Student Engagement category
The Sustainability Leaders Program was formed to engage with students post COVID-19 and to address the waste challenges from students returning to campus. The student accommodation buildings located on campus had high waste contamination rates, with one building having 48% waste contamination in March 2022. To respond to this, a range of initiatives were implemented with a total of 23 students in semester 2, 2022 and continued across 2023, with more students continuing to join the program, as well as returning students. These initiatives directly support the 2020-2022 Waste Management Plan, particularly the target of diverting 60% of waste from landfill. It also increased engagement among the students across the University on sustainability.
A Sustainability Leaders Program
The Sustainability Leaders Program was launched at the start of semester 2, 2022 with students who resided in on-campus accommodation. The students participate in monthly meetings with the Sustainability team. During these sessions, they gain insights into behaviour change, sustainability, waste, net zero, biodiversity conservation, and effective methods for educating their fellow building residents about proper waste disposal practices. The Sustainability Leaders’ aim is to bridge knowledge gaps among students and contribute to better waste management practices. During the monthly sessions, the sustainability leaders are encouraged to develop and initiate their own ideas to improve sustainability on campus. Notably one creative proposal consisted of collaborating with Cirka, our cleaning and waste partner, to create a recycling Waste Wall, further discussed below. Regular waste contamination audits conducted every month to track the progress, in partnership with Cirka, showed up to 45% reduction in waste contamination since the launch of the Sustainability Leaders Program.
The scope of the program has expanded since its conception to encompass advocating for sustainability during Orientation Week in semester 1 and 2 in 2023. This includes promoting The Reusable Revolution, a reusable crockery program available at 90% of food and drink retailers on La Trobe’s Melbourne (Bundoora) campus. In 2023 our Sustainability Leaders successfully engaged with 82 distinct groups of people over a span of 2 weeks to raise awareness about the Reusable Revolution. The Sustainability Leaders Program continues to grow and thrive with currently 19 dedicated student sustainability leaders.
New Waste Posters
After conducting research on the most effective waste posters in Australia, and through consultation with various stakeholders, including Sustainability Leaders, La Trobe’s Facilities Asset and Services team, Cirka, and students, the need for new waste posters was identified. These posters were then created by the Sustainability team and installed in the on-campus student accommodation buildings by the Sustainability Leaders and La Trobe’s contractors. Following the installation, throughout semester 2 2022, the Sustainability Leaders engaged with the residents of their respective student accommodation building to educate fellow residents on correct waste practices.
Education around waste in the Glenn Dining Hall
At La Trobe University’s Melbourne (Bundoora) campus, the Sustainability Leaders ran an awareness and communication campaign. They advocated for three separate waste bins—for landfill, recycling, and organic waste—to be made available at Glenn Dining Hall during student dining periods. The Sustainability Leaders conducted sessions to engage and educate peers who dined at Glenn Dining Hall to drive change and implement correct waste disposal practices.
Waste wall
The Sustainability Leaders collaborated with the Sustainability team and Cirka to create 2 Waste Walls by repurposing and reusing old filing cabinets. They created and installed signage to recycle items including vapes, eyeglasses, shoes, bottle caps, pens, and e-waste consisting of mobile phones, cables and batteries. This community project sits in two separate student accommodation buildings. The Sustainability Leaders collect items every week from the other students residing in the building and deposit them into the waste wall for Cirka to process.
O-Week
The Sustainability Leaders volunteered during Orientation Week in semester 1 and 2 to support the Sustainability team. They engaged new students in educational games about correct waste disposal methods, introduced current initiatives, and showcased ways to get involved. Having current students engage with new students proved very effective. It provided the new students with the chance to hear the Sustainability Leaders’ experience firsthand and ask questions. The Sustainability team obtained 433 new subscribers for the Sustainability at La Trobe newsletter and recruited 15 new enthusiastic volunteers for the Sustainability Leaders Program. The Sustainability Leaders who volunteered received exceptionally positive feedback from incoming students.
Celebration BBQ
A celebratory barbeque was organised by the Living at La Trobe team, which supports students living on campus, to acknowledge the notable reduction in waste contamination since the start of the Sustainability Leaders Program.
The waste contamination rate at one of the worst performing on-campus student accommodation building decreased by up to 45%, following the previously mentioned initiatives undertaken by the Sustainability Leaders.
Timeline
May – July 2022: Planned and launched the Sustainability Leaders Program.
August – September 2022: Consulted, created, and installed waste posters.
July 2022 – ongoing: Implementation of the Sustainability Leaders Program, education on and implementation of behaviour change strategies across all on-campus student accommodation on the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus through Sustainability Leaders.
Ongoing: Monthly waste contamination report.
Costs
A recurring $20 monthly cost from July to October 2022 to provide snacks at Sustainability Leaders meetings. In 2023, the only costs incurred were the waste wall decals, which came to a total of $457.60.
Environmental and social benefits
The Sustainability Leaders Program brought passionate and like-minded people together to drive positive social change, resulting in improved sustainability outcomes for the University as well as the students. The 2023 Sustainability Leaders engaged with 82 distinct groups of people over 2 weeks to raise awareness about the Reusable Revolution, La Trobe’s reusable crockery program aimed at diverting single-use waste from landfill and promoting circular economy principles through action.
Leadership and engagement
The extensive engagement of student participants in various initiatives through the Sustainability Leaders Program stands as a testament to the approach of empowering participants through knowledge, funding, and collaborative execution of their ideas. This approach not only cultivates a partnership among student participants, Cirka, the Sustainability team, and the broader La Trobe community, but also embodies a holistic approach to equipping students with waste-related insights that are both economically viable and sustainable. This approach positions students as recipients of education but also as educators themselves. Through close collaboration between the Sustainability team, students, and Cirka, practical solutions and management strategies are developed and implemented, fostering leadership capabilities rooted in real-world practice.
Significance to the sector
The heavy involvement of students, empowering them with knowledge, and funding their proposed strategies, as well as fostering a partnership from students to Cirka and the wider sustainability team demonstrate a wider collaborative and holistic approach to deal with waste whilst ensuring it is cost-effective and the leadership in students can create a lasting and positive impact.
This includes students at the front end of education to other students, the sustainability team working closely with students and Cirka to find solutions and management strategies that are on the ground.
Wider societal impact
The holistic approach to empowering students and involving them in sustainability actions and initiatives have a wider societal impact that will only become more visible as we grow our Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus. Empowering the students to create and implement their own initiatives through collaboration with the University and Cirka has already had a positive societal impact on the wider La Trobe community. The students have demonstrated dedication, by reducing waste contamination by up to 45% in on-campus accommodation, and innovation, by creating a recycling Waste Wall using repurposed filing cabinets. They actively engaged in designing, promoting, and collecting various recyclable items such as vapes, glasses, shoes, cables, mobile phones, pens, batteries and bottle caps.
The students will continue to influence change at La Trobe University, and the Sustainability Leaders program will continue alongside La Trobe University’s University City of the Future Master Plan. The University City of the Future Master Plan has a vision for over 12,000 new residential dwellings and a significant growth in commercial, education and retail floor space. Retaining and expanding our strong commitment to sustainability, waste management and waste contamination minimisation through student engagement and empowerment will be included in our Master Plan, which consequently will have a significant reach and positive societal impact.
Learner/Graduate employer impact
As a part of the Sustainability Leaders Program, the students are also awarded a part of the Career Ready Advantage Award for their participation. The Career Ready Advantage Award is designed to help students actively prepare for their life and work beyond their degree. It is co-designed with industry partners to help students develop the skills and attributes employers desire. To receive the award, the students build content for their resumes with stories and examples of experience gained by working in a team, showcasing initiative and transferable employability skills learned through projects they have worked on.
Participants of the Sustainability Leaders Program receive valuable experience which translates directly into transferable employability skills. The students gained experience in communication, influencing behaviour change, teamwork, having difficult conversations, project management, and leadership. By having the opportunity gain hands on skills and knowledge on a range of topics, including waste contamination, correct waste behaviour, circular economy principles, and recycling, the students can show demonstrated experience to employers when applying for work opportunities.
Top 3 learnings
Supported by
Category finalists
Student Engagement/Winners
Student Engagement/Winners
2023 winners
Benefitting Society/Winners
Benefitting Society/Winners
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Sustainability/Winners
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Sustainability/Winners
Climate Action/Winners
Climate Action/Winners
Sustainability Institution of the Year/Winners
Sustainability Institution of the Year/Winners
Creating Impact/Winners
Creating Impact/Winners
Creating Impact/Winners
Creating Impact/Winners
Top 3 learnings
Student Engagement category
The Sustainability Leaders Program was formed to engage with students post COVID-19 and to address the waste challenges from students returning to campus. The student accommodation buildings located on campus had high waste contamination rates, with one building having 48% waste contamination in March 2022. To respond to this, a range of initiatives were implemented with a total of 23 students in semester 2, 2022 and continued across 2023, with more students continuing to join the program, as well as returning students. These initiatives directly support the 2020-2022 Waste Management Plan, particularly the target of diverting 60% of waste from landfill. It also increased engagement among the students across the University on sustainability.
A Sustainability Leaders Program
The Sustainability Leaders Program was launched at the start of semester 2, 2022 with students who resided in on-campus accommodation. The students participate in monthly meetings with the Sustainability team. During these sessions, they gain insights into behaviour change, sustainability, waste, net zero, biodiversity conservation, and effective methods for educating their fellow building residents about proper waste disposal practices. The Sustainability Leaders’ aim is to bridge knowledge gaps among students and contribute to better waste management practices. During the monthly sessions, the sustainability leaders are encouraged to develop and initiate their own ideas to improve sustainability on campus. Notably one creative proposal consisted of collaborating with Cirka, our cleaning and waste partner, to create a recycling Waste Wall, further discussed below. Regular waste contamination audits conducted every month to track the progress, in partnership with Cirka, showed up to 45% reduction in waste contamination since the launch of the Sustainability Leaders Program.
The scope of the program has expanded since its conception to encompass advocating for sustainability during Orientation Week in semester 1 and 2 in 2023. This includes promoting The Reusable Revolution, a reusable crockery program available at 90% of food and drink retailers on La Trobe’s Melbourne (Bundoora) campus. In 2023 our Sustainability Leaders successfully engaged with 82 distinct groups of people over a span of 2 weeks to raise awareness about the Reusable Revolution. The Sustainability Leaders Program continues to grow and thrive with currently 19 dedicated student sustainability leaders.
New Waste Posters
After conducting research on the most effective waste posters in Australia, and through consultation with various stakeholders, including Sustainability Leaders, La Trobe’s Facilities Asset and Services team, Cirka, and students, the need for new waste posters was identified. These posters were then created by the Sustainability team and installed in the on-campus student accommodation buildings by the Sustainability Leaders and La Trobe’s contractors. Following the installation, throughout semester 2 2022, the Sustainability Leaders engaged with the residents of their respective student accommodation building to educate fellow residents on correct waste practices.
Education around waste in the Glenn Dining Hall
At La Trobe University’s Melbourne (Bundoora) campus, the Sustainability Leaders ran an awareness and communication campaign. They advocated for three separate waste bins—for landfill, recycling, and organic waste—to be made available at Glenn Dining Hall during student dining periods. The Sustainability Leaders conducted sessions to engage and educate peers who dined at Glenn Dining Hall to drive change and implement correct waste disposal practices.
Waste wall
The Sustainability Leaders collaborated with the Sustainability team and Cirka to create 2 Waste Walls by repurposing and reusing old filing cabinets. They created and installed signage to recycle items including vapes, eyeglasses, shoes, bottle caps, pens, and e-waste consisting of mobile phones, cables and batteries. This community project sits in two separate student accommodation buildings. The Sustainability Leaders collect items every week from the other students residing in the building and deposit them into the waste wall for Cirka to process.
O-Week
The Sustainability Leaders volunteered during Orientation Week in semester 1 and 2 to support the Sustainability team. They engaged new students in educational games about correct waste disposal methods, introduced current initiatives, and showcased ways to get involved. Having current students engage with new students proved very effective. It provided the new students with the chance to hear the Sustainability Leaders’ experience firsthand and ask questions. The Sustainability team obtained 433 new subscribers for the Sustainability at La Trobe newsletter and recruited 15 new enthusiastic volunteers for the Sustainability Leaders Program. The Sustainability Leaders who volunteered received exceptionally positive feedback from incoming students.
Celebration BBQ
A celebratory barbeque was organised by the Living at La Trobe team, which supports students living on campus, to acknowledge the notable reduction in waste contamination since the start of the Sustainability Leaders Program.
The waste contamination rate at one of the worst performing on-campus student accommodation building decreased by up to 45%, following the previously mentioned initiatives undertaken by the Sustainability Leaders.
Timeline
May – July 2022: Planned and launched the Sustainability Leaders Program.
August – September 2022: Consulted, created, and installed waste posters.
July 2022 – ongoing: Implementation of the Sustainability Leaders Program, education on and implementation of behaviour change strategies across all on-campus student accommodation on the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus through Sustainability Leaders.
Ongoing: Monthly waste contamination report.
Costs
A recurring $20 monthly cost from July to October 2022 to provide snacks at Sustainability Leaders meetings. In 2023, the only costs incurred were the waste wall decals, which came to a total of $457.60.
Environmental and social benefits
The Sustainability Leaders Program brought passionate and like-minded people together to drive positive social change, resulting in improved sustainability outcomes for the University as well as the students. The 2023 Sustainability Leaders engaged with 82 distinct groups of people over 2 weeks to raise awareness about the Reusable Revolution, La Trobe’s reusable crockery program aimed at diverting single-use waste from landfill and promoting circular economy principles through action.
Leadership and engagement
The extensive engagement of student participants in various initiatives through the Sustainability Leaders Program stands as a testament to the approach of empowering participants through knowledge, funding, and collaborative execution of their ideas. This approach not only cultivates a partnership among student participants, Cirka, the Sustainability team, and the broader La Trobe community, but also embodies a holistic approach to equipping students with waste-related insights that are both economically viable and sustainable. This approach positions students as recipients of education but also as educators themselves. Through close collaboration between the Sustainability team, students, and Cirka, practical solutions and management strategies are developed and implemented, fostering leadership capabilities rooted in real-world practice.
Significance to the sector
The heavy involvement of students, empowering them with knowledge, and funding their proposed strategies, as well as fostering a partnership from students to Cirka and the wider sustainability team demonstrate a wider collaborative and holistic approach to deal with waste whilst ensuring it is cost-effective and the leadership in students can create a lasting and positive impact.
This includes students at the front end of education to other students, the sustainability team working closely with students and Cirka to find solutions and management strategies that are on the ground.
Wider societal impact
The holistic approach to empowering students and involving them in sustainability actions and initiatives have a wider societal impact that will only become more visible as we grow our Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus. Empowering the students to create and implement their own initiatives through collaboration with the University and Cirka has already had a positive societal impact on the wider La Trobe community. The students have demonstrated dedication, by reducing waste contamination by up to 45% in on-campus accommodation, and innovation, by creating a recycling Waste Wall using repurposed filing cabinets. They actively engaged in designing, promoting, and collecting various recyclable items such as vapes, glasses, shoes, cables, mobile phones, pens, batteries and bottle caps.
The students will continue to influence change at La Trobe University, and the Sustainability Leaders program will continue alongside La Trobe University’s University City of the Future Master Plan. The University City of the Future Master Plan has a vision for over 12,000 new residential dwellings and a significant growth in commercial, education and retail floor space. Retaining and expanding our strong commitment to sustainability, waste management and waste contamination minimisation through student engagement and empowerment will be included in our Master Plan, which consequently will have a significant reach and positive societal impact.
Learner/Graduate employer impact
As a part of the Sustainability Leaders Program, the students are also awarded a part of the Career Ready Advantage Award for their participation. The Career Ready Advantage Award is designed to help students actively prepare for their life and work beyond their degree. It is co-designed with industry partners to help students develop the skills and attributes employers desire. To receive the award, the students build content for their resumes with stories and examples of experience gained by working in a team, showcasing initiative and transferable employability skills learned through projects they have worked on.
Participants of the Sustainability Leaders Program receive valuable experience which translates directly into transferable employability skills. The students gained experience in communication, influencing behaviour change, teamwork, having difficult conversations, project management, and leadership. By having the opportunity gain hands on skills and knowledge on a range of topics, including waste contamination, correct waste behaviour, circular economy principles, and recycling, the students can show demonstrated experience to employers when applying for work opportunities.
Supported by
Related finalists
Student Engagement/Winners
Student Engagement/Winners
Other finalists
Climate Action
Driving Towards Tomorrow’s Campus with Vehicle-to-Grid EV Technology
As part of Flinders University’s drive to innovate and become a leader in climate action, the University launched its Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) initiative. This involved installing and maintaining 20x V2G and smart chargers for its growing electric vehicle fleet. Leveraging 100% renewable energy generated by ENGIE’s Willogoleche Wind Farm and Flinders University’s solar power systems, this enables the storage of renewable energy in EV batteries to be discharged on campus during peak demand periods. Hence, allows for these EV fleets to operate as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) to deliver peak demand management and optimization of behind-the-meter generation.
Overall, this initiative demonstrates the reliability and scalability of bi-directional and uni-directional smart-charging systems for EVs in reducing GHG emissions while facilitating teaching, research, and innovation opportunities. Moreover, it exemplifies a sustainable and innovative solution to scale energy storage technology and increase renewables.
Sustainability Champion – Staff/Winners
Brandan Espe
Environmental Officer / Acting Grounds Supervisor
Brandan has brought over 50 federally listed Endangered species of plant into the James Cook University living collection, many of which have never been cultivated and are found in no other collection in the world.
Of these, over half have been sustainably wild collected, inclusive of field and clone data, so they can be used for ongoing conservation, research and teaching, the remaining being sourced from private and partner organisations through favours of service or trades.
He personally funded the project from 2019-2022, until funding was awarded for the program due to its success, with the program now being engrained into the Universities landscapes for ongoing management should he leave JCU, creating a threatened species legacy collection.
The program has now expanded beyond this, with an additional 48 species now funded for further addition, some of which are only known from less than 5 sightings in history.
Student Engagement
Sustainability Leaders creating real impact!
La Trobe created a unique Sustainability Leaders volunteering program to increase engagement with students on campus and empower them to act against waste and promote sustainability. It included the following initiatives:
- Promoting the reusable crockery implementation,
- Increasing knowledge action of other students on campus to diversion comingled recycling and organic waste from landfill.
- Focus on waste audits and data,
- Improved signage through new waste posters for students living on campus.
- Collaboration with Cirka (our cleaning and waste partner) to create a waste wall and;
- Learning all things sustainability (net zero, biodiversity, waste, reusables, engagement)
These initiatives yielded significant results and with a reduction in waste contamination by almost 40% at the residential buildings and engagement with over 80 groups of people for the Reusable Revolution.
Creating Impact
Where knowledge meets habits: Empowering students for a sustainable tomorrow
Our online Sustainability Challenges offer participants an engaging, self-paced learning experience centered around a specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG). Requiring minimal resourcing and at zero-cost to participants, we’ve created replicable, compact, scalable, and impactful learning opportunities that result in real impact.
The Challenges follow a structured process that moves participants from knowledge gain to simple action to celebration, to establish small but mighty habits relating to waste and carbon emissions. This approach recognises that knowledge alone is often insufficient to drive behaviour change, and that ease of action and celebration are crucial components in creating sustainable habits.
Sustainability Champion – Staff/Winners
Catherine (CeeJay) Donovan
Veterinary nurse – Anaesthesia
From establishing the Massey Vet School Green Team to leading impactful initiatives, my commitment to environmental sustainability has been making waves. With the help of my team, I have accomplished numerous small, yet meaningful actions, including integrating a sustainability lecture for final year vet students and implementing battery recycling alongside rechargeable battery use. Our larger projects encompass the introduction of green waste and soft plastics recycling bins, an energy audit resulting in power-saving measures, and playing a part in a successful rubbish audit. I spearheaded the ‘6 in 6’ campaign, empowering individuals with six simple steps for workplace sustainability. Through the SustainaVet social media pages I help to educate and inspire peers nationwide. As the Massey School of Veterinary Science sustainability champion, I had the privilege of speaking at the annual veterinary conference on sustainability in clinical practice. Currently I’m conducting pioneering research on responsible cat waste disposal. Together, we’re forging a greener future, one initiative at a time.
Sustainability Champion – Student
Louis Walmsley
SDG Coordinator Monash Association of Sustainability, Office Bearer Monash Student Association’s Environmental and Social Justice Department, Masters of Environment and Sustainability Student
Louis is an exceptional student sustainability leader at Monash University. His passion and dedication to sustainability have made a significant impact on the community. Louis’s values revolve around sustainability, which is evident upon meeting him. He actively participates in various sustainability groups, demonstrating his commitment to creating a more environmentally conscious society.
One of Louis’s notable involvements is with Precious Plastic Monash, where he organizes remarkable events and fosters collaboration among like-minded individuals, student groups, and staff. His contributions to the Monash Association of Sustainability have allowed him to conduct valuable research on plastic usage and climate action, resulting in positive changes within the university.
Through his work with the Monash Student Association, Louis has engaged hundreds of students in fun and interactive sustainability initiatives. He took the initiative to organize a sustainability food fair, which was one of the largest sustainability-related events held at Monash post-COVID. This accomplishment is a true testament to Louis’s hard work and creativity.
Louis is an outstanding student leader whose efforts in sustainability have had a lasting impact on Monash University and its community. His inspiring nature resonates with everyone who knows him.
