IPN and UNAM Sign Agreement to Promote Sustainability Actions and Research

• IPN General Director, Arturo Reyes Sandoval emphasizes that both institutions must find solutions to the nation's problems

• UNAM Rector, Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas stated that they fully embrace their responsibility in the face of the climate emergency

To promote sustainable practices, conserve natural resources, reduce carbon emissions, and foster more efficient technologies and production processes, the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) signed a general collaboration agreement this afternoon.

The document, signed by IPN General Director, Arturo Reyes Sandoval and the UNAM Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, aims to promote sustainable practices, conserve natural resources, and reduce carbon emissions.

The agreement seeks to boost the development of more efficient technologies and production processes; develop and carry out joint research projects and academic programs; foster academic mobility for faculty and students; and promote the organization of conferences or symposia related to the topic.

Arturo Reyes Sandoval, head of the Politécnico, highlighted that the histories of these two institutions are intertwined, stating, “More than a pleasure, we feel it is our responsibility to do everything we can to bring together the two most important educational institutions in Mexico.”

He noted that in the face of significant challenges such as the pandemic, educational institutions, particularly public ones in Mexico, provided solutions to overcome them.

“The Politécnico and UNAM must redouble efforts and put forth our best actions to be creative, make developments, and think carefully about how we can face the major challenges of our time: globalization is one of them, and unfortunately, we have an environmental crisis.”

UNAM Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas said, “At UNAM and IPN, we are committed to being active agents of change through the generation and dissemination of knowledge, the development of innovative solutions, and the training of future professionals and leaders.”

He affirmed that the academic, student, and administrative communities at UNAM fully embrace their responsibility in the face of the climate emergency, offering all their creativity, experience, and capabilities to educational institutions and Mexican society.

The document and the networks that will emerge from it represent a firm step in the right direction: the construction of collective, integral, urgent, and supportive socio-environmental work. “We are planting the seeds of substantial change needed for a more sustainable and equitable future for everyone,” emphasized the UNAM Rector.

He also expressed confidence that this will be the first of many agreements between the two institutions to promote Mexico's development at a strategic moment for redefining our place in the world and creating a better country for future generations.

IPN Inaugurates Compost Production Plant

In the morning, as part of the activities for World Environment Day, the IPN General Director formally inaugurated the "Dr. Héctor U. Mayagoitia Domínguez" Compost Production Plant, Laboratory, and Nurseries on two hectares in Zacatenco.

These facilities, remodeled and expanded with the support of the Fundación Politécnico, process all organic waste produced in academic units and are expected to produce 30,000 tons of compost annually (approximately 80 tons daily), reducing methane in IPN landfills and dumps. In addition to bringing machinery from other countries, laboratories were created at the facilities for the academic community at the Middle high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels.

The head of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional noted that, in recent months, Mexico has experienced the effects of climate change, making actions like the inauguration of this compost plant essential. These efforts contribute to one of the institute's directives, sustainability, and will also generate resources for the Politécnico through the commercialization of the high-quality compost being produced.

“We are not only talking about having a compost generation plant, but also an area for research and innovation because professors, thesis students, and Polytechnic students will be conducting research, making it a laboratory of innovation.”

Marco Antonio Herver Díaz, Technical Secretary of the Fundación Politécnico, highlighted that the plant is named after a distinguished polytechnic, former general director, and prominent politician who left a lasting impact on the institution, detailing the two years of work to fully operationalize these facilities.