Participatory Action Research in the Implementation of a Green Office: The Experience of a Brazilian University

Abstract

The core component of the international project Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate (Climate-U) encompasses the development of Participatory Action Research (PAR) to connect members of the university and the local community to work collaboratively and develop interventions to respond to climate change. The University of Passo Fundo (UPF), in the south of Brazil, is one of the Climate-U partners where a case study following the PAR approach is being implemented as a Green Office—the first one in South America following the Green Office Model. The implementation of sustainability offices is among the strategies used by higher education institutions to promote academic engagement and awareness-raising and empower students to act towards sustainable development. At UPF, the implementation of the Green Office UPF followed the Green Office approach—with the office being led by students and staff—but with the participatory methodology, representing the important additional component of participation of key stakeholders in the decision and action processes. This paper presents the process of implementation of the Green Office UPF and the first cycle of the Participatory Action Research, with challenges and lessons on the procedures of engaging university students and calling them for action, in matters related to sustainability and climate change.