... Institute in Education for Sustainability - ARIES

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Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability A
birds eye view of sustainability in higher
education down under Environmental Association
for Universities Colleges (EAUC) 12th Annual
Conference 31 March 2 April 2008 Lania
Lynch ACTS President Environmental Management
Coordinator James Cook University, QLD
AUSTRALIA Lania.Lynch_at_jcu.edu.au www.acts.asn.au

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Sustainability Down Under

• Environmental Impacts of Australian Higher
  Education
• Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability
• Sustainability Initiatives Down Under
• Education for Sustainability

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Environmental Impacts of the Higher Education
Sector in Australia
Sustainability Down Under
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Sustainability Down Under

• The typical Australian Uni
• produces 1 of Australias Greenhouse emissions
• uses between 500 million and 1 billion litres of
  water per year
• generates more than 1000 tonnes per annum of
  waste, of which 40 is recyclable
• have large vehicle fleets and are large trip
  generators
• have significant environmental risk issues
• are densely populated locations with high
  environmental impacts close to that of a small
  city

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Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability
www.acts.asn.au
Sustainability Down Under
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Sustainability Down Under

• ACTS
• The primary forum for sustainability in the
  Australian and New Zealand tertiary sectors.
• Mission
• to promote the integration of the principles
  of ecologically sustainable development (ESD)
  within the curricula and operations of these
  sectors

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Sustainability Down Under

• ACTS Begins
• Commenced as a email listserv in 1997 (UNSW)
• Members primarily tertiary environmental
  managers/officers with interested students/staff
• Known as Australian Universities Environmental
  Management Network (AUMEN)
• 1st conference in Sydney Sept 2001
• Successful annual conferences followed in 02, 03
  and 04, organised by host Uni
• Increasing email discussion and momentum on
  greening campuses
• AUMEN had no formal structure, difficult to
  foster momentum or store IP
• AUMEN changed to ACTS in 2004 to reflect the
  increasing involvement of the vocational
  educational sector

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Sustainability Down Under

• ACTS Realised
• Incorporated in QLD in January 2006
• 6 Founding Member Universities
• Australian National UniversityDavid Carpenter
  (ACTS President 06-07)
• James Cook UniversityLania Lynch (Vice President
  06-07, President 08)
• Griffith UniversityDelwyn Langdon
  (Secretary/Treasurer 06-08)
• Monash UniversityBelinda Towns (Executive 06-07,
  Vice Pres 08)
• Uni of Canterbury (NZ)Kate Hewson (Vice
  President 06-08)
• University of Ballarat (2007 conference host)

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Sustainability Down Under

• ACTS Membership
• 550 Tertiary (incl. 5 staff conf reg)
• 20 Student
• 1500 Corporate
• 750 Government
• 350 (Non-government organisations)
• Membership base (2008)
• 25 universities (4 in NZ)
• 7 vocational sector (1 in NZ)
• 100 membership renewals to date
• Most Australian Universities are now members

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Sustainability Down Under

• ACTS services..
• Coordinating the Annual Australasian Campuses
  Towards Sustainability Conference
• Producing the ACTS Newsletter
• Workshops, trainings and professional development
  opportunities
• Coordinating an on-line email forum
• Lobbying government as to the importance of ESD
  in the higher education sector
• Establishing partnerships with other higher
  education associations and global sustainability
  initiatives
• ACTS website ? www.acts.asn.au
• Extensive resource base for Australasian Tertiary
  Sustainability Initiatives
• 2008 conference papers accessible to EAUC members
• Other areas on request to ACTS Executive

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Sustainability Down Under
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Sustainability Down Under

• ACTS 2007 Annual Conference..
• Katoomba, Blue Mountains World Heritage Area
• Full papers on website
• ACTS 2008 Annual Conference..
• 8th annual conference in Christchurch, New
  Zealand
• University of Canterbury (founding member)
• Wednesday 1 October till Friday 3 October
• EUAC members welcome to attend
• Details will be provided to all EAUC members

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Sustainability Initiatives in the Australasian
Higher Education Sector
Sustainability Down Under
http//www.engineeringforsustainability.org/
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Sustainability Down Under

• A birds eye view
• Significant growth in sustainability initiatives
  since the late 1990s
• 95 of Australian universities have environmental
  policies
• 90 have environmental management plans
• Most have energy and water reduction programs
• Growing awareness among senior management/governme
  nt about the importance of sustainability
  initiatives in higher education
• Most universities and TAFES include
  sustainability related content in coursework
• Many have sustainability institutes, centres,
  programs and offices working to embed
  sustainability in the higher education sector

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Specific Australasian Campus Initiatives
Sustainability Down Under

• http//www.anu.edu.au/an
  ugreen/
• University of Cantebury (NZ)
  http//www.sustain.canterbury.ac.nz/
• TAFE NSW http//environet.wikispace
  s.com/
• Monash Sustainability Institute
  http//www.monash.edu/research/sustainability-inst
  itute/
• Sustainable Campus Group
  (Victorian Unis TAFES)
  belinda.towns_at_msi.monash.edu.au

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Education for Sustainability
Sustainability Down Under

• EfS examples from 2008 ACTS Conference
  Presentations (available at www.acts.asn.au
  conference tab)

• Developing a Whole-of-University Approach to
  Educating for Sustainability linking Curriculum,
  Research and Sustainable Campus Operations
  Jennifer McMillin (ANU, Canberra)
• Review of Beyond Leather Patches Project Sarah
  Holdsworthy (RMIT, Melbourne)
• Transdisciplinary teaching and learning for
  sustainability in the tertiary sector Juliet
  Willetts (UTS, Sydney)
• Mainstreaming EfS in Pre-Service Teacher
  Education Ruth Tregale and Leanne Denby
  (Australian Research Institute in Education for
  Sustainability - ARIES, Macquarie University,
  Sydney)
• Best Practice EfS examples from TAFE NSW Western
  Institute Richard Ingham and Lyndon Field,
  Western Institute, TAFE NSW

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Sustainability Down Under

• ACTS Contacts
• Go to ? www.acts.asn.au
• President lania.lynch_at_jcu.edu.au
• Vice President (Australia) belinda.towns_at_msi.monas
  h.edu.au
• Vice President (New Zealand) kate.hewson_at_canterbur
  y.ac.nz
• Vice President (Vocational Education)
  darren.oconnell_at_det.nsw.edu.au
• Secretary/Treasurer delwyn.langdon_at_griffith.edu.au
  

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Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the
chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of
initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills
countless ideas and splendid plans that the
moment one definitely commits oneself, then
Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur
to help one that would never otherwise have
occurred. A whole stream of events issues from
the decision, raising in one's favour all manner
of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material
assistance, which no man could have dreamed would
have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream
you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power,
and magic in it. Begin it now. William
H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, 1951