Práticas da educação ambiental em bibliotecas verdes: trilhando o caminho do desenvolvimento sustentável

Abstract

This dissertation is part of the research line Management for Sustainability within the Professional Master's Program in Environmental Management (MPGA) at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Pernambuco (IFPE). It aims to obtain the degree of Master in Environmental Management by analyzing how libraries can contribute to socio-environmental awareness within the academic community and its surroundings. In light of contemporary environmental challenges, this study sought to identify successful environmental education and sustainability practices that could be implemented in libraries, positioning them as spaces for ecological awareness and transformative agents within their communities. The research employed a qualitative methodology with an action-research approach. Through bibliographic research, document analysis, classroom experiences, and interviews with the academic community, we identified the most suitable actions for the campus context. Three projects were implemented through the IFPE Cabo de Santo Agostinho campus library: the "Sustainable Pages" project, conducted in the library space; the "Gelateca: For a Better World" project, carried out as an extension initiative at the Estação Cidadania NGO; and the "Scientific Research Workshop in the Environmental Field," an educational project conducted in the classroom within the Environmental and Sanitary Engineering program. The results demonstrate that institutional documents addressing sustainability can guide the development of actions, even if they do not explicitly focus on the library’s role in sustainability. It was observed that sustainable practices developed by various libraries can be replicated or serve as inspiration for others. Libraries within educational institutions are ideal spaces for non-formal environmental education through the continuous implementation of related projects and actions. While infrastructure can influence the quality of actions developed in libraries, it is not a barrier to their playing a crucial role in environmental education within educational institutions. The projects implemented in this study enhanced access to sustainable knowledge and raised awareness among the academic and local community about environmental issues. As a technical-technological product, we developed an instructional and educational material in the form of an educational booklet. This booklet provided guidelines for librarians to develop environmental actions in libraries and disseminated some of these initiatives, promoting the idea of green libraries as dynamic and active centers.