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Added by Administrator, last edited by David Marsden-Ballard on Feb 07, 2008 (view change)

The intention of this site is to provide a place for resources, links and discussions on Greening the Curriculum and the Campus.
Sustainability is now recognised in the future directions of the University of Canberra as it has been included as Step 39 of the University Strategic Plan

if you wish to assist in editorial work, managing or updating this site, please email me <david.marsden-ballard@canberra.edu.au> as this is a work in progress squeezed in between everything else. So all contributions gratefully accepted.

This site will be updated as time and workload allow.

The Talloires Declaration

The Talloires Declaration (pronounced Tal-whar) is a 10 step program for a revolution to a sustainable world in the operation, teaching and research of the University

The University Council decided we should become signatories to the Talloires Declaration in September 1998 and we signed it in 1999.

See Policy ID: 2969

Strategic Plan

The University of Canberra's Strategic Planfor 2008-2012 (or Download a PDF version here) was approved in December 2007
and acknowledges that we face some big challenges including

to measure, contain and offset our impact on the environment

Our Purpose includes

a local community committed to a sustainable, education, healthy, prosperous life

Our Values includes

research which has as its end the improvement of culture, society and the natural environment, for the benefit of generations yet to be born.

Our Vision includes

we will be at the heart of the Bruce Precinct, which will be a centre of innovation, education, research and health services, with a sustainable ecological footprint

Social and Ecological Sustainability are now recognised as significant policy issues under Steps 1 and 39 of the Strategic Plan.

STRATEGY 1 - STRENGTHEN THE FOUNDATIONS ($50m) includes

Step 1: Ensure that respect for Australia's traditional owners and concern for their current circumstances influences our plans and actions.

STRATEGY 5 - ENGAGE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE WORLD AROUND US ($10m) includes

Step 39: Set and meet ambitious targets and standards, as a signatory to the Talloires Declaration, to reduce our ecological footprint.

A Sustainability Advisory Committee is now in its initial stages chaired by Prof Carole Kayrooz, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education.

This Committee currently has 5 working groups scoping and developing the first processes and procedures to operationalise how UC can meet its obligations as signatories of the Talloires Declaration.

Greening the Curriculum and Campus

The Australian National University

The ANU has a Sustainability Learning Community slc.anu.edu.au/
"The ANU Sustainability Learning Community (SLC) is a network of students and staff from across the university who are tackling day to day environment and sustainability related issues in the campus community.

University of New South Wales

The Green Trail showcases many of the initiatives we're taking at UNSW to practice and promote environmental sustainability, starting with our extensive native gardens. As you walk around campus you will discover the first of the signage that will continue to appear over the next twelve months as the three themes of the tour are developed and deployed both on line and on the ground. Currently you will find 25 different plants with signage indicating their traditional usage by the indigenous people of this local area or other parts of Australia. Whilst many of these 'bushtucker' plants are used for food other uses include for medicines, fishing/hunting or for fibre to make cloth or rope

Greening the Campus

The Australian National University

The Australian National University has the award winning ANUgreen program led by David Carpenter see more details and other ANU links from this page

Griffith University

Office of Facilities Management takes a very assertive approach to sustainability with this statement
"The Office of Facilities Management (OFM) is committed to achieving sustainability and ensuring we monitor and report on our activities and programs that have an impact on or contribute to the environment." http://www.griffith.edu.au/ofm/sustainability/

Associations Promoting Sustainability in Tertiary Education

ACTS -Australian Campuses Towards Sustainability

www.acts.asn.au/

To join the Australian Campuses Towards Sustainability Network email discussion group mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/acts_forum -

The purpose of ACTS e-mail discussion group is to:
1 Link up individuals within Australian universities and TAFEs who share the same campus environmental management imperatives.
2 Allow for the exchange and development of ideas to further reduce the environmental impacts of the infrastructure, management systems and purchasing practices of Australian campuses, including links to curriculum. Note: To support this objective, subscribers are encouraged to post all related questions and answers to the discussion group rather than engage in one on one dialogues.
3 To act as a forum for identifying and developing national collaborative environmental management strategies (including purchasing agreements and conferences).

ULSF - University Leaders for a Sustainable Future

http://www.ulsf.org/

COPERNICUS CAMPUS

http://www.copernicus-campus.org/

The signing of the COPERNICUS University Charter for Sustainable Development (http://www.copernicus-campus.org/sites/uni.html) in 1993 as a response to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro marked a breakthrough in raising consciousness within the European universities about the necessity to work together to preserve the future. Since then the network of signatories to the COPERNICUS Charter is getting incessantly broader: By now, more than 320 universities and higher education institutionsfrom 38 countries across Europe have signed the COPERNICUS Charter, (http://www.copernicus-campus.org/sites/list.html )thereby declaring that they will give sustainable development an important place in their activities. This implies that in curricula, institutional management and services to the local/regional society a responsible balance between economical aspects, ecological aspects and societal/cultural aspects has to be worked out. Due to this broad acceptance in daily university life, the COPERNICUS Charter constitutes today the principle guidance for the majority of higher education institutions in Europe in their efforts to contribute to sustainable development.

ASSOCIATION OF COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITIES

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United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014, DESD)

http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=55176&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Sustainability in Higher Education

"We are not great, but stand on the shoulders of those that go before us"
Bernhard of Chartres

But any real progress is going to take a lot of hard paddling !

(A Black Swan and signet in Lake Ginniderra, just down from the University of Canberra. Photo: David Marsden-Ballard 2007)