Hi, International Students! A green-friendly UC Chile welcomes you
If you are an international student, you should know the Green Guide, a manual on how to be sustainable during your stay at UC Chile.
photo_camera Photo credits: UC Chile Office of Communication
Since 1990 UC Chile has welcomed international students from all over the world for a semester, short or professional mobility programs.
This year was no exception, and we received more than 400 international students from 33 countries who joined us this semester to get to know Chile hand in hand with our university.
Receiving so many international students means we commit to guiding them in the best possible way about our culture, country, and university. It is also an obligation that this insertion is as environmentally friendly as possible, enhancing the sustainable culture of our campuses.
For this reason, during the International Student Welcome, the Global Mobility Department and the Sustainability Department presented the "Green Guide": a practical guide for new international students to learn about and be part of our university's commitment to the environment and good sustainability practices.
"Our goal is to reinforce the global commitment, the care of a common home, and a culture of sustainable development from the exchange of knowledge between our UC Chile community and partners, networks, and friends in all corners of the world," said Cristián Díaz, Director of UC Global Mobility.
Becoming greener: a global challenge
One of the biggest challenges for UC Global Mobility is to offer greener programs, decrease the carbon footprint, and develop a sustainable culture in our international community.
For this, we are working throughout 2022 on a sustainability axis within a strategic action plan.
Almost a year ago, the Global Mobility Department and the Sustainability Department began working together to renew the international mobility programs with this focus.
The "Green Guide for International Students" initiative was born thanks to this work between the two units.
What is the UC Chile Green Guide?
The new handbook allows students from other countries to have at hand an instruction manual to:
- Learn about the sustainability initiatives in which they can participate during their stay.
- The efforts on each campus continue to impact the environment positively.
- Resolve doubts about how to develop greener global mobility.
"It is crucial to raise awareness about the climate crisis to our incoming and outgoing students, as they are ambassadors and can, by example, spread greater awareness in our living on the planet," says Maryon Urbina, Director of Sustainability UC.
The Green Guide is a 100% digital document of 13 slides. International students will learn about Chile's and the Pontificia Universidad Católica's most influential sustainable milestones, learning how to live a greener and more environmentally responsible mobility experience.
Bike for rent: a sustainable initiative to commute
This year, international students toured the San Joaquin campus on rented bicycles for the first time. They learned about the SIBICO initiative, which makes bikes and equipment available to the entire community so they can experience pedaling in their daily commute.
"Being able to rent a bike for six months and take it home is an excellent initiative to be more sustainable," Karen Aguilar, Exchange Student (Mexico).
