PUCPR Launches Special Sustainability Class for Exchange Students

PUCPR is proud to introduce its first-ever Sustainability Class, a unique program for international exchange students. This innovative initiative, a semester-long course totaling 4 ECTS, combines classroom-based learning with immersive, hands-on experiences at some of Curitiba’s most inspiring sustainability-focused locations and surrounding areas.

The class focused on:

• Promote global awareness and behavior change to preserve biodiversity, reduce human impacts, and foster concrete global action.

• Provide a foundational understanding of environmental sustainability.

• Explore real-world sustainable environmental practices.

• Allow students to earn credits toward their studies during their exchange program.

This unique class highlights Curitiba’s leadership in sustainable development and provides students with practical tools to address global environmental challenges.

Here are some highlights: Immersive Practices

Students actively engaged in hands-on activities that emphasized the urgent need for environmental preservation through a variety of immersive experiences:

• Ecotourism: Guided trips to natural areas where students learned about local biodiversity while participating in hiking, camping, and wildlife observation.

• Practical Workshops: essential eco-friendly practices such as recycling, composting, organic food cultivation, and sustainable construction.

• Environmental Volunteering: tree planting, beach cleanups, and species monitoring.

• Immersions in Sustainable Communities: Firsthand experiences in communities practicing sustainable living through permaculture, renewable energy, and solidarity economy models.

• Games and Simulations: Board games, computer games, and role-playing simulations challenged students to solve complex environmental issues through creative solutions.

• Scientific Expeditions: Participation in research projects alongside scientists, where students contributed to data collection and learned about ecosystem conservation.

This Sustainability Class enriched students’ academic experience and fostered a deeper understanding of their role in promoting a sustainable future. By blending theory with practical, immersive activities, PUCPR equips exchange students with tools to create meaningful change locally and globally.

We look forward to welcoming more students to this transformative program in the coming semesters!