| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.36 |
| Liaison | Ben Dharmendra |
| Submission Date | July 30, 2021 |
University of Sydney
EN-5: Outreach Campaign
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Zoe
Morrison Strategy Advisor Strategy Office |
Has the institution held a sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at students and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Has the institution held a sustainability-related outreach campaign during the previous three years that was directed at employees and yielded measurable, positive results in advancing sustainability?:
Name of the campaign:
A brief description of the campaign:
Sustainability Week is a student centred, 3 day event that takes part annually on our Camperdown/Darlington Campus. It is led by the University of Sydney Union (USU), a student union that represents over 30,000 of our students. The aim of the event is to introduce sustainability-related behaviours and initiatives to students (and staff) of the University. Activities in 2019 included the creation of the USU Hoodie Library where students could trade in their iconic USydney hoodie for a discount at the USU store and enable students to buy second-hand ones at a knock-down price. There was also a 'twice loved market' which has kicked off a regular second-hand market which both external vendors and students take part in. The core of the activities centred around an interactive seminar called "How to Life...Think Sustainably" where USU partners like Farm Wall, Simply Cups and The Bread and Butter Project presented and encouraged discussion on how you can change behaviours in everyday life to live more sustainably. The event was followed by a farm-to-table grazing event where attendees could learn about where food came from and how to make more sustainable, healthy meals easily.
Sustainability Week is also an opportunity for USU to trial and gain feedback on more long-term sustainable measures in its operations such as Biotrem and compostable cups. From March 2021, USU will roll out compostable take-away cups, replacing their current recyclable cups in line with the University new biodigester coming online in July 2021. The Mug Wall and BYO Container discounts are also being rolled into their BAU.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign:
* 45kg of coffee grinds recycled on home gardens (+ creation of a stream to take 14t of coffee grounds given to community gardens around Sydney)
* 800 take-away coffees in reusable coffee cups + 2400 take-away coffee cups recycled
* 200 free breakfasts provided free students
* The use of Biotrem saved 52kgs of single use plastic containers from landfill over 3 days
* Going lidless saved 1800 lids going into the recycling bin over the 3 days
Donations to activities during Sustainability Week flow into USU's MAD project (https://www.usumad.org.au/), their charity outreach arms which raises fund for The Gender Centre INC and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
Sustainability Week and similar events were critical in students understanding what sustainability meant to them and feeding those values into the University's new Sustainability Strategy.
Name of the campaign (2nd campaign):
A brief description of the campaign (2nd campaign):
Themed around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals linked to good health and wellbeing (SDG3), reduced inequalities (SDG10), climate action (SDG13) and partnerships for the goals (SDG17), and the idea of connections, the program was a celebration of innovation and impact.
The program includes a range of:
* Public talks and podcasts
* Student challenges
* Industry forecast forums
* Interaction installations
https://www.sydney.edu.au/engage/events-sponsorships/connect-for-festival.html?utm_source=student&utm_medium=enews
Staff both presented and MCed at public talks and industry forecast forums. The two student innovation challenge winners included an app to make clinical efficiency of diabetic retinopathy referral procedures (iCARE), a new Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) wearable specifically designed for women to maintain dignity and help make a VAD a more acceptable fashion accessory (VAD Purse) and a profiling system to help women in STEM-related subjects and fields understand their career journey and pathways better (Poppy Careers) - https://www.sydney.edu.au/engage/events-sponsorships/connect-for-festival/student-challenge.html
Our coding challenge invited students, professionals, and researchers from the University of Sydney to participate and help understand vaccine related misinformation. Students were mentored by other researchers and industry experts.
A brief description of the measured positive impact(s) of the campaign (2nd campaign):
* Several industry new partnerships came from the industry forecast forums and several more conversations were started about how researchers, industry and NGOs can work together to solve issues related to the SDGs.
* Solutions developed during the coding challenge have been incorporated into Professor Alan Dunn's research and his public debate on how to counteract misinformation around vaccines, currently focused on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
* Estimated total audience reach: 492.6K+, including 103K video views, 3955 registrations for public events, 10.2K podcast play
* 56 entries in Student Challenge, 23 entries to the Coding Challenge = 199 students total and 41 academics!
A brief description of other sustainability-related outreach campaigns:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.