Abstract

Through the partnership with the Educational Engineering‟s Nucleus (NEED) the Engineering School (EE) and the Hidraulic Researches Institute (IPH), all from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), it has started in the first semester of 2018 a project entitled Engineering Freshmen‟s Host, that has the goal of “How to make a more sustainable UFRGS”. With this in mind, the freshmen of some Engineering School courses‟ proposed ideas for how to minimize the environmental impacts caused by energy consumption, lack of socializing spaces, and also the reuse of materials that are usually discarded by the University. Based on the reasons mentioned, this project is in a stage of process and intends to promote the researches in the University, once it would strengthen the teaching, the research and the innovation field. The project has its base on the 17 Sustainable Development Objectives proposed by the United Nations Organization (UNO), and it aims to develop experimental experiences that instigate innovation, criativity and a entrepreneur spirit in the EE studentes. It also aims to promote a debate about the steps of a business venture and the elements that influence this process and to discuss the market‟s position in a local, national and global level and at the same time, discuss the economic-financial viability, cases, and teorical framework to support the iniciative. Athwart that, it was searched for a proposal to solve the diagnosed problems in the campi. Through the union of freshmen from Environmental Engineering Metallurgy and Civil, along with the Discovery of the University‟s not used containers and the possibility of using them, made achievable the idea of creating spaces where socializing and resting could align with ecological matters. Therefore, the containers development is based on the 3R‟s concept: Reduce costs of raw material, Reutilize sediments produced by companies that don‟t make proper use of them, and Recycle utensils that couldn‟t be used in their total integrity. Lastly, the project aims to evolve society‟s thinking and acting to expose the veracity of creating environments in a more ecological and yet economical manner.

Keywords: Sustainability, Containers, Engineering, Enterpreneurship, UFRGS.