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Twenty-one concrete action initiatives linking education, business, and sustainability have resulted from the Global Forum Northeast held on April 15-17 in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba. The meeting is a follow-up to the Global Forum Latin America (GFAL) held in June 2008 in Curitiba, Parana.

Most of them address environmental care and sustainable development. The main ones being ecological urbanization and sustainable housing, selective garbage collection and disposal, efficient industrial use of energy, creation of the “Green Seal”  for companies harvesting on coastal areas, environmental education for children, and strengthening education on all levels.

The proposals were formulated by more than 500 entrepreneurs, representatives of the academia, public authorities, and civil society, who for two days discussed already existing projects and actions contributing to education and sustainability. 

According to the director of Ucip – Corporate Industry University of Paraiba and coordinator of GFAL Northeast, Denise Pinto, the meeting exceeded expectations regarding both the number of participants and the quality of the discussions. “We were very well accepted by the Northeastern population. There was involvement and good will regarding the proposal. Now we need to put into practice the actions suggested and Ucip and its partners are ready to help the participants”, she said.

 “As a result of this discussion there is better integration, sustainability programs are being taken to universities and there is a real interest on the part of entrepreneurs to experience the process”, stated Ronald Fry, coordinator of the Organizational Development Department of the Weatherhead School of Management (Case Western Reserve Universiity) and coordinator of the work developed during the forum.

The Global Forum’s General Coordinator, Margarita Bosch, stresses the importance of the mobilization in Paraiba. “Building such a forum in the Northeast results from the importance of innovation. We are already seeing results because the scientific production is significant”, she said.

The Global Forum movement was brought to Brazil by the Federation of Industries of the State of Parana (Fiep) through Unindus – corporate university of the industry, to discuss the role of education and business with a focus on sustainability. The Development Promotion Institute (IPD) is one of the movement’s important partner. Other meetings were held in Curitiba and Sao Paulo that resulted in 38 actions.

Results from all the meetings will be available on line and will be shared during BAWB – Global Forum held in Cleveland, USA, from June 2 to 5. The president of the Fiep System, Rodrigo Rocha Loures, was invited to present the Latin American experience and the principal results of the university-business integration in Brazil.

Representatives of the academia, the productive sector, and civil society contributed to the discussions. The vice-rector of the Federal University of Paraiba, Luiz Renato Pontes, saw the Global Forum as a unique opportunity for the Northeastern region, particularly for Paraiba’s sustainable development. “This integration is important because it allows the productive sector to find out what is being developed at universities and to make sure that these efforts will turn into sustainable kernels where sustainability takes center stage”, he said.