At Dalarna University, we have an environmental management system for planning, implementing and following up environmental work in a systematic way. Below you can read about some important aspects of this environmental management system.
For more information, see the Ordinance (2009:907) on Environmental Management in Government Agencies (Förordning om miljöledning i statliga myndigheter).
Environmental Enquiry
To find out which university activities have the greatest impact on the environment, in 2019 the University carried out an environmental enquiry (pdf, Swedish). The aspects that were found to have the greatest impact were education, research and travel (carbon dioxide emissions). The environmental enquiry, which must be updated at least every five years, forms the foundation for establishing goals and planning activities so that the goals can be achieved.
Policy
The University has an Environmental Policy (miljöpolicy, pdf), which received recognition from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency in 2015 both for its sound connection to general principles of environmental work and for being adapted to deal with the direct and indirect environmental impact of university activities.
Goals
An important feature of the environmental management system is to set goals for university activities. These goals must contribute to sustainable development and to achieving Sweden’s environmental quality objectives. Current sustainable development goals at the University (Goals for Sustainable Development) apply for the period 2021-2026.
Organisation and Responsibility
Dalarna University's Council for Sustainable Development analyses, prepares and evaluates the University’s strategic work for sustainable development in which environmental work constitutes an important element. The University also has a group of internal environmental auditors (see below) who follow up environmental work. Two Dalarna University policy documents - Arbetsordning Högskolan Dalarna (pdf) and Rektors och verksamhetschefers delegationer vid Högskolan Dalarna (pdf) - describe the general distribution of authority and responsibility for different areas of work.
Environmental Audits
At Dalarna University, environmental audits are carried out on an annual basis as a means to follow up the progress of environmental work within the organisation and to collect suggestions for improvements. A document that can help with this work is Rutiner och plan för miljörevisioner (Swedish, pdf). It describes how to plan, conduct, document and follow up an environmental audit. The document also includes an audit plan outlining how environmental audits are planned over a two-year cycle. Our internal environmental auditors are Juan Saldes Alvarez, Anton Grenholm, Marika Hagelberg, Susanne Römsing and Klas Sundberg.
Annual Environmental Audit
Each year, a report – Miljöledningsrapport (Swedish, pdf) – is made, which is then sent to both the Ministry of Education and Research and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency compiles and reports on the environmental management work of all government agencies in the publication Miljöledning i staten (Naturvårdsverket).
Review by University Management
Each year, the coordinator of environmental and sustainability issues together with university management conducts a review of the environmental management system. The review looks at the previous year's environmental management report and the results of the internal environmental audits. Any necessary changes in terms of the goals and focus of the environmental work are discussed.
Read what Dalarna University is doing for the environment and climate
