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Caring for Country
Embracing multiple knowledge systems
Caring for Country underpins our Sustainability Strategy, framing our intent and actions. Our work to become a more sustainable university must observe multiple knowledge systems – including those of our First Nations communities – that will continue to build long-term sustainability.
At the heart of our sustainability vision is a strong commitment to progress the University’s One Sydney, Many People strategy (pdf, 9.4MB).
We aim to:
- Recognise cultural identity through building cultures within our workspaces and classrooms where a First Nations voice is embedded in all our work.
- Partner effectively with peoples and communities in urban, rural and regional Australia and globally in co-created activities to deliver long-term sustainable benefits to us all.
See the Sustainability Strategy 2020 (pdf, 3.7MB) for our commitment.
Recent highlights
- A series of new Gadi trees were introduced at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, as an expression of the Walanga Wingara Mura Design Principles.
- The University was awarded the 2023 Australasian Green Gown Award in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Sustainability category for the mapping, protecting and enriching Aboriginal Cultural Heritage landscapes project .
See our full Sustainability Annual Report 2023 (pdf, 8.1MB) here.
Case study
The University of Sydney won the 2023 Australasian Green Gown Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for work to engage traditional Gamilaroi custodians in recording and assessing the cultural landscape of Llara Farm, part of the Plant Breeding Institute near Narrabri.
Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services), said the collaborative project demonstrates the University’s commitment to respecting the environmental knowledge and practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:
"Our goal is to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledges, skills, concepts and ways of life across our teaching and research; to strengthen our knowledge and co-practice of caring for Country and foster a sense of custodianship and responsibility towards the environment for the benefit of future generations."
Funding: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services)
Project partners: Narrabri Local Aboriginal Land Council (NLALC) and ARC Heritage