ACTivate! · development goals, suggesting that it is the role of Universities to “walk the talk” in what they, what they teach, how they engage community, and research. Each

SEASONS GREETINGSBest wishes from the ACTS team for a sustainable 2014. Let’s make it great!

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PHOTO COMP WINNERSSta� and students were invited to show o� their skills with a sustainability themed photo.

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ACTS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT University of Southern QLD is the current Member Spotlight - �nd out what they’ve done!

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GREEN GOWN WINNERSFind out which institutions had their sustainability e�orts recognised at the 2013 GGAA’s

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GREEN GOWN GO GLOBAL Great representation from Australasia in the 2nd international Green Gowns

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MEMBERSHIP SUMMARYSee how ACTS is penetrating the Australasian tertiary education sector.

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ACTivate!ACTS newsletter Summer edition

ACTS 2013 CONFERENCESee how the sustainability community shared lessons in Sydney.

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THE LiFE INDEX UPDATELeanne Denby, President of ACTS gives an update on The LiFE Index.

P.3ACTSAUSTRALASIAN CAMPUSESTOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

INC

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www.acts.asn.au

The 13th International ACTS conference was held at the Novotel, Sydney Olympic Park. Over 140 delegates from universities, TAFE, government and business attended the event, which also included the Green Gown Awards Australasia awards ceremony.

Conference delegates

Leanne Denby, President of ACTS, opened the conference by acknowledging the traditional owners of our shared land and community support for sustainability - most notably through the �ood of donations and support for the Climate Commission despite being shut down by our current government.

Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor at Gri�th did an inspiring presentation about custom, practice, and systems of law that allow us to live in balance. “Sustainability is so important, it should be an integral part of everyone’s education”, said Lowe. His satirical look at how we could create an unsustainable future had the audience in stitches as he challenged our societies fundamental assumptions and current �awed strategies. He stressed that the future is not somewhere we are going, but something we are creating - so we need to embrace a new approach by taking responsibility for change and by valuing ecological sensitivity, quality of life and human solidarity.

Sarah Lee, Scotland Manager of EAUC, addressed the delegates to

give a snapshot of the changing landscape in Scotland. Amid strong government legislation for action on climate change, Lee sees students as key to delivering on national targets: “Students are our future for a resource e�cient workforce.”

Delegates broke out into concurrent sessions under the Learning in Future Environments (LiFE) themes of Leadership and Governance; Partnerships & Engagement; Learning, Teaching & Research; and Facilities & Operations. 2012 Green Gown Awards Australasia shared their success stories in one breakout session to share best practice with the sector.

Delegates in a concurrent session

The ACTS Annual General Meeting saw few changes to the Executive Board and Regional Director line up. ACTS welcomed its new Vice President (VP) of TAFEs - Audette Benson. We also welcomed some new Regional Directors (RD): Barnaby Smith (Flinders University), Linda Stephenson (RMIT), Danielle Rostan-Herbert (University of Melbourne), and Jennifer Chaput (La Trobe). ACTS farewelled Pascaline Owers (VP TAFEs), Sam Kussak (RD Melbourne) and Penny Johnson (RD South Australia. Mark Boulet was thanked for his service as Melbourne’s RD and welcomed into the newly created role as ACTS network liaison.

Cocktail drinks were welcomed after an intense �rst day of the conference. Hosted at The Brewery, delegates mingled over drinks and

canapés whilst musing over sponsor iAutomation’s give away light pens!

Day 2 opened with a keynote presenation from Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla, Director of Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT) at UNSW. Sahajwalla talked about the passion and dedication that students have for the environment, believing that our future is bright because of them. Veena stressed the need to translate research with on-the-ground action to create a better world, and has been doing this very successfully with industry through green materials and recycling end-of-life polymers in steelmaking.

Charlotte Taylor from the National Union of Students (UK) made a call for action to engage students in sustainability. Her vision is for student unions to act as green hubs educating others (suppliers, institutions and communities), and for all students to model sustainability attitudes, behaviours and social norms on campus and beyond.

Charlotte Taylor

The Executive Panel talked about the role of tertiary education in achieving sustainable development. A strong focus from the panel was on leadership, innovation and being a point of connection within the local community. “Sustainability should weave into what Universities are all about,” said Professor Bruce Dowton, Vice Chancellor of Macquarie University. Audette Benson, Hornsby

2013 ACTS Conference Wrap Up

ACTS has now hosted 13 international conferences, with our most recent one being in Sydney, Australia. From panels to parties, the ACTS Conference is fast becoming the sustainability event of the year. Read on to �nd out why the majority of delegates had an “excellent” experience.

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Campus Director of TAFE NSW NSI linked the principles of sustainability to those of innovation, stressing the importance of industry partnerships, community involvement and fostering a culture that facilitates sustainability and innovation. “Universities have an obligation and luxury to lead long term thinking,” echoed Patrick Woods, DVC Resources of UTS, who also stressed the need for developing relationships with industry.

Executive panel

Also from the panel, Dr Paul Rowland, DVC Engagement Strategy and Quality, UWS talked about our imperative as education providers to pursue an holistic sustainability agenda within new and existing partnerships, and the need to embed sustainability within current programs, rather than (or in addition to) speci�c sustainability programs. Melva Crouch, Chief Administrative O�cer from UoW, grapples with the implementation of sustainable development goals, suggesting that it is the role of Universities to “walk the talk” in what they, what they teach, how they engage community, and research. Each executive agreed the challenge is negotiating sustainability

within such complex environments.

Conference dinner

Closing day two, the winners of the 2013 Green Gown Awards Australasia, presented by Ecosave, were announced at the fabulous conference dinner and Award ceremony at the Scenic WatervieW in Bicentennial Park. The evening was an extremely positive celebration with 14 institutions being recognised for their sustainability achievements and was opened with an address from Robin Archibald, CEO, Ecosave. We also celebrated the ACTS Photographic Competition, with Carlene Kirvan from Macquarie University winning the People’s Choice Award for her photo celebrating gardening and upcycling.

Day three kicked o� with Professor David Hood, Science and Engineering Faculty at QUT who gave an update on climate change, emphasising why we must act and why it’s good for business to act now. He talked about the coming crisis due to climate change, biodiversity loss, �nite resource consumption, the planet’s carrying capacity and general cognitive dissonance – that is, our belief sets that dismiss the science.

Professor Hood then guided us through what we need to change - including a new measure for GDP that considers national wellness and a balanced scorecard approach to business. He urged the use of Marginal Abatement Cost (MAC) curve (over Cost Bene�t Analysis) for engaging the executive and gaining support for e�ective carbon abatement action.

Professional development session

Formalities of the conference ended with a lively professional development session from Greg Jenkins (TinCAN Learning). Delegates swapped tables, discussed concepts, took collective group notes, and walked away with a better understanding of our role as change agents for sustainability.

The ACTS community thanks and supports our wonderful, forward thinking sponsors: Mojarra, Ecosave, Alerton, Aquabubbler, Greensense, Impact Sustainability, Climate Friendly, iAutomation, enVizi, Mojarra, Keep Cup and Learning & Teaching Sustainability. We could not have done this conference without you!Check out the conference feedback here: www.acts.asn.au/2013-conf/

Campus Director of TAFE NSW NSI linked the principles of sustainability to those of innovation, stressing the

within such complex environments. Professor Hood then guided us through what we need to change - including a new measure for GDP

2013 ACTS Conference Wrap Up

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The 13th International ACTS Conference and Green Gown Awards Australasia are proudly sponsored by:

PLATINUM SPONSOR

GGAA CATEGORY SPONSORS

CARBON OFFSET SPONSOR WELCOME RECEPTION SPONSORGGAA HEADLINE SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS

Thanks a million to our sponsors!


PLATINUM SPONSOR



GOLD SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS


PLATINUM SPONSOR



GOLD SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS


PLATINUM SPONSOR



GOLD SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS


PLATINUM SPONSOR



GOLD SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS

&


PLATINUM SPONSOR



GOLD SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS


PLATINUM SPONSOR



GOLD SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS

The Learning in Future Environments (LiFE) Index was launched by ACTS throughout Australasia in March 2012. Jointly developed by colleagues from the UK, Australian and New Zealand higher education sectors, the LiFE Index is a comprehensive online performance management and improvement system. After much discussion between EAUC, the LiFE Index partner in the UK, and ACTS Executive, we have decided to change the way in which we o�er this useful and versatile framework.

As of 2014, each member of ACTS will be able to freely access the LiFE Index guidelines as part of their membership bene�ts. The guidelines feature comprehensive information to support users in

addressing holistic campus sustainability through the four priority areas: Leadership and Governance; Partnerships and Engagement; Learning, Teaching and Research; and Facilities and Operations. Each priority area is accompanied by strategic information to assist in developing a business case for sustainability, and is underpinned by a number of sub-themes to better de�ne the elements of the priority area. What’s more, the guidelines include a comprehensive list of supporting resources, as well as examples of what good practice could look like.

In discussing the move to provide the LiFE Index guidelines for free, ACTS President Leanne Denby said “Having the basic elements of the LiFE Index available for our members is a great way to support institutions in developing a holistic approach to

campus sustainability. It’s no easy task to be able to sell the business case for sustainability into the core business of educational institutions, but the LiFE Index provides supporting text to assist with this, as well as identifying key questions to ask of your approach.”

Currently the online system is supported by an organisation based in the UK, who to date have been relatively unresponsive in making suggested changes and updates to the system to improve functionality. This unresponsiveness combined with the signi�cant time di�erence between Australasia and the UK also impacted on the decision to provide the Guidelines for free.

“We need to be able to better respond to the suggestions of the LiFE Index users, and to do that, ACTS needs to have better control of the online system” Leanne said. “As such, we will look to redevelop the online component of the LiFE Index locally, incorporating the feedback we have accumulated to date to make the online tool even better than the current version.”

The LiFE Index Guidelines will be available early in the new year and we strongly encourage you to have a look through them, and if nothing else, see which areas you are addressing and where you may need to pay more attention to. We will keep you informed with the changes and progress of the online system as it happens so stay tuned!

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The LiFE Index Update

For more information on the LiFE Index, visit: www.thelifeindex.com.au

As of 2014, each member of ACTS will be able to freely access the

LiFE Index guidelines as part of their

membership bene�ts.

“Having the basic elements of the LiFE Index available for our members is a great way to support institutions in developing a holistic approach to campus sustainability.” Leanne Denby, ACTS President

The 2014 Awards will launch on 10 June 2014 and the deadline for entries will be August 2014. Winners announced 6 November in conjunction with

the 2014 Hobart ACTS Conference, and for the FIRST time Australasia will be hosting the International Green Gown Awards! 4

THE sustainability awards scheme for the tertiary education sector.

For more information visit: www.acts.asn.au

The winners of the 2013 Green Gown Awards Australasia, presented by Ecosave, were announced at a fabulous dinner and award ceremony at the Scenic WatervieW in Bicentennial Park, Sydney on 26 September 2013. The evening was an extremely positive celebration for institutions undertaking sustainability and showcasing their achievements and was opened with an address from Robin Archibald, CEO, Ecosave.

In their fourth year, the Awards recognise sustainability excellence and this year drew winners in nine categories, with over 40 institutions involved, representing over 20% of the sector. Judged by a panel of independent experts representing 26 sector representatives, the judges were delighted with the high calibre and diverse selection of entries.

All shortlisted entries received this year were of a high calibre, and we thank you all for your time and e�ort in submitting your applications. Leanne Denby – President of Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) said “we are overwhelmed by the response to this year’s Green Gown Awards Australasia, with winners delighting at the prestige of their accolade. The calibre of initiatives within the sector is extremely high, with all nominees deserving commendation”.

The Green Gown Awards Australasia ceremony was held in conjunction with the 13th International ACTS Conference, attended by international and national sustainability practitioners from the tertiary education sector, business and government. The Awards presented by Ecosave were proudly sponsored by Mojarra, Learning and Teaching Sustainability and the O�ce of Learning and Teaching, Keep Cup and Envizi.

GGAA’s evaluation can now be viewed online: www.acts.asn.au/programs-and-initiatives/ggaa/ggaa-2013/Video case studies of the 2013 winning initiatives will be available from the ACTS website in January 2014. On behalf of ACTS, thank you again and we look forward to seeing your applications in 2014!

Unitec Institute of Technology Highly Commended: Sunshine Coast TAFE

University of Wollongong Highly Commended: La Trobe University Highly Commended: The University of Adelaide

TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Highly Commended: Curtin University

TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute

Gri�th University Highly Commended: University of Tasmania Highly Commended: University of Technology,

Sydney

Sunshine Coast TAFE Highly Commended: Gri�th University

Deakin University Highly Commended: AUT University Highly Commended: University of Wollongong

2013 Green Gown Awards Australia Winners Announced!

2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia2013 Green Gown Awards Australia

Green Gown Awards Australasia Winners

Natasha Lay (UTS)

James Cook University

Judges were extremely impressed with this stand out project for its very open, transparent and inspirational initiative driven by a very

committed team of cross-faculty students over a two year period. The more that can be done to help people understand and simplify

buildings - and sustainably retro�tting them - is to be encouraged. The impact of this great project could be huge. The level of dissemination

with industry partnering organisations and the resulting marketing activities were extremely impressive. The project has enjoyed local,

national and international dissemination and sets the foundations for further replicability within and outside of the sector.

International Green Gown Winners

The International Green Gown Awards announced last month in the UK highlighted the fantastic e�orts of the tertiary education sector in becoming more sustainable, with the University of Wollongong and Sunshine Coast TAFE taking two of the three top honours.

Founded in the UK almost 10 years ago, the Awards have now gone global, with the International Green Gown Awards in their second year. Australasian winners compete with the UK winners to claim the ‘international’ title in three categories.

Representing Australasia in the Continuous Improvement – institutional Change category was Sunshine Coast TAFE with “reTHINK for sustainability @ Sunshine Coast TAFE”. University of Wollongong for their ‘Illawarra Flame – Sustainable Home” in the Student Initiatives category and TAFE NSW –Western Sydney Institute for ‘building sustainable communities through the wellbeing of individuals and families” within the social responsibility category.

Judges were delighted with the calibre and diversity of entries and commended both countries on their excellent initiatives – showcasing how tertiary education institutions are playing their part in developing a more sustainable future.



buildings - and sustainably retro�tting them - is to be encouraged. The

with industry partnering organisations and the resulting marketing

national and international dissemination and sets the foundations for

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Judges thought this a real stand out initiative spanning

holistic improvement across the institution – particularly liking the

Sustainability Discovery Centre. Working with the sta�, students, business and the general public,

the community engagement was commended. The partnerships formed with India and the Asia

Paci�c regions on delivering EfS training packages brings even wider dissemination and further enhances

the scope for replicability.

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CONGRATULATIONS!

ACTS is delighted to announce the winners for the 2013 ACTS Sustainability Photography Competition, announced at the 13th International ACTS Conference Dinner, held at the WatervieW in Bicentennial Park, Sydney

on 26 September 2013. Congratulations to all the winners!

STUDENT CATEGORY

Photography Competition Winners

Bec Taylor – The University of Adelaide

‘Just a Cupple of Carrots’

WINNER!

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‘Deap Sea sur�ng’

STUDENT CATEGORY

Matt Goodman Christchurch

Polytechnic Institute of Technology

3 rd Place!


Saba Nabi – Charles Sturt University

‘Lone survivor - let’s change their destiny’

2 nd Place!

2 nd Place!


STAFF CATEGORY

WINNER!

‘Celery Stalk. Sprouting tall, as the buildings in the landscape’

Simona Galimberti Institute for

Sustainable Futures, University of

Technology, Sydney

‘The balance of power is in our hands’

Suzy KeysJames Cook University

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STAFF CATEGORY

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

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‘Urban forest’

Anselm Bradford AUT University

3 rd Place!

Carlene KirvanMacquarie University

‘Nature’s Green Jeans – Gardening in the City’

WINNER!

24%

64%60%

26%

38%

43%

38%

32%100%

Sector champion for improving and promoting sustainability in tertiary education

ACTS has seen unprecedented growth in membership since incorporating in 2006, with 2012 being our largest growth in membership for some time. Combining last years success with this years economic uncertainty, parallelling growth in 2013 with growth in 2012 will be a challenge. Despite this, ACTS representation of the further and higher education sector has slightly increased since last year. With memberships from universities, TAFEs and polytechnics within Australia and New Zealand, ACTS represents 39% of the total sector. The greatest growth in the last quarter has been seen in the NSW/ACT region, South Australia, Tasmania and in Victoria. The map below shows our member representation statistics in each of the regions (NZ; NT & North QLD; South QLD; Regional NSW & ACT; Sydney Basin; VIC; SA; WA; TAS). With so many institutions trying to improve and promote sustainability in higher education, why not collaborate and share learnings with your region? Contact your Regional Director for more information.

TOTAL39%

Welcome to Our Newest Members

ACTS extends a warm welcome to our most recent members who have signed up this season of 2013:

• Tropical North Queensland Institute of TAFE• North Melbourne Institute of TAFE• TasTAFE

Welcome from the ACTS team!

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Membership Summary

With a community of 27 500 students and 1600 sta� members the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and strengthening e n v i r o n m e n t a l sustainability across its campuses. USQ is located in three unique regional locations across Southern Q u e e n s l a n d with campuses at Toowoomba, Fraser Coast and Spring�eld, o�ering programs in Arts, Business and Law, Education, Sciences, Engineering and Surveying. USQ is a leading provider of on-campus and online (distance) education programs with more than 75% of students studying via distance or online. Throughout 2013 USQ has continued its strong focus on managing its environmental performance and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

EnergyIn alignment with USQ’s Carbon Reduction Strategy 2012-2014 a series of energy e�ciency, conservation and management

measures have been progressed across the University. Some of these measures include the installation of Power Factor Correction

Equipment, the installation of cold isle containment in IT server rooms, the staged roll out of occupancy sensors on toilet lighting and the implementation of power management software. The impact of these measures is tracked through

a carbon management software system implemented in 2010 to capture USQ’s carbon and water inventory.

WasteWith a direct focus on minimising the amount of waste being sent to land�ll, much e�ort has been spent expanding USQ’s waste recovery streams including the construction of a waste compound. Dedicated recovery points have been made available to sta� and students to recycle hazardous waste such as batteries, toner, mobile phones, CD/DVDs and �uorescent tubes. Electronic waste collection and recovery peaked in 2012 with

over 8 tonnes of waste being diverted from land�ll. The boost in recycling rates across the campus demonstrates a heightened awareness of the environmental impact of waste disposal.

OperationsUSQ rea�rmed its commitment to reducing the impacts of its operations on the environment, launching a new Environmental O�ce, the Lilypad in late 2011. The Lilypad facilitates initiatives and projects in the areas of carbon reduction, waste minimisation, water conservation and environmental management. Centrally located in the quadrangle at USQ Toowoomba the Environmental O�ce engages with the community by promoting resource reduction projects and activities, as well as focusing on shared responsibility and engagement.

EngagementA major initiative of Lilypad is the Sustainability Pledge with more than 2000 sta� and students expressing their commitment to creating a more sustainable campus.

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ACTS Spolights USQ

If you would like your institution to be pro�led for our next Member Spotlight, please contact Belinda Bean:

T: (02) 9850 1003 E: [email protected]

For more information on USQ’s ACTS Member Spotlight, visit: www.acts.asn.au/members-spotlight

“the Environmental O�ce engages with the community by

promoting resource reduction projects

and activities, as well as focusing on

shared responsibility and engagement.”

Season’s Greetings!

Best wishes for the holiday season and for 2014! We look forward to continue working with you in the New Year, promoting change and innovation towards a more

sustainable future.

The ACTS Team www.acts.asn.au

[email protected]

Documents

ACTivate! · development goals, suggesting that it is the role of Universities to “walk the talk” in what they, what they teach, how they engage community, and research. Each