Sustainability

Since 2015, Uniandes set the goal of reducing GEI carbon emissions 22% by 2030. During the last 5 years the University has achieved this goal by ensuring 100% of the electricity used on campus comes from renewable resources, and installing more than 350 solar panels across its buildings. Thanks to this effort, Uniandes has reduced its emissions by 500tons of CO2 per year, compared to its 2015 emissions.

• More than 50% of our campus consists of green areas with 750 plant species.
• Since 2019, the Agrolab project has built and maintained a sustainable urban agriculture space inside the University.
• In 2022, the “Huerta Franca” was built: an area for growing different plants and vegetables maintained by social sciences students.

The University has taken great care to minimize water waste. In the last years, these efforts have included:

• Treating non-domestic wastewater into effluent that can be reused or reintroduced into the environment following current regulations.
• Implementing a sustainable irrigation system for the campus’s gardens and green areas.
• The installation of hydroefficient utilities and accesories.
• Reusing rainwater for uses that do not require potable water.

The University has a large amount of recycling bins which are taken to a waste facility in charge of carefully categorizing each waste material according to how they should be recycled. In addition, Eco-bots are available around campus. These are machines that award store discounts for every recycled material.

Through a partnership between Treelife, Universidad de Los Andes’s Campus Management, and the Faculty of Architecture and Design, Pavilion attendees had the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions during the event by purchasing 1 or more trees. These trees will be planted at Hacienda El Noviciado in Cota, Cundinamarca.

The scale of the event required a large-scale signage intervention. We addressed this challenge by using multiple meters of previously discarded shade cloth from constructions on our Campus as the raw material. With the resources from our workshops, we treated this material to transform it into signage. As a complement, Gaffer tape was also used. These actions allowed saving 112 meters of single-use plastic banner and 16.76 square meters of adhesive vinyl.

Our attendees received merchandise that fully embraced sustainability and was designed to have a lifecycle beyond the days of the event. This kit included a bag made from reused shade cloth and a thermos that could be filled at various drinking water points on our campus, avoiding 2,700 single-use plastic water bottles.

A nationally and internationally recognized restaurant chain that fully supports job creation for women, especially for those who are single mothers and heads of households. Additionally, its supply chain empowers rural communities by using local ingredients.

A company that practices conscious capitalism and applies sustainability strategies in areas such as eco-efficiency in its production plants and restaurants, proper management and use of packaging waste, tree planting, ocean protection, responsible sourcing, and sustainable suppliers. Additionally, they created The Frisby Foundation, whose mission is to promote the education of children and youth, support food donations, and generate inclusive employment.

Productive unit of the ‘Escuela Taller de Bogotá,’ an educational institution that focuses on preserving Colombian culinary traditions. One of its pillars is social inclusion through the employment of individuals displaced by violence, people with disabilities, reintegrated individuals from the armed conflict, migrant populations, and above all, young people seeking opportunities in the city of Bogotá.

Universidad de los Andes has all the facilities for those who decided to use bicycles. The Mobility Secretariat of Bogotá awarded our university the Biennial Cycle Parking Award, and we have also received the Gold Quality Seal for meeting the highest standards of quality and infrastructure in bicycle parking.

Bogotá’s shared bike system Tembici allowed participants to travel throughout the city. We also recommended taking advantage of Uber Green to use hybrid or fully electric vehicles when travelling longer distances. Our Keynote speakers were transported in electric cars provided by our sponsor Autogermana/BMW.