5 tips to help you be more sustainable at uni
1. Ditch disposable cups
Did you know that on average 30,000 takeaway coffee cups are used on our Camperdown/Darlington campus each week? If you're buying a coffee to go, make sure you ask for your drink in a Green Caffeen cup.
The Sustainability Strategy has partnered with the Green Caffeen program to provide free reusable cups at most Camperdown/Darlington campus cafes. You’ll have 30 days to return your Green Caffeen cup to any participating café (on or off campus) and can have two cups checked out at a time. The cups are made from 98% recycled materials and manufactured in Brisbane. The program will be expanded to more campuses later in the year. Download the Green Caffeen app on your phone and say goodbye to that ‘forgot my cup’ guilt!
We encourage all students and staff to BYO containers and plates as well as cups when dining at any of our outlets. By 2025 we want to ensure 100% of food/beverage packaging offered on campus is compostable or recyclable.
2. Enter an art competition making hard recycling easy
An ‘Enabler Wall’ featuring baskets to recycle those difficult but all too common items will soon be installed in the Wentworth Building. Items like batteries, clean soft plastics and mobile phones can be dropped off for recycling by the University.
We’re inviting students to get creative and design the space around the baskets with your original artwork. Have your design judged by esteemed leaders in sustainability from different disciplines for the chance to take out the design spot and a $500 prize. Consider the themes of recycling, sustainability and changing the University community’s behaviour to reduce, reuse and recycle.
3. Be part of the solution
Take specific action to create a culture of sustainability by participating in the 2022 Green Impact program. It’s a friendly team-based competition where you can work with fellow students to make our campuses more sustainable.
Get together a team of 5 to 8 people, sign up and work through as many sustainable actions in the tool kit as you like. There will be a local awards ceremony with winners being put forward to the national and possibly the international awards. Sign up for the Green Impact launch event on Wednesday 30 March at 12pm or email the team for more information.
We have the ability, knowledge and resources to create a culture and practice of sustainability. We just need the support and engagement from everyone across our University community to bring it all together to enact real, innovative and impactful change.
4. Discover botanical landmarks across all our campuses
Did you know that we have a critically endangered Wollemi Pine growing on campus? Use CampusFlora to get the story behind the University’s plants.
Developed by Associate Professor Rosanne Quinnell in partnership with her botany students and colleagues across campus, the CampusFlora webApp contains information on our beautiful campus plants – big shout out the fabulous Grounds Staff. It offers self-guided trails based on themes like "eucalypts", ClimateWatch, public art and the Patyegarang Sydney Language trail. Make it your mission when you are on campus to stop, breathe and discover the incredible biodiversity of our campuses.
5. Pedal power
Do you know what your carbon footprint is? Take the test and see, it might be more than you think - especially if you’re driving into uni every day. Why not make the change and start using public transport, or better yet ride your bike! With dozens of secure bike parking stations across our campuses, it’s an easy solution that the ozone will thank you for. Here’s a useful cycle guide to help you get started.
Run into bike trouble? No worries - if you need a quick fix for your bike on campus, you can hit up the free bike repair station on Eastern Avenue.
Updated March 14 2022