Universidad y Medio Ambiente. Retos y desafíos hacia el desarrollo sostenible. Caso Universidad Metropolitana sede Machala

In recent years, a latent professional need has been evidenced, aimed at the insertion of university students in the solution of social problems that affect the community. Therefore, it is essential to design activities and actions that allow, from the University, the development of skills and capacities for the conservation of the Environment. This is how the University is inserted in this process, in which an educational process is developed highlighting the importance of knowledge and compliance with environmental regulations. The Metropolitan University of Ecuador is linked to the community through different projects and academic events with a sustainability approach, therefore, this research aims to know the perception of the university community regarding the environmental actions generated by the Metropolitan University Machala headquarters, involving students, teachers and administrative staff in this study. This research is exploratory, the methodology used to collect information has a quantitative approach, applying the survey technique. The objective of the research focuses on making a diagnosis of the environmental perception of the university community, to develop a baseline for future research aimed at proposing improvement proposals to strengthen the environmental culture of the university community. Among the main findings is the scarce knowledge and lack of interest in caring for the environment, essential factors for the generation of environmental culture.