2024 Awards

The 2024 Green Gown Awards Australasia, held in partnership with the ACTS Conference – The Future of Sustainability was held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Launceston on Thursday 7 November. The ceremony celebrated 12 winners and 6 highly commended entries in recognition of excellence in sustainability within the tertiary education sector. Marking its 15th anniversary, this year’s awards featured 38 outstanding finalists from 18 unique institutions across Australia and New Zealand, reflecting the sector’s leadership in advancing environmental and social responsibility.

The awards gala, hosted by the witty and engaging Trent McCarthy—Director of Clean Economy, Engagement & Experience at Melbourne Polytechnic—brought together sustainability champions for an inspiring night of celebration. In a special event, New Zealand finalists were honoured at the NZ Hub event in Wellington, ensuring participants on both sides of the Tasman could celebrate their contributions to sustainability.

The Sustainable Institution of the Year award went to University of Technology Sydney (UTS) for “UTS Making a Splash in Global Impact,” highlighting UTS’s comprehensive integration of sustainability practices. The UTS approach is characterised by a whole-of-institution strategy that prioritises the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate action, and social justice, leading to global recognition and tangible outcomes in sustainability performance.

The University of Tasmania also emerged as the top institution, winning awards in multiple categories. The university was recognised for its broad-reaching programs, including Climate Action with “Effective Climate Action through a Holistic Lens”, the Student Engagement award for “Sustainable Food Solutions” and the Creating Impact award for the Kelcey Tiers Extinction Matters BioBlitz organised by Adjunct Research Dr. Clare Hawkins in collaboration with the Bookend Trust and Devonport City Council. The University of Tasmania was also joint winner in the Next Generation Learning & Skills award for its interdisciplinary “Sustainability University Major” sharing the accolade with TAFE NSW for “Skilling up the next generation of Sustainability Professionals”.

The evening also showcased Powerful Partnerships, with the Tertiary Education Sector Climate Futures Group recognised for their “From Sweet As to Oh Bugger” climate scenarios project, demonstrating the strength of cross-institutional collaboration for all universities, Wānanga, and Te Pūkenga (Institute of Skills and Technology) in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This year’s awards were made possible through the support of key sponsors, including COS (Sustainable Institution of the Year), Sumday (Climate Action), and Veolia (Sustainability Leadership), underscoring a shared commitment to driving sustainability across the education sector.

The ACTS Conference provided the perfect backdrop for the awards, creating a vibrant space for dialogue, learning, and celebration of these initiatives.

We encourage you to explore the efforts of all winners, highly commended and finalists. Simply click on a postcard below to open the case studies, which include overview of the initiative, top three learnings and highlights across environmental and social benefits, leadership and governance and significance to the sector.

Organisational

Climate Action
University of Tasmania Winner
The Australian National University Highly Commended

Creating Impact
University of Tasmania Winner
AUT Highly Commended

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Monash University Winner
RMIT University Highly Commended

Nature Positive
La Trobe University Winner
The University of Melbourne Highly Commended

Next Generation Learning and Skills
TAFE NSW Winner
University of Tasmania Winner

Powerful Partnerships
Tertiary Education Sector Climate Futures Group (TESCFG) Winner

Student Engagement
University of Tasmania Winner

Sustainability Institution of the Year
University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Winner

International category

Individual

Sustainability Leadership
Linh Do, The University of Melbourne Winner
Emilia Bisogni, The University of Melbourne Highly Commended

Sustainability Champion – Staff
Emily J Flies, University of Tasmania Winner
Heather Gill, The University of Melbourne Highly Commended

Sustainability Champion – Student
Anthony Brady, Monash University Winner

View the awards photo gallery

2024 Green Gown Awards Australasia winners

Climate Action/Winners

University of Tasmania

Effective Climate Action through a holistic lens

The University of Tasmania is carbon neutral certified in the Commonwealth Climate Active program since 2016. Subsequently, we joined Race to Zero; completed fossil fuel-exposed divestment; became the first Australasian CANIE Accord signatory; published our Emissions Reduction Strategic Plan 2022-2030 to reduce gross emissions by a minimum 50% by 2030 on a 2015 baseline through 42 actions across all three emission scopes; ranked #1 globally in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 THE Impact ranking for SDG13 Climate Action; received a Green Gown Award Australasia for our Curious Climate education program; became a Climate Action Barometer (CAB) in International Education founding and advisory board member; compiled whole-of-institution submissions to State Government on climate legislation and emissions management; support Tasmanian GBEs in establishing climate-focused sustainability approaches; tabled in the Tasmanian Parliament a 2023 Annual Report that includes a new section addressing proposed climate and sustainability-risks reporting requirements prior to being mandatory; and, are now implementing an ‘internal carbon price’ to drive behaviour change
Climate Action

University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau

Aotearoa’s highest scoring green building

The redevelopment of Building 201 embodies the sustainability and net zero carbon ambitions and aspirations of Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland. Through an innovative adaptive reuse strategy, the project has transformed a 50-year-old end-of-life building into a future-focused facility for three faculties. Critically, the project has dramatically reduced embodied and operational carbon while achieving ecological and community benefits. Narratives of cultural significance weave throughout the design and signal partnership with mana whenua, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. With 6 Green Stars for design and the highest score to date, the 26,500sqm building is one of Aotearoa’s most sustainable developments and has been deemed ‘world-leading’ by the New Zealand Green Building Council.
Climate Action

The Australian National University

Heat Pumped – Fossil-free heating for cold Canberrans

Electric heat pumps now provide space heating to eight buildings on the ANU campus, having replaced fossil fuel gas boilers. Heat pumps are an attractive alternative to gas boilers as they run at 250-300% of the energy efficiency of natural gas boilers, reducing their running costs, and in the ACT, are powered by 100% renewable electricity, deeming their operation carbon neutral. However, retrofitting electric heat pumps in buildings designed for high temperature gas boilers, and in cold climates such as Canberra, poses a number of technical challenges and complexities. Our creative implementation of heat pump configurations successfully demonstrates that these challenges can be overcome and provides a prototype for further degasification projects across our campus, and for other building owners facing similar challenges. This project has so far reduced the University’s carbon footprint by 900 tCO2e per annum, which is 6.5% of our total emissions from gas.
Climate Action/Highly Commended

The Australian National University

Carbon Smart Travel

University travel is one of the largest sources of emissions mapped by the Australian National University (ANU). In 2023, it accounted for 40 per cent of our reported carbon footprint. To minimise our impact, we committed to reducing our travel emissions by 50 per cent by 2025 from 2019 levels. With some new ways of working that have come to stay after the pandemic, our 2023 emissions have reduced from our 2019 levels. As travel is part of how we work, and our travel activities may be linked to positive impacts on our careers. However, every trip we make adds to our environmental impact. Therefore, we created tools and resources for informed decision making including a travel emissions tracker app, the carbon smart travel guide, and we provide ongoing institutional support for individual action and collective measures that enable our community to be successful with a lower carbon footprint.
Creating Impact

QUT

Clothes for Careers Student Wardrobe Project

Clothes for Careers Student Wardrobe Project is a second-hand corporate workwear pop-up shop for QUT students heading into the world of work, filling a need for those completing Work Integrated Learning, graduate employment, or essential work while studying.

The project provides gently used corporate workwear, donated by QUT staff and alumni, free of charge to QUT students to assist with the cost of being work ready in a time students are struggling with even basic necessities. Organised and run by QUT staff for QUT students, and aligned with career advice, a successful pop-up shop was run in May 2024. Further pop-ups are now being planned with the next event scheduled for the 7th August to support QUT’s CareerCon event.

The project contributes to QUT priorities social justice and inclusion and sustainability and environment. During shifts, it became clear that giving and receiving also contributed to student and staff wellbeing.
Creating Impact/Highly Commended

AUT

No time to waste at AUT!

AUT’s Sustainability Plan includes a target to reduce waste by 50% by 2025. To ensure as much waste as possible is diverted from landfill and help AUT achieve this target, AUT’s Estates team introduced a pilot project – on-site sorting of all the contents of the waste, recycling and organic waste bins – initially at the majority of the City campus and South campus with the remaining sites at City and North campus about to be introduced.

With the refurbishment of AF building and construction of the new A1 building at the North campus AUT included a clause in the contract with Naylor Love (construction company) to divert 90% of the construction and demolition waste from landfill. This was an ambitious target that was achieved – to date over 90% of the waste was diverted from landfill.
Creating Impact

The University of Sydney

MyLab: Innovating sustainable solutions for research

Established in 2019, MyLab at the University of Sydney enhances the management of laboratory reagents used in research and education, including chemicals, gases, drugs, radioactive, and biological materials. The service includes a digital platform to track the full lifecycle of these materials, supported by three distribution hubs that receive orders, deliver across campus, stock over 500 products, and operate a chemical repository. MyLab staff have been working tirelessly to deliver services without additional resourcing or funding, that create an impact for sustainability in laboratory spaces. This includes providing a solvent decanting service, where MyLab users can purchase common solvents in 1L and 2.5L returnable bottles directly from the hubs, reducing solvent and bottle waste. Users return used bottles to hubs or campus collection points for reuse. In 2023 alone, this service has saved 11,483 bottles from landfill. Additionally, researchers are encouraged to return unused or surplus chemicals to repository in the hubs. These chemicals are then made available for free to other researchers. Since its inception, MyLab has facilitate the reuse of 1213 chemicals from this repository, saving them from being incinerated or disposed, and reducing the procurement and of additional products.
Creating Impact/Winners

University of Tasmania

A 30-hour festival of science in nature: Kelcey Tier Extinction Matters BioBlitz Tasmania

For the ‘festival of science in nature’, the Kelcey Tier Greenbelt Reserve Extinction Matters BioBlitz (Oct. 2023), Biological Sciences Adjunct Researcher Dr Clare Hawkins partnered with Devonport City Council. Clare regularly organises large scale ‘Extinction Matters’ community BioBlitzes in lutruwita / Tasmania with the Bookend Trust. Alongside the Council, Clare assembled numerous interested local organisations, individuals and university community members with expertise in a wide range of species to guide the surveys and identification. Over 300 community members participated in the event, including >90 school-aged students and their teachers, to identify and record >400 distinct species across the 30-hours with 140 species identified as new records for the Reserve. Species ranged from microscopic tardigrades and rotifers, through to slime moulds, ferns, and burrowing crayfish, to birds, bats and wallabies. Of special interest was a previously unknown population of the threatened curved riceflower (Pimelea curviflora var. gracilis)).
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/Winners

Monash University

The Global Immersion Guarantee

The Global Immersion Guarantee Program (GIG) is a fully-funded, international unit that explores the human impact on the environment with a focus on sustainability. Across eight countries (China, Fiji, India, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Samoa and Vanuatu), GIG is available to eligible first-year students at Monash enrolled in over 80 degrees with 1,871 participants to date. Over two weeks, students engage with domestic leaders to better understand local perspectives on different sustainability issues. The program is co-designed and delivered with partner institutions including universities, social enterprises, non-government organisations, and youth groups. GIG students are partnered with local students to develop their understanding of their immersion country and build people connections. Through a combination of classroom-based activities and field site visits, students gain first-hand insight into the challenges associated with developing and implementing innovative and sustainable solutions to issues such as over-tourism, waste management, gender inequality, urbanisation, and renewable energy.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The University of Sydney

The University of Sydney Library: Creating culturally safe and significant spaces

The University of Sydney Library exemplifies commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, adopting sector-leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols that promote culturally safe practices across services, spaces, and resources. In the early stages of implementation, the protocols have influenced the design of physical and digital library spaces across three notable projects. Partnering with IndigiGrow, an Aboriginal-owned social enterprise, the Fisher Library rooftop terrace has been revitalised with Indigenous gardens. Plans to name the terrace in Gadigal language are in progress, alongside the development of placemaking signage to share Aboriginal cultural narratives. Simultaneously, the Library’s new website integrates a dedicated First Nations presence, enhancing digital cultural safety. Complementing these initiatives, the commissioned artwork “Walking on Country” by Jessie Waratah bridges digital and physical spaces, connecting the Library with local Gadigal Country. Together, these projects demonstrate a collaborative and transformative approach to embedding diversity and cultural sustainability within higher education spaces, enriching educational experiences, and fostering a more equitable and environmentally conscious campus community.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/Highly Commended

RMIT University

Weaving together our values

How do we weave the strands of institutional values together and create an applied approach to hold decision-makers accountable and build capabilities in our community? The Sustainability & Equity Evaluation (SEE) Tool at RMIT does just that in an innovative project that integrates equity, sustainability, and governance considerations into the core strategic processes of the University. A team of purpose-driven professionals from across sustainability, diversity & inclusion and Indigenous engagement, have been collaborating for over two years to fundamentally change how social and environmental impacts can be considered in a large institution’s governance model, whilst ensuring our community is empowered to drive the University’s values forward without creating an additional ‘cultural load’ for those staff members responsible for representing and sharing the perspectives of their communities. This tool allows RMIT to take a universal design approach to developing policy, process and procedure.
Nature Positive

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Catching on

The overall aim of this project is to increase native biodiversity on the University of Canterbury campus, which will, in turn, improve the ecological health of the local environment. We are working with a variety of both university and local community members, to reduce predation risks on native fauna and flora, and to increase birdlife and cryptic biodiversity. Reducing introduced predators will allow more native birds to nest successfully and increase available food sources for them. It will also increase other native vertebrate and invertebrate populations. Together, this will enhance the campus’s key role as a stepping stone in the establishment of an ecological corridor through the city of Ōtautahi|Christchurch. The project has involved a student-led society and a community organisation to work with the university to achieve the desired outcomes collaboratively across the campus and in the surrounding neighbourhood.
Nature Positive/Winners
La Trobe University

The Nangak Tamboree: Embracing Biodiversity and Indigenous Cultural Learning in a University City

Nangak Tamboree is pronounced: nan-ynack tam-bor-ee, which means respecting, sharing, and looking after the waterway in the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people. Nangak Tamboree is a 2 km waterway and open space network that runs through the heart of La Trobe’s Bundoora Campus. We seek to share our story about and success in delivering the Nangak Tamboree vision in collaboration with community, where in 2023: 1,343 species of flora and fauna were recorded.

Over 9,419 people were engaged across education, citizen science activities and events.

Over 4,645 volunteer hours were dedicated to plant production, land management, and seed collection.

175 Hours of Narrap Crew Work were carried out in land management, cultural burning and biodiversity monitoring.

574 Internship Hours were made available to students.

600 School Work Experience Hours undertaken.

Over 148,000 Indigenous Plants were grown and used for local revegetation projects.
Nature Positive

Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington

Growing our Future

Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington is reforesting a 26 hectare block of land in the Outer Green Belt of Wellington. The project – ‘Growing Our Future’ is enhancing the biodiversity of the city; strengthening the connection between the University and the city; providing volunteer opportunities for staff, students and alumni; generating applied teaching and research opportunites; and sequestering carbon.

The University has urban campuses with limited opportunities for extensive biodiversity restoration. The City Council has recently acquired a block of land, but lacks the resources to actively regenerate the native forest cover. The partnership formalises the collaboration and the carbon credit sharing through a 33-year peppercorn lease, where the University gets access to the land and takes on responsibility for managing the forest restoration.

The project is delivering environmental benefits while bringing the University community together and forming closer ties with the city.
Highly Commended/Nature Positive

The University of Melbourne

Understanding, protecting & enhancing biodiversity

The University has committed to no-net-loss of on-campus biodiversity by 2025 and a net-gain by 2030. These ambitious targets were informed by the Biodiversity Baseline Data Project. Since 2019, the BBDP has harnessed expert knowledge to develop seven preliminary metrics aimed at quantifying on-campus biodiversity. Led by the Sustainability Team, the project has been a collaborative effort between academics, students, and community members. Today, data collection across seven biodiversity metrics is 95% complete and the project is forecasted to be finished by the end of 2024. However, the University has already begun efforts to meet its 2025 and 2030 targets by committing ~$250K (to date) to improving the health of the University’s Dookie Bushland Reserve and working with student volunteers to plant 3,200 plants at our Parkville, Southbank and Werribee campuses in 2023. The BBDP enables the University to understand, protect and enhance its on-campus biodiversity while providing an intuitive framework for other institutions to adapt.
Next Generation Learning & Skills

Macquarie University

Global citizenship starts here

The Global Leadership Program (GLP) is a co-curricular program open to all undergraduate, postgraduate and study abroad and exchange students at Macquarie University. It is a transformative Macquarie experience that motivates its students to become active global leaders. The GLP opens up new possibilities for its students by giving them a critical understanding of diverse issues and perspectives, as well as the skills and experiences they need to confidently connect and communicate across cultures, and ultimately, to make a positive societal impact in their lives and careers post-graduation.

With over 3300 active participants, the GLP allows offers an extensive suite of engaging, interactive workshops and the opportunity for each students to curate a suite of immersive practical experiences, which are either sourced themselves or designed in-house by program staff.

Our vision is for GLP graduates is to have the skills, experience, and knowledge they need to be confident global leaders.
Next Generation Learning & Skills

Monash University

Future skills for the SDGs: Change agents for social and commercial enterprise

Collaborative curriculum development involving networks of universities, industry, government, communities, and NPOs represents a mutually beneficial proposition that is agile and disrupts current education paradigms. As challenges like sustainability, climate change, and extreme environmental events escalate, the Monash Innovation Guarantee (MIG) exemplifies the goals of SDG 17 by grounding itself in necessary partnerships to equip students with the skills and mindsets to tackle these challenges.

MIG is a cross-sectoral, intergenerational, and interdisciplinary network and community comprising students, academics, and diverse industry and innovation leaders. They unite under a shared vision to generate positive social and environmental impacts. This groundbreaking teaching program pushes boundaries, empowering students and bridging the academia-industry divide. Through a 3-week, credit-bearing industry experience, MIG allows students from 93 degrees to collaborate with hundreds of industry leaders and Australian innovators, aiming to develop solutions for critical global challenges.
Next Generation Learning & Skills/Winners

TAFE NSW

Skilling up the next generation of sustainability professionals

The TAFE NSW’s Higher Education (HE) Diploma of Sustainable Practice (DoSP) is aligned with the knowledge and skills determined by the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) to empower students in becoming effective sustainability professionals with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to drive lasting change, reduce risk, and increase resilience in any organisation or community context. The course is learner-centred and project-based in design, fostering real-world impact and reducing the risk of academic misconduct. Learning and teaching is online with networking and coaching opportunities with industry experts. Students have spearheaded many impactful initiatives during their studies and beyond, contributing to significant organisational and community economic, social and environmental improvements. The program boasts a high employment rate with many students and graduates securing leadership roles. This innovative program not only prepares students for immediate employment but also ensures they lead sustainability efforts that deliver long-term value to their employers and community.
Next Generation Learning & Skills/Winners

University of Tasmania

Sustainability University Major SUMs up appetite for interdisciplinary focus

In 2023, building on the nation-leading success of a pre-degree in Sustainable Living (GGAA winner 2022, IGGA commendation 2023) and the University’s #2 Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, the University of Tasmania began a major transformation – creating an innovative new type of curriculum structure to enable students across most degree programs to study sustainability as a major. This decision has been driven by both top-down executive leadership and bottom-up advocacy and initiative from a university-wide network of sustainability educators (Education for Sustainability Community of Practice, IGGA winners 2018). The Sustainability University Major (SUM) is now available to most undergraduate students as a second major. Jointly governed by all Colleges of the University, SUM has grown rapidly to 150 students and is on target to be over 250 in 2025 with continued growth expected beyond this. This model pioneered by SUM is anticipated to be replicated by other cross-curriculum imperatives including decolonisation.
Next Generation Learning & Skills

Victoria University

The Smart Farm @ Wyndham Tech School

Located at Wyndham Tech School, the Smart Farm is a controlled environment vertical farming system housed within a shipping container. This project has engaged over 1600 high school students and 40 secondary school teachers in hands-on learning about sustainable agriculture and food security – surpassing initial engagement goals within six months. Students from diverse curricular backgrounds (including biology, STEM, engineering, and business) collaborate to explore cutting-edge farming technologies and the business aspects of food production. Strategic partnerships with industry leaders, including Velisha Farms, enhance the curriculum with real-world insights into agribusiness and entrepreneurial strategies. The project’s sustainability focus is underscored by its efficient water usage and solar-powered operations, making a significant impact on local food systems by supplying low-mileage produce to community facilities. Looking forward, the program aims to expand its reach by integrating agritech and agribusiness into vocational training for secondary students, addressing the critical global challenge of food security.
Powerful Partnerships/Winners

Tertiary Education Sector Climate Futures Group

From Sweet As to Oh Bugger – Sector-wide climate scenarios

In 2023, Aotearoa New Zealand’s Universities, three Wānanga (tertiary education institutes based on tikanga and mātauranga Māori), and Te Pūkenga (Institute of Skills and Technology) came together to consider the question, ‘How will climate change impact Aotearoa New Zealand’s tertiary education sector between now and 2100?’ In 2024, the project culminated in the publication of the ‘Climate change scenarios for the Aotearoa New Zealand tertiary education sector’ report.

Throughout the collaborative project, a broad range of perspectives and expertise was gathered to create a flexible framework for tertiary providers to build on to ensure their climate change planning follows a consistent approach, while adaptable to their own needs.

Developing scenarios allowed creative thinking about the future. By imagining plausible scenarios for Aotearoa New Zealand’s tertiary education sector within the framework of climate projections, we can guide strategic planning now to address future challenges and to realise potential opportunities.
Powerful Partnerships

University of Tasmania

Tasmanian Policy Exchange – partnering for a sustainable community

The Tasmanian Policy Exchange (TPE), created in 2020, is a work unit within the University of Tasmania that uses evidence-based research, analysis and stakeholder engagement, to help provide solutions to policy challenges in Tasmania with relevance to the world. The TPE applies academic skills and research as well as the practical experience of staff within our institution itself to these issues to support the University’s positive impact on the Tasmanian community and to contribute to an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable future for all Tasmanians.

Unlike traditional consultancies, the TPE leverages the considerable skills and knowledge available across the University. Subject experts partner on projects when needed, with the TPE acting as a bridge between academia and government, industry and community. TPE projects are a mix of strategic University and projects with external partners. The TPE is evidence-based and objective, only taking up projects that seek to make Tasmania a better place for all.
Student Engagement

Mannix College, affiliated with Monash University

Green cuisine: waste not, want not

In partnership with Monash City Council, Mannix College students and staff launched an innovative food and organic waste redirection project, revolutionising waste management at the college by diverting 9,600 kg of organic waste from landfills in six months.

Spearheaded by the student-driven Environment & Sustainability Advisory Committee and supported by dedicated staff, the project included a complete overhaul of the dining hall’s food waste system. Following extensive community education and engagement, organic waste bins were installed in the dining hall, which the council collected and composted weekly.

Since its inception in July 2023, this student-led initiative, with strong staff support, has resulted in a 60% reduction in food waste, with the remaining waste redirected to beneficial uses. By diverting 9,600 kg of organic waste from landfills in six months, the project has prevented 15.84 tCO2 equivalent emissions. Projected annually, this impact increases to 31.68 tCO2e, significantly reducing the college’s environmental footprint and promoting sustainability. The project has produced roughly 3,840 kg of nutrient-rich compost, contributing to Monash University’s sustainability and UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, young adults actively engaging in sustainable behaviours daily is possibly the project’s greatest outcome.

The entire Mannix community, driven by engaged and proactive students and bolstered by supportive staff, has united to drive this successful sustainability effort. This collaboration demonstrates the powerful impact of collective action and effective student-staff partnerships in achieving environmental goals.
Student Engagement/Winners
University of Tasmania

Sustainable Food Solutions

With more than 50% of students experiencing food insecurity, UTAS has launched its Healthy, Sustainable and Equitable Food Strategy 2023-2028, a multifaceted approach to ensure students have access to enough nutritious, sustainable, and affordable food.

Sustainable Food Solutions consists of three of the Food Strategy’s priorities, each of which increase student access to healthy food as well as increasing knowledge about important food-related issues.

Edible Campus involves students in the process of growing, harvesting, and distributing fresh produce.

The Student Foodies Program run by Health & Nutrition Science students, teaching food literacy and healthy eating through cooking and sharing low-cost, nutritious meals.

Tasmanian University Students Association (TUSA), operates the Food Hub and Food Education Program providing free food and cooking classes to students in need.

All three initiatives are achieving high level student engagement, an essential aspect in reducing hunger amongst the student population and helping ensure ongoing sustainability.
Sustainability Institution of the Year

TAFE Queensland - Robina Campus

Engage, empower, embed - Sustainability excellence at Robina Campus

TAFE Queensland Robina Campus is an exceptional educational institution that prioritises sustainability in all aspects, from infrastructure to curriculum. As TAFE Queensland’s flagship, it showcases our unwavering commitment to social and environmental sustainability aligned with the UN SDGs. Our educators undergo professional development to integrate sustainability into teaching, assessment, and campus life, ensuring students are well-informed about crucial sustainability issues. Our campus serves as a living laboratory, engaging students in eco-friendly live training venues, green-skilling programs, interactive activities, and collaborations with partners. Moreover, our learning spaces are unmatched in Australia, equipped with cutting-edge technology using interactive environments and global streaming cameras. This fosters a flexible and immersive educational experience. We generate 25% of our own power with more solar panels to be installed, and we rigorously manage our waste. We empower students to become global citizens, raising their awareness of sustainability challenges and inspiring them to act.
Sustainability Institution of the Year

University of Tasmania

Leveraging leadership to inspire bolder action

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) continues to be an authentic sustainability leader in the higher education sector regionally and globally as well as more broadly within Tasmania and Australasia. Since our 2021 win in this category, we have delivered significant new initiatives, improved our Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) in 2022 from a Silver rating to first Australasian Gold rating and improved annually in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings rising from 76th in 2021, 25th in 2022, 5th in 2023, to equal 2nd in 2024. These external assessments reflect our increasingly broader and deeper institution-wide action to deliver positive impact as a leading sustainable university across curriculum, research, engagement, operational, and governance improvements. Our collective sustainability commitment, based on the Sustainable Development Goals, is embedded in our University Strategic Plan 2019-2024 and has formed the backbone of our strategy refresh process for 2025-2030.
Sustainability Institution of the Year/Winners

University of Technology Sydney

UTS making a splash in global impact

UTS ranked equal 13th among 1,963 institutions globally in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024 and achieved a standout number one world ranking in the only mandatory category, Sustainable Development Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals. UTS was thrilled to be recognised for the university’s capacity for global partnerships, engagement and collaboration and its commitment to making a positive social and environmental impact aligned with the UN SDGs.

These results were achieved by applying a whole of institution approach over the past 15 years and executive level commitment. UTS has numerous research centres developing solutions to sustainability challenges and is committed to systematically embedding sustainability into the curriculum. There is an operational focus on addressing the Climate Emergency via the Climate Positive Plan. Strong governance includes the newly updated Sustainability Policy, Sustainability Strategy 2023 – 2027, Sustainability Steering Committee and commitment to transparent reporting via our public Sustainability Impact Dashboard.
Highly Commended/Sustainability Leadership

The University of Melbourne

Emilia Bisogni

Sustainability Coordinator

Since joining the University in 2019, I have led innovative sustainability initiatives that have transformed campus operations and fostered a culture of sustainability. Through programs like Choose to Reuse and Green Caffeen, I have managed the diversion of over 880,000 items from landfill, engaged thousands of students and staff, and established vital communication pathways between stakeholders. My efforts have not only improved waste management on campus but also provide practical and transferable demonstrations of sustainability, promoting education and awareness. By conducting the biennial Student and Staff Sustainability Survey, connecting to students via volunteering, and a comprehensive waste audit, I have been able to drive data-based decisions which lead to significant environmental impacts. These initiatives serve as models for other institutions, reflecting my commitment to embedding circular economy principles and creating a sustainable future.
Sustainability Leadership

Monash University

Shane French

SENIOR SUSTAINABILITY COORDINATOR

I am a sustainability educator and enabler, with over twenty years experience developing, leading, and delivering sustainability programs to a wide range of audiences, including primary and secondary schools, tertiary and higher education, community groups and industry professionals.

Highly skilled in the areas of environmental awareness, corporate social responsibility, community engagement, education and climate action, I have chosen to work with organisations which strongly align with my values, including Zoos Victoria and CERES Environment Park. I am currently the Senior Sustainability Coordinator within the Net Zero & Sustainability team at Monash University.

In 2018, I rounded out my expertise with the completion of my Masters of Sustainability and Environment, focused on leadership and behaviour change.
Sustainability Leadership

University of Tasmania

Dr Catherine Elliott

Sustainability Manager (Experience & Engagement)

I lead meaningful, place-based sustainability programs for our university community. Since 2019, I have designed sustainability projects for over 750 students with a strong focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. I embrace this unique chance to work with an incredibly diverse, passionate, committed and highly skilled community, and empower sustainability. I mentor 20-50 students annually on sustainability projects, identify sustainability challenges for major projects across the university, lead our University’s Sustainability Engagement Plan with a team of four part-time staff, co-ordinate staff engagement through facilitating the University of Tasmania’s Education for Sustainability Community of Practice and Green Impact Program, I co-ordinate community sustainability engagement at major events and host community workshops. Recently I designed the Sustainability Placement Experience unit, which I coordinate and co-teach. I am a founding member of the ‘Campus Living Lab’ International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) Working Group to share best practice with universities around the world.
Sustainability Leadership/Winners

The University of Melbourne

Linh Do

DIRECTOR, WATTLE FELLOWSHIP

We all have responsibilities to one another and our planet as citizens. I wake up feeling fortunate that I get to work on the issue I care about every single day. I’m currently the Director of the Wattle Fellowship (a sustainability leadership program for students at the University of Melbourne) and chair of Climate Action Network Australia. My commitment to change was borne as a high school student driving legislative change through community organising on energy efficiency, and has since seen me work with multilateral institutions including the United Nations. I am regularly asked to comment in the media and advise government and corporate Australia on their sustainability and community engagement initiatives. Through the Wattle Fellowship, I am fostering Australia’s next generation of sustainability leaders and I can’t wait to see what they go on to achieve across Australia and the world in the decades to come.
Staff Champion/Winners

University of Tasmania

Dr Emily J Flies

Lecturer, Environments and Sustainable Communities

I am a sustainability-focused educator, researcher and equity, diversity and community engagement champion. In my teaching, I have led several sustainability-focussed units and the development of a major in sustainability, an effort for which I was awarded the highest University honour: a Vice Chancellor’s Award in Sustainability. My approach to teaching, which is evidence-based and student-focussed, consistently results in excellent student feedback and has demonstrated benefits for student subjective wellbeing, and sustainability knowledge, attitudes and outcomes.

As a leader in the $17M Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub, I have co-designed a national research program on sustainable people-environment interactions. This work is impact-focussed and transdisciplinary; my team works with partners and policy-makers to ensure sustainability outcomes.

Outside my University role, I do award-winning science communication and community engagement, working to advance equity in science by founding and directing two not-for-profit organisations and the Inspiring Women in STEMM Fellowship program.
Highly Commended/Staff Champion

The University of Melbourne

Heather Gill

Queen's College

The Queen’s Op Shop is the first of its kind established at any of the colleges at Melbourne University. It addresses the ubiquitous problem of what to do with the huge amount of landfill that is created at the end of the college year by exiting students, maintaining a consistent focus from year to year and finding the best destination for the things we collect. The drive to address this problem by establishing and running our Op shop comes from my own deep-seated hatred of waste and a passion for using existing materials in creative ways. The University recognised my contribution with a Community Engagement Award at the 2023 Sustainability Awards Ceremony.
Staff Champion

Monash University

Dr Tatiana Pinedo Rivera

Senior Process Engineer - Team Lead

For the past six years, under my leadership, MCN’s Green Impact team has earned multiple awards for our efforts, including Platinum, Most Labs Actions and Overall Monash Winner and Diamond. Recently, our cleanroom has received the highest level of My Green Lab certification. This journey required countless hours of volunteer effort from team members across MCN.

Beyond MCN, I have extended my impact to inspire other labs across Australia and internationally to adopt sustainable practices. I have founded and led ANFF’s Sustainability Expert Working Group, aiming to spread sustainability principles throughout Australian micro and nanofabrication facilities and beyond. Additionally, I have organized international meetings and workshops to start a global network of sustainable cleanrooms, showcasing our progress at prestigious conferences.

I am passionate about leading by example and engaging others in the sustainability movement, with the hope of inspiring more labs to join us in caring for the environment. Each achievement and award earned is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire team, and I am humbled by the impact we have been able to make.
Staff Champion

The Australian National University

Thomas Biedermann

Project Manager

I brought together two strategic priorities of the Australian National University (ANU), by establishing and leading an award-winning sustainability team within the ANU School of Cybernetics (the School). This informal “living lab” operates at the intersection of the ANU commitment to contribute to global environmental sustainability and the School’s mission to establish cybernetics as an important tool for navigating major societal transformations.

This work started mid-2023 and is ongoing. It seeks to identify, test and reinforce the synergies that exist between sustainability action and the unique attitudes, techniques and methodologies that Cybernetics provide. It builds on knowledge and networks established during a prior secondment as Program Manager for Below Zero (the ANU decarbonisation program) to pilot and embed sustainable ways of thinking and acting in the day-to-day operations of the School and its future orientations. Sharing our learnings, in turn, establishes reinforcing feedback loops of practice towards sustainability.
Student Champion

The University of Melbourne

Adele Roeder

Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science)

Sustainability issues cannot be addressed solely by individuals and instead require the intersectoral and intergenerational collaboration of community groups. After starting Moonee Valley City Council’s (MVCC) first youth environment group, I have subsequently created partnerships including with Moonee Valley Sustainability (MVS) and Glenbervie Stationeers by hosting a 3-day ‘Grassroots Youth Summit’ as part of my internship with MVCC’s Conservation Team that engaged numerous young people. As a third-year undergraduate Environmental Science student at the University of Melbourne (UoM), working in the University’s Sustainability Team as a Green Impact (GI) Officer and Vice President of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), I consistently utilise my networks to deliver impactful sustainability initiatives. This was recently exemplified through my Wattle Fellowship project where I collected +1330kg of household items from UoM student accommodation venues to host a ‘Thrift Market & Circular Economy’ Fair in partnership with 11 external sustainability organisations to raise $1723.28 for environmental and social charities.
Student Champion/Winners

Monash University

Anthony Brady

Bachelor Environmental Engineering and Science

I am an Environmental Engineering and Science student at Monash University, due to complete my studies at the end of 2024, and I am deeply passionate about the intersection of climate action and human rights.

My experience spans a spectrum of community engagement activities, from coordinating impactful events, facilitating peer-led workshops, delivering strategic communications and providing leadership in a range of diverse roles. This includes roles with Monash Residential Services (MRS) and Precious Plastic Monash (PPM), both of which have taught me about my leadership strengths in engaging with, and empowering people to, work towards a collective vision.

I intrinsically gravitate towards experiences which allow me to contribute to my community in a meaningful way, and constantly strive for a more sustainable and equitable world.
Student Champion

University of Tasmania

Liam McLaren

Bachelor of Science (Geography)

Hailing from Smithton in Tasmania’s far northwest, I now am based in Hobart, Tasmania and completing my honours in a Bachelor of Science – Geography. I am passionate about the environment and building a sustainable future, particularly with a focus on regenerative agriculture. Over the last few years, I have been involved in a range of sustainability and environmental initiatives. From being a co-founder of our now over 150 members strong – Tasmanian University Environment Society. To building a full events calendar including our Annual Environmental Careers Expo. And even moving into a much larger student union and ensuring broader organisations include an environmental focus and strategy. My proudest achievement over the last few years would be the formation of the now annual careers expo, created with a central goal of allowing environmentally minded students to connect with careers and futures that align with their values.
Benefitting Society

Griffith University

Performance and Ecology Research Lab (P+ERL): Advancing Climate Care in the Performing Arts

Griffith University’s Performance and Ecology Research Lab (P+ERL) is advancing climate care in the performing arts by addressing a critical knowledge gap in how the Australian sector responds to ecological crisis. Through research, collaboration and eco-creative practice, P+ERL supports artists, organisations, educators and cultural institutions to rethink how performance is made, programmed, taught and shared.

Working across national and international partnerships, P+ERL combines bottom-up industry collaboration with top-down policy influence. Its work includes the ARC Linkage project Culture for Climate, eco-literacy and eco-creativity workshops, curriculum development, community-engaged performance projects, and a formal contribution to the National Cultural Policy supported by major industry organisations.

By positioning the performing arts as a powerful vehicle for climate literacy, public reflection and cultural change, P+ERL is helping the sector move beyond resource-intensive production models toward sustainable practice, ecological stewardship and creative climate leadership.
Benefitting Society

Griffith University

Making it Matter: Driving Social Impact Through Community Internships and SDG Partnerships

Griffith University’s ‘Making it Matter’ initiative uses the Community Internship and Partnerships for SDGs course to connect student learning with real-world social and environmental impact. The curriculum-embedded Work Integrated Learning model combines service-learning, community engagement and sustainability education, enabling students to contribute their skills to not-for-profit, public sector and social impact organisations.

Using the United Nations SDGs as the organising framework, students apply disciplinary knowledge to projects addressing issues such as food security, disability inclusion, mental health, homelessness, refugee and migrant support and environmental advocacy. The course transforms internships from workplace exposure into purpose-driven opportunities for meaningful social contribution. By strengthening organisational capacity, expanding equitable access to employability opportunities and building socially responsible graduates, the initiative delivers measurable benefits for students, partners and the communities they serve.
Benefitting Society

Macquarie University

Macquarie University Food Hub: Nourishing Students, Reducing Waste, Building Community

Macquarie University’s Food Hub is a holistic, student-focused initiative addressing rising food insecurity through free and low-cost food access, food literacy, and sustainable food redistribution. The program has evolved from a small breakfast service into a centralised hub offering grocery pick-ups, breakfast and lunch support, cooking workshops, exam-period dinners, Christmas hampers and seasonal support.

By combining immediate food relief with cooking skills, nutrition literacy, community connection and food waste reduction, the Macquarie University Food Hub demonstrates a scalable model for supporting student wellbeing while building more sustainable and resilient food systems.
Benefitting Society

Murdoch University

Connecting children in hospital with nature: eight integrated initiatives

Murdoch University’s ‘Connecting Children in Hospital with Nature’ initiative reconnects children undergoing cancer treatment with the natural environment through accessible, nature-based educational resources focused on native Western Australian plants and ecosystems. Led by Dr Janene Sproul, the project responds to the reality that children in oncology care often spend long periods in highly controlled clinical environments where access to plants, gardens and natural elements is restricted.

The initiative brings together eight interconnected projects, including the Taxonomy Tournament, Nature Cuddlebooks, Forever Flowering Gardens, decodable readers, digital ecosystem games, community garden learning and dieback action programs. These resources are designed for use across hospital, school, home and community settings, supporting wellbeing, learning continuity and ecological literacy.
Benefitting Society

University of Tasmania

Island of Ideas – engaging society for informed change

The University of Tasmania’s Island of Ideas is a flagship public engagement initiative that translates research into accessible knowledge and fosters informed community dialogue. Guided by the Sustainable Development Goals, the program delivers free, hybrid public events that connect researchers, policymakers, industry leaders and community voices to explore complex societal challenges.

Created in 2020, the program responds to barriers such as geographic isolation, regional access constraints and limited access to expert information. Through in-person events, livestreams, recordings and podcasts, Island of Ideas has reached nearly 90,000 live and virtual participants, with 89% of attendees sharing insights within their networks.

By strengthening community capability, supporting evidence-informed discussion and enabling civic participation, Island of Ideas demonstrates how universities can act as trusted civic convenors. The program provides a scalable model for delivering measurable societal benefit through public knowledge sharing, policy dialogue, community decision-making and ongoing partnerships.
Climate Action

The Australian National University

Becoming Carbon Smart: A multi-dimensional transition

The Australian National University’s Carbon Smart approach is a whole-of-organisation response to climate change, empowering people to make low-emissions choices, embed carbon awareness into decision-making, and direct efforts to where impact is most significant. The program targets emissions reductions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3, supporting ANU’s ambition to reach below zero emissions by 2040 while adapting to emerging climate risks.

The multi-dimensional program combines infrastructure transformation, systems change, and behavioural and cultural engagement. This includes electrifying heating with innovative heat pump technologies, transitioning towards 100% market-based renewable electricity, improving building energy performance, transforming their travel policy, mapping value-chain emissions, expanding EV infrastructure, and creating tools and education opportunities for staff and students.

By integrating research, teaching and operations with real-world climate action, ANU’s Carbon Smart approach demonstrates how a large institution can embed climate responsibility across infrastructure, governance, culture and daily decision-making.
Climate Action

Monash University

Decarbonising Pharmaceutical Science: A Whole-of-Institute Climate Health Transformation

Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) is addressing the dual challenge that medicines both respond to and contribute to climate change. Through an institute-wide climate health initiative, MIPS is embedding sustainability across research, education and operations, transforming an energy-intensive research environment into a model for low-carbon innovation.

The initiative has implemented coordinated operational and behavioural change at scale, with 80% of laboratories engaged in My Green Lab certification; the highest number of participating My Green Lab laboratories and Green-level certifications nationwide.

By embedding sustainability capability through staff training, student learning and industry partnerships focused on Scope 3 emissions, the initiative is delivering measurable outcomes. It establishes a scalable, sector-leading model for sustainable pharmaceutical science.
Climate Action

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka - University of Otago

Navigating to Net Zero: Values, Data, Action

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago’s Net Carbon Zero Programme is a whole-of-institution climate action programme designed to deliver the University’s commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Since its inception, the programme has been grounded not only in emissions reduction and scientific rigour, but also in a broader systems view of wellbeing guided by Indigenous knowledge and values. These principles shape both what the programme does, reducing emissions, and how it does it, through partnership, transparency and collective responsibility.

A defining feature is the adoption of a wayfinding approach, inspired by Pacific navigation traditions. This enables adaptive, evidence-based decision-making, supported by staff and student engagement and continuous reassessment of progress in challenging and uncertain times.
Climate Action

University of Technology Sydney

UTS towards Climate Positive

The University of Technology Sydney recognises climate change as one of the greatest existential threats facing the world and was the first Australian university to sign a Climate Emergency Declaration in 2019. Through UTS towards Climate Positive, the University is applying a whole-of-institution approach to decarbonise as rapidly as possible, achieve net zero and become climate positive by 2029.

The Climate Positive Plan provides the framework for action across education, research, operations and engagement. This includes energy efficiency, renewables, electrification, embodied carbon, circular economy and offsets for residual emissions, supported by strong governance, transparent reporting and executive-level commitment.

Over the past two decades, UTS has made significant progress because of their plan and by embedding sustainability and climate action across curriculum, research, campus operations and partnerships, UTS is building institutional capability and supporting broader climate leadership beyond the University.
Sustainability Leadership

University of Technology Sydney

Associate Professor Paul James Brown

Director – Diploma in Innovation, Transdisciplinary School

Associate Professor Paul James Brown has spent the past 15 years spearheading sustainability innovation across teaching, research and organisational strategy at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Through collaborative, future-focused leadership, Paul has helped embed sustainability into curricula, operations and institutional decision-making, while building cross-sector partnerships that address complex sustainability challenges.

As a long-standing member of the UTS Sustainability Steering Committee, Paul has contributed to major initiatives including more ambitious carbon targets, a Green Revolving Fund, renewable energy procurement, divestment and the University’s early Climate Emergency declaration. His teaching and research have engaged thousands of students and staff, informed policy and industry practice, and supported UTS’ transformation into a recognised sustainability leader, including as International Green Gown Awards Sustainability Institution of the Year 2025. By bridging academia and practice, Paul empowers others to act and helps create lasting sustainability capability across the University and beyond.
Next Generation Learning & Skills

Curtin University

Wicked Problems, Collaborative Solutions: The Curtin University Sustainability Challenge

Curtin University’s Sustainability Challenge is an intensive, credit-bearing, challenge-based learning unit that equips students with the skills, confidence and experience to respond to complex sustainability problems. Delivered over one week during the mid-year trimester break, the program brings together students from across disciplines to work in interdisciplinary teams on real sustainability briefs posed by industry, government, community and university partners.

Structured around the themes of net zero emissions, circular economy and nature positive outcomes, the Challenge mirrors professional sustainability practice. Students work under genuine time pressure, receive mentoring from academic and industry experts, and present their solutions at a public showcase attended by partners, university staff and community members.
Nature Positive

UNSW Sydney

UNSW Nature Positive - Delivering net gain in Nature Value across a major urban campus

UNSW Sydney’s Nature Positive initiative demonstrates how a major urban university can deliver measurable biodiversity improvement while continuing to grow. Through an institution-wide approach, UNSW has transformed biodiversity from a series of isolated greening projects into a measurable organisational performance outcome.

The initiative established a bespoke Nature Value metric, created a campus baseline, embedded biodiversity requirements into planning and operations, and introduced transparent governance, monitoring and reporting. By 2024, UNSW achieved its Environmental Sustainability Plan target of net gain in Nature Value across the Kensington campus and maintaining this result in 2025.
Student Champion

Griffith University

Hosna Saba

Biomedical Science Student, Leader of the Refugee Background Student Success Program and Founder of the Rising Phoenix Association

Ms Hosna Saba is a Biomedical Science student at Griffith University and founder of the Rising Phoenix Association, a student-led initiative supporting inclusive, sustainable community-building. Drawing on her lived experience as a refugee student, Hosna has created welcoming spaces where students from refugee, multicultural and diverse backgrounds can build confidence, connection and practical life skills.

Through her leadership, Hosna has made sustainability more accessible by linking it with belonging, wellbeing, low-cost living, cultural exchange and participation. Her work demonstrates how student-led social sustainability can strengthen community resilience and create a more inclusive campus culture.
Digital Futures

University of Technology Sydney

Energy Intelligence: An AI-Driven Building Optimisation Program for a Smarter, Lower-Carbon Campus

The University of Technology Sydney’s Energy Intelligence project uses advanced data analytics and AI-driven insights to optimise building performance and reduce campus emissions. Launched in May 2024 as part of UTS’s Building Optimisation Strategy, the program draws on existing data sources, including half-hourly electricity metering, WiFi-derived occupancy data, HVAC telemetry, building management systems and weather data.

Led by the Data, Analytics and Insights Unit in partnership with Facilities and Operations, the initiative applies machine-learning forecasting, anomaly detection and signal processing to identify where, when and why energy is used. These insights have directly informed decisions on lighting controls, building closures, cleaning schedules and demand management. By using existing data rather than capital-intensive retrofits, UTS demonstrates how digital insight can drive measurable sustainability gains and support a smarter, lower-carbon campus.
Powerful Partnerships

University of the Sunshine Coast

UniSC Milbi Centre – Sea Turtle Research and Rehabilitation

The UniSC Milbi Centre – Sea Turtle Research and Rehabilitation is a place-based partnership between the University of the Sunshine Coast, the Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation and Turtles in Trouble Rescue Inc. Established on Butchulla Country, the Centre integrates First Nations knowledge, Western science, specialist wildlife care and community engagement to support sea turtle conservation on the Fraser Coast.

The Centre was developed in response to increasing sea turtle strandings and mortalities following extreme weather events in 2021–22, and the absence of a local treatment facility. Since opening in May 2026, the Centre has improved local triage and treatment capacity, reducing the need for injured turtles to be transported long distances for care. By combining research, rehabilitation, cultural governance, education and digital engagement, the UniSC Milbi Centre demonstrates a powerful partnership model delivering environmental, cultural, social and educational impact.
Sustainability Institution of the Year

Auckland University of Technology

Perseverance with Purpose – Sustainability at AUT

Auckland University of Technology’s Perseverance with Purpose – Sustainability at AUT reflects a whole-of-institution commitment to embedding sustainability across learning and teaching, research, leadership and governance, facilities and operations, and partnerships and engagement. Since launching its first Sustainability Plan in 2018, AUT has worked steadily towards 2025 targets, using influence, reporting, collaboration and practical action to drive progress despite limited dedicated sustainability funding.

The initiative has delivered measurable outcomes across the University. Between 2020 and 2025, the proportion of students enrolled in one or more sustainability-focused course increased from 10% to 20%, while SDG-related research outputs increased from 17% to 36%. Operationally, AUT reduced carbon emissions by 34% between 2018 and 2025, reduced air travel emissions by 48%, improved waste diversion, introduced compostable collections across three campuses and planted 59 different species of native plants.

By combining persistence, executive support, cross-functional collaboration and staff and student engagement, AUT demonstrates how a university can make significant sustainability progress through existing systems, budgets and relationships.
Powerful Partnerships

Griffith University

25 Years of Shared Leadership for Sustainability Education: the EcoCentre Partnership

Griffith University’s EcoCentre partnership is a 25-year collaboration with the Queensland Department of Education that connects P–12 education, tertiary learning, environmental research and community engagement through place-based sustainability education. Located on the remnant ecosystems of Toohey Forest at Griffith’s Brisbane South campus, the partnership provides a living laboratory where school students, university students, educators and community members engage directly with biodiversity, climate and sustainability challenges. The partnership delivers hands-on co-designed programs, shared governance and joint investment, which have sustained the partnership across changing educational and environmental needs.
Student Champion

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago

Lily Bond

Master of International Development and Planning Student & Tētēkura at Toitū te Taiao Otago University’s Sustainability Office

Lily is a Master of International Development and Planning student and a Tētēkura, student sustainability leader, with Toitū te Taiao, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago’s Sustainability Office. As Operations Lead for Te Oraka, Lily supports student-led circular economy initiatives that connect sustainability with affordability, wellbeing and community.

Through her leadership, Te Oraka has become a high-impact student sustainability space, redistributing clothing, bikes and e-rescue items while creating accessible events, paid student opportunities and strong digital engagement. Guided by care for Papatūānuku, student voice and community-centred sustainability, Lily’s work demonstrates how circular economy practice can become part of everyday student culture.
Sustainability Leadership

University of Tasmania

Mary Gill

Waste Officer

Mary Gill is the Waste Officer at the University of Tasmania, where she leads the operational side of waste management and champions the University’s Reuse Program. Mary brings practical problem-solving, strong values and infectious enthusiasm to her work, helping staff rethink waste as a resource and find better outcomes for materials that might otherwise end up in landfill.

Through her leadership, UTAS has achieved major waste reduction outcomes ahead of target, including a 41% reduction in waste to landfill in 2024. Mary’s work has supported large-scale reuse across campus relocations and building upgrades, with furniture and equipment repurposed within the University and donated to community groups across Tasmania. Her people-centred, solutions-focused approach has delivered environmental, financial and social benefits, earning recognition through the TEFMA Sustainability Clever Campus Award and Circular North Waste NoT Awards.
Student Engagement

The Australian National University

Campus as classroom: ANU Green’s work-integrated sustainability internships

The Australian National University’s ‘Campus as Classroom’ initiative brings students directly into the University’s operational sustainability work through work-integrated internships, course-embedded projects and collaborative learning opportunities. The program treats the campus as a living classroom, where students contribute to real institutional sustainability challenges while developing practical skills for future careers.

Through co-designed projects, students work alongside professional sustainability staff to investigate, shape and deliver work that supports ANU’s environmental goals. The program connects students from diverse disciplines with applied sustainability practice, helping them understand how climate action, resource efficiency, behaviour change and governance are addressed within a complex organisation.
Next Generation Learning & Skills

Flinders University

Embedding sustainability in teaching through a Gamified Sustainability Learning Lab

Flinders University’s ‘Gamified Sustainability Learning Lab’ is a digital learning initiative designed to embed sustainability principles and practices across disciplines, education levels and learning contexts. The Learning Lab includes three connected layers: interactive microlearning content, a first-person sustainable city design game, and a multiplayer Sustainable Development Goals role-playing game.

Since its development, the Learning Lab has engaged more than 1,000 learners across high school, undergraduate, postgraduate and professional contexts. Developed through the University’s Embedding Sustainability in Teaching scheme, the project demonstrates how institutional strategy can move beyond policy by funding practical, scalable tools that support academics to integrate sustainability into everyday teaching.
Staff Champion

The Australian National University

Millan Pintos-Lopez

Head of Operations, Residential Experience Division

As Head of Operations for the Australian National University (ANU) Residential Experience Division, Millan Pintos-Lopez oversees the facilities and services that support more than 5,500 students living on campus. While sustainability is not a formal part of his role, Millan has made it central to his leadership, driving practical initiatives that reduce the environmental footprint of the ANU residential community.

Since taking on the role, Millan has led a suite of improvements across the residential estate, including redesigned end-of-year waste infrastructure, expanding reuse and donation pathways, adding recycling streams and a formal sustainability interface between the Division and its facilities management contractor. Through personal initiative and stakeholder collaboration, Millan is embedding sustainability into the everyday operations of campus residential life.
Powerful Partnerships

The University of Sydney

The Wiser Healthcare NetZero Leads Partnership

The University of Sydney’s Wiser Healthcare NetZero Leads Partnership is a co-designed collaboration helping to decarbonise clinical care across NSW Health. The partnership brings together the University’s Wiser Healthcare research group, NSW Health’s Climate Risk and Net Zero Unit, ten clinician Net Zero Leads, the Agency for Clinical Innovation, Health Consumers NSW and the HEAL Network to address healthcare’s significant carbon footprint.

The partnership supports clinician-led decarbonisation projects across high-impact clinical areas, including anaesthetics, pharmacy, emergency care, intensive care, allied health, surgery and medical imaging. By combining frontline clinical expertise with academic rigour, policy alignment and translation pathways, the initiative evaluates carbon, cost and care-quality outcomes together.
Sustainability Leadership

Macquarie University

John Macris

Biodiversity Advisor

John Macris has led high-impact biodiversity initiatives across 17 years as Biodiversity Advisor at Macquarie University, delivering measurable ecological outcomes while helping transform the campus into a living laboratory for interdisciplinary learning. Through strong partnerships across faculties, curriculum-aligned field experiences and international study tour opportunities, John has embedded biodiversity into teaching, research and student engagement.

John developed the biodiversity KPI for the University’s Sustainability-Linked Loan, only the second of its kind in Australia, creating a peer-reviewed, data-driven framework to measure forest condition and restoration. His leadership has also supported restoration of the endangered Turpentine-Ironbark Forest and long-term rehabilitation of Mars Creek. His work demonstrates how operational sustainability, research and education can be integrated to deliver lasting environmental and institutional value.
Creating Impact

Massey University

Rage to Rags

Rage to Rags is a creative, low-cost circular economy initiative led by Te Paepto Seedlings at Massey University. The project responded to a local op shop’s challenge of managing large volumes of unsellable textile donations by connecting the shop with local mechanics who could reuse the materials as workshop rags.

To support the initiative, the team hosted a student “Rage to Rags” event during exam season, where students helped rip unusable textiles into rags while releasing stress in a fun, practical and purposeful way. The event raised awareness of local waste challenges, engaged students in hands-on sustainability action, and helped prepare materials for reuse by mechanics.

The project has created an ongoing relationship between the op shop and local mechanics, reducing waste to landfill, generating a new income stream for the hospice supported by the op shop, and replacing imported rags with a local, lower-impact alternative. It demonstrates how simple community connections can unlock practical circular economy solutions.
Staff Champion

Victoria University

Celeste Young

Collaborative Research Fellow

For over a decade, Celeste Young has worked alongside communities, volunteers and emergency management organisations to help Australia adapt to the growing impacts of climate-driven disasters. Grounded in the belief that those most affected hold valuable knowledge and solutions, Celeste’s work brings community voices into critical conversations about recovery, volunteering, inclusion and capability.

Through community-engaged research, workshops and long-term partnerships, her work has influenced Australia’s Disaster Risk Reduction Framework, informed the National Emergency Volunteering Strategy, shaped recovery policy following the Black Summer bushfires, and supported workforce capability planning across emergency management and beyond. Celeste’s leadership is helping communities, institutions and emergency management systems better adapt, respond and thrive in an increasingly uncertain climate future.
Next Generation Learning & Skills

University of Technology Sydney

Transformative Learning at Scale: A University-Wide Transdisciplinary Electives Program

The University of Technology Sydney’s Transdisciplinary Electives Program embeds learning across all undergraduate degrees, ensuring every UTS student develops the capability to work across disciplines, sectors and perspectives. Through eight innovative subjects, each co-designed with an industry, community or government partner, students engage with real-world sustainability and societal challenges as a core part of their degree.

By embedding authentic partner engagement at scale, the program helps students move beyond learning about sustainability to learning for sustainability. It builds systems thinking, collaboration, creativity, reflexivity and professional confidence, while generating fresh insights and practical value for partner organisations and wider society.
Next Generation Learning & Skills

Western Sydney University

Integrating regenerative living labs in science curriculum

Western Sydney University’s ‘Integrating Regenerative Living Labs in Science Curriculum’ initiative embeds the Hawkesbury campus’s unique environmental and agricultural assets directly into science teaching and learning. The program uses regenerative agriculture, water recycling, biodiversity stewardship, emerging rewilding initiatives and digital tools such as GIS, drones and AI as practical learning environments for students.

By integrating campus operations, curriculum, data stewardship and industry-relevant skills development, the initiative supports job-ready graduates equipped to respond to climate change, nature risk and evolving land management challenges in Western Sydney and beyond.
Powerful Partnerships

The University of Melbourne

Health Service Environmental Sustainability Competition

The University of Melbourne’s Health Service Environmental Sustainability Competition is a cross-sector partnership supporting health service staff to design and deliver sustainable healthcare quality improvement projects. Led by the Melbourne Medical School Sustainable Healthcare Team and delivered with university-affiliated health services, the competition combines training, practical tools, local support, impact measurement and recognition to help staff improve care while reducing emissions, waste and costs.

Over four years, 76 projects have been submitted, collectively delivering site-reported savings of almost $3 million, approximately 3,700 tCO₂e avoided, 69 tonnes of waste diverted and more than 800,000 items kept from landfill. The partnership demonstrates how universities and health services can work together to build sustainable healthcare capability and scale local innovation.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Envirotech Education

Removing barriers to sustainable blue economy careers: bilingual, on Country cross-cultural marine VET pathways

Envirotech Education’s initiative creates inclusive, accredited marine conservation training pathways for learners who have historically been excluded from tertiary and vocational education. Through bilingual, on-Country delivery, community-controlled governance and practical conservation placements, the program supports diverse learners to access sustainable careers.

The initiative centres on Marine Habitat Conservation and Restoration VET qualifications developed by Envirotech with community and industry partners. Delivery is shaped through partnerships, including Traditional Owner organisations, research institutions and marine conservation partners. The model demonstrates how inclusive vocational education can remove barriers, build local capability and create pathways into marine conservation, restoration and climate-resilient livelihoods.
Creating Impact

The University of Sydney

Beyond the Cohort: Building Sustainable Systems in Healthcare Education

The University of Sydney’s Beyond the Cohort: Building Sustainable Systems in Healthcare Education addresses the environmental impact of clinical simulation, one of the most consumable-intensive teaching environments in health education. The project responds to a sector gap by creating sustainability guidelines, waste diversion pathways and reuse protocols for simulation settings without compromising educational quality or clinical fidelity.

Led by a small Faculty of Medicine and Health team using faculty operational funding, the project established a structured waste diversion workflow through Medcycle, embedded a sustainability learning module into simulation teaching, and developed co-designed guidelines now adopted across multiple sites. The project has also produced a peer-reviewed publication, practical guidelines for sector-wide adoption, and an invitation to present at Laerdal Medical’s SUN Conference 2026, demonstrating its value as a scalable model for embedding sustainability into healthcare education.
Student Champion

Griffith University

Natalia Drazek

Bachelor of Environmental Science / Bachelor of Business

Miss Natalia Drazek is a Griffith University student studying a Bachelor of Environmental Science / Bachelor of Business. Her work as a sustainability student champion connects research, student engagement and community partnerships to create practical, scalable impact.

Through her leadership, Natalia has contributed to circular economy research, student food security, community-based conservation and international sustainability projects. Her approach focuses on translating complex sustainability challenges into accessible programs, tools and partnerships that benefit students, communities and organisations.

By combining research capability with student-led action, Natalia has demonstrated how young leaders can create measurable environmental and social outcomes while building pathways for ongoing sustainability impact beyond university.
Creating Impact

The University of Melbourne

Sustainability Week 2025: Driving Behaviour Change at Scale

The University of Melbourne’s Sustainability Week 2025 was a flagship, university-wide initiative designed to drive behaviour change at scale. The program engaged more than 2,000 students, staff and community members through 42+ events delivered across five themed days, moving beyond awareness-raising to embed sustainability into the student and staff experience.

Delivered through a collaborative, community-led model, Sustainability Week connected institutional frameworks including Melbourne Plus and Green Impact, creating clear pathways for continued engagement beyond the event itself. The program addressed key sustainability priorities including circular economy, climate action, biodiversity, health and wellbeing, and social sustainability.

By combining large-scale engagement with structured follow-on opportunities, Sustainability Week 2025 created a scalable model for long-term cultural change. It strengthened cross-campus collaboration, increased participation in sustainability programs, and contributed directly to the University of Melbourne Sustainability Plan 2030.
Sustainability Institution of the Year

The University of Melbourne

Closing the Loop: A Whole-of-Estate Circular Economy Program

The University of Melbourne’s Closing the Loop: A Whole-of-Estate Circular Economy Program embeds circular economy principles across the University’s physical estate, from demolition and capital works to daily waste management, events, dining and student engagement. Rather than treating circular economy as a standalone initiative, the program integrates reuse, donation, recovery, procurement and behaviour change into the way the University builds, operates and connects with its community.

Through contractual sustainability targets, reusable service ware, asset recovery, Indigenous procurement, volunteer engagement and transparent reporting, the University demonstrates how circular economy can be delivered at scale. The program creates environmental, financial and social value while influencing contractor behaviour and sector practice beyond the campus.
Nature Positive

University of Technology Sydney

Coral Nurture Program

The University of Technology Sydney’s Coral Nurture Program is a science-led, industry-supported reef restoration initiative working to restore high-value sites across the Great Barrier Reef. In partnership with Wavelength Reef Cruises and other tourism operators, researchers, Traditional Owners and local communities, the program combines coral propagation, outplanting and long-term monitoring to enhance biodiversity, coral cover and ecosystem resilience.

By embedding restoration into tourism operations, the Coral Nurture Program demonstrates how conservation, science, community stewardship and reef-based livelihoods can reinforce one another. With more than 133,000 corals planted across 119 species, the program provides a scalable model for achieving nature-positive outcomes while supporting climate resilience, education and global reef restoration practice.
Next Generation Learning & Skills

The University of Melbourne

The Undergraduate Chemistry Practical Subject Rejuvenation

The University of Melbourne’s Undergraduate Chemistry Practical Subject Rejuvenation has transformed first-year laboratory education by embedding sustainability into both curriculum and laboratory practice. Reaching more than 3,000 students annually, the initiative ensures future scientists learn to consider environmental impact, resource use, waste management and safer chemical practices alongside scientific technique and experimental outcomes.

The project redesigned the practical chemistry program to include sustainability as an explicit learning outcome, with each experiment incorporating a defined sustainability takeaway. Students now learn in laboratories that model best practice through reusable materials, optimised reaction scales, improved waste systems, sustainable procurement and safer chemical substitutions.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Wodonga Institute of TAFE

Growing Belonging

Wodonga Institute of TAFE’s ‘Growing Belonging’ project created an inclusive community garden learning environment for English language students, connecting language development with sustainability, wellbeing and community participation. Designed for culturally and linguistically diverse learners, including students from refugee backgrounds, the project moved learning beyond the classroom into a hands-on outdoor space where communication could develop naturally through shared tasks.

Co-designed by the Environmental Strategic Project Lead and English Language educators, the garden enabled 42 students to contribute to planting decisions, composting, worm farming, food growing, watering, harvesting and garden care. Learners used English in authentic, low-pressure settings while drawing on their own cultural knowledge, agricultural experience and lived expertise.
Student Champion

Murdoch University

Chloe Elsegood

Bachelor of Science, Honours

Chloe is a Bachelor of Science Honours student at Murdoch University whose leadership has delivered practical biodiversity and student engagement outcomes through the Murdoch Community Garden. As Secretary and then President, Chloe initiated and led a native bushland revegetation project at the Environmental Technology Centre site, creating new habitat while strengthening student connection to campus nature.

The project restored approximately 975m² of bushland, including a 140m² Miyawaki Forest planted with locally native species. Through grant funding, stakeholder collaboration and volunteer engagement, Chloe created a lasting educational and ecological asset that supports native wildlife, student learning and ongoing community stewardship.
Digital Futures

University of Tasmania

Digital Futures for Sustainability: Embedding Impact Across Systems, Behaviour and Scale

The University of Tasmania has developed a sector-leading digital futures sustainability model that embeds environmental and social impact directly into digital systems, decisions and behaviours. The initiative moves beyond isolated projects by integrating sustainability across the digital ecosystem, from IT asset lifecycle management to responsible AI use and low-carbon digital marketing.

By embedding sustainability into digital platforms, AI guidance frameworks and marketing technologies, the University enables real-time, data-informed decision-making at scale. In 2025, the model diverted 728 devices from landfill, avoided 3.9 tonnes of e-waste, recovered around $31,000 in asset value, and reduced digital marketing emissions by 33–48%, while improving campaign performance.

Distinctively, the model links operations with behaviour change, empowering students and staff to make informed digital choices. This integrated, scalable approach demonstrates how digital transformation can accelerate sustainability outcomes across institutions and beyond.
Nature Positive

Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington

Growing our Future

Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington’s Growing our Future project is regenerating native forest on a 26-hectare site on the edge of Wellington, creating a restoration area larger than all the University’s campuses combined. Developed in partnership with Wellington City Council, the project responds to the limited space available for large-scale biodiversity enhancement on the University’s urban campuses by restoring nearby public land within the city’s Outer Green Belt.

Since 2021, the project has planted more than 28,000 native trees, helping to close a gap in a corridor of native habitat along Wellington’s western ridge. The restored site provides a stepping stone for native fauna, including kiwi, while contributing to biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil stabilisation, water filtration and community access to nature.
Powerful Partnerships

Climate Scenarios Working Group

A sector-wide partnership to navigate climate futures

The Climate Scenarios Working Group brought together twelve Australian universities through the ACTS network to create the sector’s first shared climate scenario framework. Inspired by earlier work in Aotearoa New Zealand, the partnership recognised that climate change presents shared, systemic risks that are better addressed through collective action than isolated institutional efforts.

By pooling funding, expertise and delivery capacity, the partnership avoided duplication, reduced costs and created a publicly available framework now being used to inform climate risk assessments, strategic planning and sustainability reporting. The collaboration has since evolved into an expanded Climate Risk and Adaptation Group, demonstrating lasting sector value.
Sustainability Leadership

The University of Melbourne

Raveena Grace

Sustainability Coordinator

Raveena Grace is the Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Melbourne and a passionate sustainability leader dedicated to empowering staff and students to create positive change. Driven by a belief in the power of collective action, Raveena designs programs that inspire individuals to become changemakers within their communities.

Over the past eight years, Raveena has led flagship initiatives including Green Impact, Sustainability Week, the Sustainability Awards, Sustainability Advocates and sustainable events programs, engaging tens of thousands of people in sustainability action. Her leadership has delivered more than 8,700 verified sustainability actions, over 1,000 events, and significant environmental outcomes through waste reduction, reuse and emissions reduction. Through sector-leading tools such as the Sustainable Events Framework, Environmental Management System and ACTS Sustainable Events Certification, Raveena’s work is creating lasting behavioural and cultural change within the University and across the global Green Impact network.
Staff Champion

Murdoch University

Dr Grey Coupland

Research Fellow – Ecology

Dr Grey Coupland developed and leads Murdoch University’s Miyawaki Forest Outreach Program, empowering students and communities to create dense native pocket forests that support urban greening, biodiversity restoration and climate action. Since 2021, the program has grown to 24 school and community forests, engaged more than 5,200 participants, and generated over 40,000 citizen-science data points on biodiversity, soil health and urban cooling.

By combining circular-economy composting, hands-on ecological restoration, STEM learning and long-term forest monitoring, Grey has helped transform schools into living laboratories and supported communities to take practical environmental action. The program has informed WA’s approach to urban greening, received UNESCO Green Citizens recognition, and gained national finalist recognition through the Banksia Foundation Awards and Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, demonstrating meaningful environmental and societal impact beyond the university.
Staff Champion

The University of Western Australia

Ibrahim Faseeh

Manager, Research Operations, Minderoo OceanOmics Centre

Ibrahim Faseeh is the Manager, Research Operations at the Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at The University of Western Australia, where he oversees laboratory operations, safety, resource management, and sustainability initiatives within advanced wet laboratory research environments.

With a strong background in quality assurance, operational management, and regulatory compliance in life science research, Ibrahim is passionate about improving the environmental sustainability of research laboratories through practical and evidence-based solutions. He has led the implementation of internationally recognised laboratory sustainability frameworks, helping the OceanOmics Centre become the first research laboratory in Western Australia to achieve My Green Lab Green certification and the first laboratory at UWA to achieve LEAF Gold certification.

Through collaboration, staff engagement, and operational leadership, Ibrahim continues to champion sustainable laboratory practices and contribute to broader institutional sustainability initiatives across the university sector.
Student Champion

University of Tasmania

Jack Oates Pryor

President, Tasmanian University Student Association (TUSA)

Jack Oates Pryor is President of the Tasmanian University Student Association and a student sustainability leader committed to embedding student voice, equity and sustainability into university governance and student life. Through a Students-as-Partners approach, Jack has worked to move beyond consultation towards genuine co-design between students, TUSA and the University of Tasmania.

Jack’s leadership has supported major student wellbeing, food security, transport, reconciliation and governance initiatives across Tasmania. By connecting environmental, social and economic sustainability, Jack has helped strengthen student participation, expand support services and embed values-driven decision-making across institutional systems.
Sustainability Institution of the Year

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka/University of Otago

Tī Kōuka: A vision of a thriving future

Tī Kōuka: A vision of a thriving future is Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago’s institution-wide sustainability framework, moving sustainability from aspiration into measurable action. Grounded in mātauraka Māori and shaped by the characteristics of the Tī Kōuka tree valued by Kāi Tahu Whānui, the framework provides a shared, place-based approach for embedding sustainability across governance, operations, research, education, student life and external impact.

Co-led by Toitū te Taiao and the Office of Māori Development, Tī Kōuka positions Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago as a Tiriti-led, regenerative university. It has supported major progress, including a 32% reduction in total emissions since 2019, 45% reduction in staff air travel emissions, 68% reduction in landfill emissions, and growing integration of sustainability across curriculum and research.

Through localised planning, student leadership, mātauraka Māori, operational innovation and community partnerships, Tī Kōuka demonstrates how a university can embed sustainability as a whole-of-institution responsibility and create long-term cultural, environmental and social change.
Student Champion

The University of Queensland

Megan Barkman

Masters Student of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Megan Barkman is a Master of Civil and Environmental Engineering student at The University of Queensland whose leadership has strengthened student engagement, climate education and environmental action across campus. Through roles including President of the UQ Climate and Energy Society and UQ Union Environment Officer, Megan has created opportunities for students to engage with sustainability through discussion, practical action, industry connection and cross-political collaboration.

Her work has helped students build confidence, connect with professionals and contribute to campus sustainability strategy. By creating initiatives designed to last beyond individual leadership cycles, Megan has helped embed a stronger culture of climate action, biodiversity awareness and student-led sustainability at UQ.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

University of Tasmania

This is Me - Innovation and leadership matter for inclusivity

The University of Tasmania’s ‘This is Me’ project is a whole-of-system identity transformation designed to ensure everyone can have their names, pronouns, titles and gender accurately reflected across university systems. Created in response to gender-diverse staff and students reporting exclusionary identity update processes, the project replaces manual, inconsistent workflows with self-service, real-time identity updates across more than 100 IT systems.

Co-designed with lived-experience participants, the project prioritised user dignity and safety over technical convenience. ‘This is Me’ demonstrates how inclusive digital infrastructure can reduce harm, improve data integrity, strengthen belonging and set a new benchmark for diversity, equity and inclusion in tertiary education.
Sustainability Leadership

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka / University of Otago

Dr Ray O’Brien

Tumuaki / Head of Sustainability

Dr Ray O’Brien has led research-informed, whole-of-institution change towards a more sustainable and Tiriti-led university through the Leadership by Learning Design model he developed. As Tumuaki / Head of Sustainability, Ray co-led the development of Tī Kōuka: The Sustainability Strategic Framework, that has reshaped how Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka / University of Otago governs, teaches, researches and operates.

Ray’s leadership is grounded in active decolonisation, embracing complexity, futures thinking and transformational learning experiences. As an ally, his approach is to create space, support others to lead and help embed sustainability across learning, research and operations. This work has contributed a significant number of papers and publications aligning to the SDGs, a reduction in total emissions, and award-winning, sector-leading practice across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Student Engagement

Auckland University of Technology

Empowering the Next Generation of Sustainability Leaders at AUT

Auckland University of Technology’s ‘Empowering the Next Generation of Sustainability Leaders’ program supports students to engage with sustainability through practical, inclusive and community-focused action. Delivered through a combination of staff-supported activities and student-led initiatives, the program creates accessible pathways for students to build confidence, develop leadership skills and contribute to sustainability across campus life.

Through Green Impact and a range of hands-on engagement opportunities, students are supported to move from participation into leadership, designing and delivering projects that reflect their interests and communities. The program has strengthened student agency, built cross-campus collaboration and embedded sustainability as a shared part of the student experience. AUT has created a scalable model for student engagement that develops future sustainability leaders while delivering social, environmental and wellbeing benefits across the university community.
Powerful Partnerships

Victoria University

Stopping Broken Powerlines Before They Spark Disaster

Victoria University’s ‘Stopping Broken Powerlines Before They Spark Disaster’ is an eight-year partnership with Powercor addressing a critical bushfire protection gap in rural and regional electricity infrastructure. The project responds to the risks posed by ageing Single Wire Earth Return powerlines, which supply electricity across approximately 200,000 kilometres of rural and regional Australia and can ignite vegetation if they break while energised.

The initiative combines Victoria University’s research capability with Powercor’s live-network access, operational expertise and field crews. Now trialled across five regional Victorian SWER networks and moving towards rollout across ten additional networks by 2027, the project demonstrates how sustained university–industry collaboration can deliver practical climate resilience and public safety outcomes.
Creating Impact

University of Tasmania

Circular creativity student workshops

The University of Tasmania’s Circular Creativity Student Workshops is a youth-led project demonstrating how students can inspire community hope and practical sustainability action with limited resources. The project promoted upcycling and encouraged participants to see potential in everyday waste items, while also responding to student cost-of-living pressures by creating opportunities for connection, creativity, saving money and reducing waste.

Seven student leaders from the Student Living University Gardening Society, across Hobart and Sandy Bay, and Togatus student magazine collaborated to design and deliver the project. Supported by a Youth Climate Action Fund microgrant, they co-designed and ran three participatory workshops across two campuses, engaging 35 participants, 80% of whom were young people.

Through the workshops, students upcycled waste materials into 12 food garden beds, created origami seed packets from old magazines, and generated online engagement. The project demonstrates a low-cost, replicable model for community-centred circular economy action that builds skills, confidence, social connection and sustainability leadership.
Student Engagement

Charles Sturt University

Student Voices, Sustainable Choices: Leading Impact from the Ground Up

Charles Sturt University’s ‘Student Voices, Sustainable Choices’ initiative empowers students to lead sustainability action through its Student Sustainability Advisers program. Now in its eighth year, the program uses a peer-to-peer model where students design and deliver initiatives that resonate with their campus communities.

Supported by the University’s Sustainability team, advisers help embed sustainable behaviours into everyday student life through education, events, volunteering, resource reuse and community engagement. The program strengthens student leadership while extending the reach of a small professional sustainability team across regional campuses.

By giving students paid, practical experience in sustainability engagement, the initiative builds confidence, employability and a stronger culture of care for people, place and the environment.