Governance and engagement
Targets
- Develop methods to engage the University’s academic expertise through a community of practice that advises on how best to pursue the targets and commitments in this strategy.
- Provide opportunities for the broader University community to participate in grassroots action that contribute towards the goals of this strategy.
- Report annually to the University community and broader public during the life of this strategy.
See the Sustainability Strategy 2020 (pdf, 3.1MB) Pillar 3: Strategies 15-16 for the complete list of targets.
Recent highlights
- Progressed opportunities for the broader University community to participate in grassroots action, including a pilot of My Green Lab (see case study), the first year of Sustainability Action Grants and the third year of Green Impact (see case study).
- Engaged the University’s academic expertise through Sustainability workshops with the University of Sydney Business School and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
See our full Sustainability Annual Report 2023 (pdf, 8.1MB) here.
Case studies
In 2023, we finalised the My Green Lab Accreditation Program, guiding 4 labs from different disciplines and faculties through an international accreditation process designed specifically for improving sustainability in laboratory spaces.
Three labs received a Green Certification, and one lab received a Platinum Certification – the highest and second highest certifications provided by My Green Lab.
This improvement corresponds to an overall jump from Bronze to Green Certification.
Funding: Sustainability team
Project partners: My Green Lab
Our staff and student sustainability action program, Green Impact, ran for the third time in 2023.
Green Impact is a global initiative hosted by Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS).
9 teams from across 5 University of Sydney campuses worked for 6 months to complete 474 sustainable actions.
A snapshot of the breadth of some actions completed include:
- The Sydney Nursing School Green Team built possum and bird boxes, installing them around their local communities.
- Nepean Clinical School established an arrangement with a local lab supply company to reuse their delivery packaging, diverting it from landfill.
- Northern Clinical School introduced the Green Caffeen program at the most popular café at Royal North Shore Hospital.
For the first time, our teams won challenges in the Green Impact Cup, an annual inter-program competition.
Funding: Sustainability team
Project partners: Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS)
