Sixteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

The Center of Educational Engineering – NEED, the School of Engineering – EE and the Intitute for Hydraulic Research – IPH of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS have jointly presented, in the first semester of 2018, a project titled Freshmen Reception “How to make UFRGS more sustainable – UFRGS challenge”. In this project, freshmen from thirteen courses at the School of Engineering were challenged to identify gaps in the Institutions sustainability and environmental management policies where improvements could be made, such as the minimization of environmental impacts, reduction in energy consumption, creation of spaces for social interaction, reusing of discarded materials, green roofs, ecological spaces, issues of thermal comfort, et cetera. The challenge aims to boost research in the university, strengthen education, research and extension, enable multidisciplinary team projects, develop knowledge, entrepreneurship, and innovation and also includes the UN’s seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. Once the gaps were identified, it became possible to present the project titled AMEVIL with the goal of using unused containers to create spaces for rest and social interaction with low environmental impact. As such, its approach is in line with the “3R’s”, reduction of raw material cost, re-utilization of waste materials and recycling of equipment that can no longer fulfill its original purpose. Therefore, we aim to evolve this community’s thoughts and attitudes in order to demonstrate the viability of creating environments in an ecological, economical, and sustainable manner.