Dealing with misconceptions on the concept of sustainability Analyzing the concept of sustainability is not a simple job, the word sustainability is one of the most used in the field of science, in the 70s it was sometimes used in topics related to the forestry sector and that could make us I think the concept had originated there. It was common to think about sustainability and at the same time relate it to terms such as: "long-term", "long-lasting"; "Sound" or "systematic". The main question and doubt in the world are what does sustainable development mean? It has different meanings depending on the context in which it is used, such as the regulated and safe use of natural resources in the long term, but using them in that way. that it does not affect future generations in a context of national and local policies; the alternative of the economic and social development of the countries without destroying their environmental resources; It is a development in which a society with an acceptable ethic and impeccable morality, with a secure economy; And a type of development in which economic growth results from the fact that environmental problems and indicators are as important as economic ones. This document presents a series of university-focused analyzes to illustrate the misconception of sustainability. Thanks to the publication of "Our Common Future or the Brundtland Report", the world was able to advance significantly in the understanding, value, and utility of sustainability, in which the deliberations of "The World Commission on Environment and Development" were established " "He began an investigation on the conservation of the environment at the international level without neglecting the economic, social and political aspects. The results obtained showed what was needed to reach the point of sustainability and the measures that each of the countries should adopt. 1992 In Rio de Janeiro, the debate on sustainable development was given new impetus, more than 100 countries showed their acceptance and approval of the latest action plan called "Agenda 21", where the great importance is emphasized in 40 chapters of sustainable development developing. Some important documents established at the United Nations Conference on the Environment spoke of mechanisms to create university policies that create interest in the subject and to create an environmental concern, some of them are The Magna Carta of European Universities (1988) (see Leal Filho et al., 1996); the Talloires Declaration of University Presidents for a Sustainable Future (1990); the Halifax document ‘‘ Creating a common future: an action plan for universities ’’ (1991) (see Lester Pearson Institute for International Development, 1992); the '' Urgent Appeal from the CRE '' to the Preparatory Committee of UNCED (1991); the '' Universities Charter for Sustainable Development '' (1994); the Lund Declaration (June 1999). Sustainable what? An overview of misconceptions The literature sometime later carries out a work that implements sustainability processes and objectives that could be used at the university level and, although progress had been made in the area of literature, there were still drawbacks because it was necessary to see sustainability as a process and at the same time as a goal and implement real university life. An example from a university in the north of England tried to replace common paper with recycled paper, but after comparing prices they decided to go back to using common paper since it was cheaper; In Germany, another university chose to invest in a new power plant and make changes in its consumption of artificial lighting, and with this, they achieved monetary savings already in the first year; Another example was in northern Italy, where seminars were held on issues related to sustainable development and gender issues, small teams were created with environmental initiatives, and interviews were conducted with different people to know "What is the opinion interviewees on the concept of? sustainability? "and" What do they perceive as the main barriers to achieving sustainability in the context of their institutions? "; and the last university located in Germany sought to be taken seriously on sustainability issues by establishing a fair commission in the Senate and thus show the subject to important figures. Barriers to sustainability In a series of interviews, different opinions were received, those let us see the magnitude of the existing misconceptions about sustainable development. The responses are: it is too abstract (This occurs due to the lack of information because if the situation is observed, they would realize that living sustainably is the best option); it is too broad (Here, it falls into error, because it is possible to apply sustainable development in the various university activities); no personnel to deal with it (This is another mistake, they do not realize that universities can use their personnel in education who are already fully trained to share knowledge and skills for sustainable development); it demands substantial resources which we do not have or can justify(Here again there is a complete lack of information. By investing in sustainable development, you save in different areas, which means that this money can be used to improve the infrastructure of the institutions themselves; and the lacks a scientific basis (Although this is one of the answers, they are wrong, since sustainability is one of the main and most important issues in the area of science). The problem of misconception Each individual has a particular personality with different knowledge, with different backgrounds, experiences, perceptions, values , and context, these are subjective data that naturally guide us in one direction, and this is where sustainability is difficult to assimilate and accept. As a response to sustainability, it could be said that it is a key component, which is used and applied in all disciplines; It is too theoretical: it is a very broad concept and talking about sustainability today is something very new for many, although the subject goes back to the 70s. Some universities are wrong not to always consider sustainability as part of any process; and unfortunately sustainability is sometimes just fashion. The aforementioned is used every day as an excuse for not being responsible for our actions, for not activating ourselves and starting to see the change. It is important to fight with disinformation and to address important and specific issues such as the sustainable use of water, the alternatives of energy sources, it is also necessary to spread sustainable development. Go ahead Not having a correct concept of sustainability, we cannot move forward, but even so, we must work to somehow address the problem. Some measures could be undertaken without a large number of additional resources are: 1) Fostering the links between the theory and practice of sustainability: this consists of creating projects, initiatives to include people; 2) Going into the details: here you should seek to address more specific issues and points; 3) Spreading the value of sustainability: as a primary theme is to avoid misinformation to spread a true concept of sustainability so that people in the future can apply it. Conclusions Sustainable development cannot be approached in an isolated way, it has been and continues to be a great human error, but the error of not understanding a concept of sustainability, living with a wrong concept, without understanding this problem of global impact is even bigger. This article certainly states that there are a large number of meanings for the word sustainability, and that is due to the unique and universal differences of the human being, due to the context, the environment, and the specific situation. Today being green is being popular, the importance and impact of sustainability are known, but that does not mean that it is understood correctly. Educational institutions have the task of preparing professionals and experts in different subjects, but the communion between the processes of university education, the regulation of teaching and training in sustainability issues is essential. Thus, in the future, each project and initiative will have a sustainable approach from the conception of the first idea. Because we must understand that sustainability is not a complement or an option, but an irreplaceable requirement to reach a sustainable and responsible society. References Leal Filho, Walter. (2000). Dealing with misconceptions on the concept of sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 9-19
