One of its first tasks was to conduct a survey among TUL academic community. Its conclusions are optimistic, as the vast majority of the respondents expressed their willingness to get involved in initiatives related to the implementation of the SDGs. In the case of employees, almost 70% of the respondents answered definitely or rather yes, in the case of students the percentage was slightly lower and amounted to less than 60%.
The results of the survey will allow to define the directions of future activities and to develop a Sustainable Development Strategy for Lodz University of Technology. 557 students and 395 employees answered the 12 questions included in the survey. As Assoc. Prof. Eng. Małgorzata Koszewska, TUL Prof. who coordinates the creation of the report, says
The prepared and implemented questionnaire survey became a field of information exchange between the staff, students, and the University Authorities. This allowed us to assess the current activities of Lodz University of Technology towards the implementation of the SDGs, to evaluate the involvement of members of the academic community in their implementation, to identify the goals that should be pursued first, as well as to learn about the greatest obstacles to their implementation. The survey also allowed us to collect opinions and ideas concerning sustainable development initiatives and to get to know the expectations of students and employees towards the University in this respect. The reaction of the respondents was extremely positive. They were willing to share their observations and expectations. It seems that the academic community has been waiting for such an initiative.
The student voice in the Sustainable Development Team is represented by Julia Chojnacka, President of the Student Government. She says:
The topic of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is present in our activities, so we were keen to get involved in the team. In particular, we want to raise awareness among students about what sustainability is in general and what its goals are. We have taken action in the form of a social media campaign, but this is only the beginning of our work in this area.
As the results of an online survey conducted in April 2021 show, more awareness of the SDGs is needed. The vast majority of respondents have not yet encountered promotional graphics for the Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, promotional and educational activities are, next to a green campus, the most requested areas by the university community to engage with the SDGs. In response to this need, the #EKOlogicznie with TUL series was implemented via Facebook. In the first season, 10 conversations were held with experts from all faculties, in which they presented solutions emerging at Lodz University of Technology that contribute to the protection of the environment.
The study also made it possible to assess the importance of the implementation of individual sustainable development goals, as well as the possibility of influencing it. Students and employees unanimously indicated that the most urgent objective to be implemented in Poland is Goal 6 concerning water resources management and Goal 13 concerning actions for climate protection.
In view of the extremely important role of education in raising public awareness, it is gratifying that over 40% of the employees participating in the survey declare that they introduce issues related to sustainable development (SDGs, GOZ, carbon footprint, etc.) to their classes. The academic community perceives the need for greater involvement of universities in sustainable development. A very important aim of the survey was to find out the expectations of employees and students in terms of implementing initiatives related to the realisation of SDGs. In this case, the respondents had the opportunity to answer freely in an open question and showed great activity in this area.
Assoc. Prof. Eng. Małgorzata Koszewska, TUL Prof. highlights that:
We were also interested in learning about the obstacles to implementing sustainable development goals perceived by members of our community. In the opinion of the respondents, these are mainly the lack of knowledge and actions taken in the immediate environment and the lack of financial support.
Although the number of students taking part in the survey was higher than that of employees, Julia Chojnacka points out that:
Having looked at the results of the surveys, one can conclude that the topic of sustainability is not the most popular among students. I hope that we can change this as soon as possible. All students who are engaged in learning, developing their skills and taking care of a high level of education (e.g. through questionnaires) are taking action towards sustainable development. I think that the more widely publicised and closer to the students other goals become, the more interest they will show.