30 in sustainability. The Master's Degree in Environmental Management and Control (GECA) at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa celebrates thirty years of activity
A day of reflection and discussion to assess the effectiveness of public policies, the evolution of corporate strategies, and the latest innovations in sustainability management. On Friday, July 4, in the Aula Magna of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, an important milestone in advanced training in the field of sustainability was celebrated: the GECA Master's Degree in Environmental Management and Control, directed by Prof. Marco Frey, celebrated 30 years of activity. The conference "30 in sustainability. Exams never end“ was held to retrace the history of the Master's program and outline its present and future objectives in relation to the climate and global challenges that await us in the coming years.
”Many things have changed in these thirty years,“ says Marco Frey. ”From a relatively limited issue, environmental sustainability has become a fundamental strategic theme in the policies of institutions and businesses. There are essentially three challenges for the future: the first is to be able to create the skills to measure all the variables that have to do with sustainability; the second challenge is to involve small and medium-sized enterprises in the energy transition process; the third and final challenge is the possibility of putting regenerative processes in place within the economy, especially with regard to the regeneration of natural capital."
Founded in 1995, the GECA Master's program is the longest-running postgraduate course in Italy in the field of environmental sustainability. The program has evolved over time to respond to emerging challenges, integrating crucial issues such as the circular economy, energy transition, decarbonization, biodiversity, the measurement of socio-environmental impacts, and the related geopolitical, economic, social, and environmental implications, in line with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Thanks to an interdisciplinary approach and a constantly updated curriculum, the GECA Master's program has trained hundreds of sustainability managers who are able to support companies, institutions, and organizations in defining strategies for the circular and efficient management of natural resources, with specific expertise in waste, energy, water, and natural capital.
During the conference, former students, teachers, industry experts, and representatives from the institutional, academic, and business worlds engaged in a dialogue on the value of environmental education and its impact on society. Among the topics discussed were the evolution of environmental policies, businesses and the ecological transition, green skills and professions, and emerging issues such as artificial intelligence and digitalization, sustainability and sport, and biodiversity.
"Today's conference is a starting point for re-discussing what has changed in recent years. We are currently at a turning point for environmental policies: we are going through a critical phase because there is a tendency to revisit some environmental sustainability policies, reducing their scope. Investing in environmental sustainability today is essential for businesses, institutions, and universities alike. The Sant'Anna School, for example, devotes much of its research to issues such as sustainability, health, and the survival of the planet," said Fabio Iraldo, Vice Rector for the Valorization of Scientific Research Results and Social Impact.
