This proposal is an effort to reflect on conceptual issues about sustainability nowadays, studying in particular how universities can act in the sphere of consciousness or practice, considering the potential of these institutions as replicators of new ways of thinking and acting. For this, an interdisciplinary discussion about the concept of sustainability is raised, problematizing the fact that even though in the last 50 years the discussions on this subject have increased considerably, in the same proportion, data demonstrate the destruction and environmental impacts that have been occurring, as a result of the modern way of life, characterized by consumerism and a utilitarian view of natural goods. In this sense, it is possible to point out the universities as promoters and diffusers of these reflections, acting through the educational sphere, and as a model of self-sustainable practices where, through the managerial sphere, can improve their own infrastructure. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, two case studies were carried out by the Sete Lagoas Campus of UFSJ in Brazil, evaluating the economic feasibility of implementing a rainwater harvesting system and a photovoltaic system. The proposal is mainly due to a demand from the campus in relation to the precarious supply of water and energy, considering that both are fundamental for the maintenance of teaching and research activities. For this, it carried out an economic viability analysis through characterization of the study area, sizing of storage reservoirs, dimensioning of photovoltaic systems, budgets, cost analysis and payback calculation. The research demonstrates the feasible of the systems for both cases analysed, which demonstrated a payback investment of less than 5 years for all cases. It is also noteworthy that the implementation of alternatives such as those can contribute to broaden the understanding on sustainability, in addition to promoting self-sustainability on university campus.

Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) for growing rice improves water productivity (WP) and minimize methane emission, but might be responsible for increased carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions. The combined effects of water management and different organic manure application on methane emission, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide fluxes, emission factor (EF) and WP are not well documented, which has been evaluated during dry seasons of 2018 and 2019. AWD and continuous flooding (CF) were imposed in NPKSZn, cowdung, poultry manure and vermicompost treated plots. Closed chamber techniques were used for determining emissions of greenhouse gases. In comparison with CF, the AWD significantly reduced total GWP by 23-46% depending on soil amendments; but alleviated carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide fluxes by 5-6% and 39-46%, respectively. Depending on soil amendments, the AWD reduced EF of CH₄ (28-56%) but increased WP by 34-35% compared to CF system along with 21-43% reduction in GHG intensity (GHGI). Vermicompost treatment had the lowest GHG emission, GWP, EF and GHGI than cowdung, poultry manure under both irrigation methods. Rice yield varied because of soil amendments but not with irrigation methods. Use of vermicompost improved soil organic carbon (SOC) storage significantly than cowdung and poultry manure. In conclusion, AWD practice and amendment of rice soil with vermicompost could be an effective strategy for reducing GHG emission, GWP, EF and GHGI without sacrificing rice yield.

Keywords: Poultry manure, Cowdung, Vermicompost, GHG emission, GHG intensity, Emission factor

Statement of the Problem: Global development, industrialization, and our unsatiated desires for energy has contributed dramatically for the overexploitation of natural resources. Given the current global energy demand scenario, growing population (by 2050 it is expected to grow till 9.9 billion from 7.8 billion in 2020, requiring 80% more energy and 70% more food)1, depletion of fossil fuels, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and achieving net-zero emission targets are the issues that must be considered for sustainable development2. To address these challenges investment in R&D and adoption/integration towards renewable energy is of utmost importance to achieve the sustainable development goal, which can be addressed by conducting high-quality research and developing an understanding of the diverse nextgeneration technologies that can help the scientific community to advance and to provide solutions to the socio-economic challenges. The scientific community is trying to work towards the development of non-conventional energy sources including new technologies for renewable and environmentally friendly electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems (Li-ion batteries (LIBs), Na-ion batteries (SIBs), and supercapacitors (SCs))3. EES technologies are one of the most promising electric energy storage applications because of their high efficiency and flexible design. There is a great demand for advanced energy storage systems with enhanced performance, especially in terms of their energy density, power density, cyclability, rate capability, operational safety for different applications.
Methodology: The role of advanced synthetic chemistry plays a crucial role in design and development of the next-generation novel material which can not only perform well but also will help in meeting the gigantic upcoming energy demands. Also, by exploring and understanding the mechanisms of energy generation and storage has to be explored and designing advanced electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems is required with its integration with the renewable sources (like solar/wind/hydro can provide a solution. This might be accomplished by doing research and development in the field of advanced energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors in a flexible, convenient, sustainable, and cost-effective manner. Findings: The electricity produced from most renewables is random and intermittent, which hinders the widespread application of renewables. Therefore, developing advanced energy storage technology is pivotal to improving electricity output reliability and stability from renewables. Now, the above-mentioned energy storage systems can be linked into grids (with renewable energy sources such as solar/wind/hydel, etc.) as part of a grid-based storage system. In addition, it can be used to facilitate efficient, sustainable, and reliable end-to-end users, which includes the growth of electricity demand for a variety of applications such as monitoring control and power systems, power quality management, smart home energy systems, and EV charging stations, among others.

Image Figure 1. (a) Advanced low dimensional materials design for high performance energy storage application and (b) strategy to integrate with renewable sources like solar/photovoltaics etc.
Conclusion & Significance: One of the foremost challenges for sustainability is efficient use of renewable energy resources, a goal that hinges on the ability to store this energy when it is produced and disburse it when it is needed. The need for developing novel materials is the need of the hour and till now, the battery research could not achieve an energy density above 500 Wh/kg, so the research community aims to use and explore advanced materials which can offer and go beyond the abovementioned energy density targets. Moreover, the revolutionary technologies that dramatically increase safety and reliability remain urgently needed for the aforementioned EES systems. The demand for energy varies with the applications i.e., from personal devices (up to 10 kWh) to transportation (up to 10-100 kWh) to distributed storage (up to 100 kWh - 1 MWh) to central storage4. Research is striving towards achieve these targets and develop advanced technologies.