5 promising young people and Portuguese society activists.
• Setup of an online suggestion box (the form is in Portuguese, if you need any help, please refer to the page Contacts), as a way to involve the school community. This form is intended to receive proposals for ideas and/or initiatives that promote the Sustainability of the FCT NOVA campus.
• Presentation of the Preliminary Sustainability Report of FCT NOVA, produced by finalist students of the Integrated Master in Environmental Engineering, under the guidance of members of the Sustainable FCT NOVA team.
• Visit to the Sport Lisboa e Benfica Ecocenter to learn and exchange experiences on the methods used by the ECOBenfica team in order to improve the management of the waste produced at its facilities.

2019

• Participation in the European Week for Waste Reduction 2019 (EWWR), with the reinforcement of containers for specific waste collection on campus, daily awareness posts on social media and an exhibition on cigarette butts.
• Participation in the 1^st Sustainable Campus Conference (CCS 2019) on the theme “Sustainable Development: Higher Education Institutions as Agents of Change”, where the 2^nd Sustainable Campus Meeting was held, culminating in the signing of the Letter of Intent of the Portuguese Sustainable Campus Network, by the NOVA University of Lisbon, thus assuming NOVA's public commitment to principles and practices of sustainability in higher education.
• Participation in the Symposium Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Sustainability: Challenges and Experiences, at the Benfica Cosme Damião Museum, with the aim of discussing the growing challenges facing cultural heritage conservation in the active search for ecologically sound and economically viable solutions.
• Publication of “Sustainable FCT NOVA – Brief Portrait of Sustainability at Caparica Campus” (available in Portuguese only).
• Publication of “Sustainable FCT NOVA – Good Practices Guide” (available in Portuguese only).
• Constitution of a Task Force under the Sustainable FCT NOVA strategy, composed by representatives of several Departments, Research Centers, Services and Students.
• Launching of the webpage “Sustainable FCT NOVA”.
• Installation of two drinking fountains in the FCT campus, offered by SMAS of Almada, as a measure of reduction of single use disposable plastic packaging.
• FCT NOVA wins 2^nd place in the Separa e Ganha contest, promoted by Amarsul.
• FCT NOVA wins 1^st place in the Novo Verde Packaging Universities Award contest, in Lisbon region.
• Setup of two semi-fast electric vehicle charging stations, with a total of 4 outlets, on the FCT NOVA Campus, with the support of the Environmental Fund.
• Public presentation of the Current State of Sustainability at FCT NOVA, based on finalists students' projects of the Integrated Master in Environmental Engineering.
• Creation of FCT NOVA's Private Group and launching of the Via Verde Boleias platform, in partnership with Via Verde Services.

2018

• Participation in the 1^st Sustainable Campus Meeting (ECS 2018) at the University of Coimbra, which led to the creation of the Sustainable Campus Network, a sustainability network of Portuguese University campuses.
• Creation of the Vision for Sustainable FCT NOVA, co-created under the 1^st Sustainable FCT NOVA Participatory Workshop.
• 1^st Sustainable FCT NOVA Participatory Workshop, conducted with the main stakeholders of the FCT NOVA campus, on November 21, 2018.
• Beginning of the Sustainable FCT NOVA initiative, with the support of professors and researchers from the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, with the aim of outlining the school's Sustainability Strategy.

2017

• Launching of the book FCTVIVA - Campus Biodiversity, as part of the FCT VIVA project, which presents a record of the biodiversity at FCT NOVA, identifying the most common plant and animal species on the campus (bilingual edition, in Portuguese and English).
• Opening of the Environmental Engineering Grove, as part of the celebrations of the 40^th anniversary of NOVA's Environmental Engineering.

2015

• Starting of the Ponds with Life project, that led to the construction and waterproofing of a wildlife pond to host species and form an ecosystem on the FCT NOVA Campus.

2010

• Integration of the Green Campus project in the organic structure of FCT NOVA, as a section of the Technical Support Division (DAT).

2000

• First Environmental Survey of the Caparica Campus, as a basis for the development of an Environmental Management System, developed by the Green Campus project, designed to audit and plan the eco-management of the Caparica Campus.