LEARNING SUSTAINABLY
Learning Sustainably in the heart of Florence
Sustainability is one of AEF's three core institutional values and a pillar of our Strategic Plan 2022–2027. As a signatory to the CANIE Accord since 2022, we embed climate action across our curriculum, operations, travel and partnerships — turning our values into measurable practice.
Sustainability isn't an add-on at AEF. It is an ongoing commitment. Here's what we have committed to, what we have achieved, and where we are still working to make progress.
Since 2005, AEF has used Florence itself as a living classroom — its language, its culture, its art, its communities, its history, and its challenges. In 2022 we made that responsibility explicit: we became the first Italian educational institution to sign the CANIE Accord, the climate-action framework for international education.
Four academic years on, sustainability has grown from a formal commitment into an everyday institutional practice — governed by a cross-departmental Sustainability Action Group, taught through an internationally accredited Carbon Literacy course, and lived through Sustainability Week, tree planting across Tuscany, and community partnerships.
This section sets out our commitments, our progress, and our proof — reported honestly, including the work still ahead.
Learning sustainably, in our own words
Sustainability at AEF isn't a policy document. It's a shared responsibility our whole institution owns — from the President to our students. In this short film, AEF's leadership introduces the commitments, the governance, and the programmes behind our climate action in Florence.
Gustavo Gesteira, President — why sustainability is a core pillar of AEF
Daniel Ponce-Taylor, Chair of the Sustainability Action Group — how the SAG turns commitment into concrete action
Matteo Fusco, Coordinator of Business & Political Studies — Chair of the Global Impact and Research Group (GIR)
Mariagiulia Da Riva, Director of Student Life & Community Engagement — Sustainability Week and student engagement
Learning sustainably. Take action, make an impact.
OUR APPROACH RESTS ON FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We measure & report
We hold ourselves to an external framework — the CANIE Accord — and publish our progress every year, strengths and gaps alike. Our reports are freely available to anyone in the sector.
We teach it
AEF runs what we believe is the only internationally accredited Carbon Literacy certification embedded in a study abroad experience in Florence — delivered entirely in-house by our own certified facilitators, alongside SDG-integrated curricula and student climate leadership.
We live it in Florence
273 trees planted with Tuscan municipalities, Sustainability Week every semester, train-first travel, community clean-ups, and ethical local partners turn commitment into practice.
CREDENTIALS & RECOGNITION
Learning sustainably. Take action, make an impact.
See how sustainability shapes your semester in Florence
Read our full report and partner with a climate-ready institution
