Friday 11th November 2011
2.30 – 4.30 pm
Edith Cowan University
Room: JO 1.447 (Council Chambers)
Joondalup campus, Building 1, 4th floor

With sustainability in mind, you may like to come by train. The Joondalup train station is within easy walking distance of our campus. Building 1 is on the corner of Grand Boulevard and Kendrew Crescent, 1 kilometre from the train station. ECU has arranged a free TransPerth bus from the train station to campus (every 10 minutes). Take bus 10 for a direct route or 11 for a city tour.

This free ACTS forum will be:

• a conversation so please bring your great ideas and specifically the  ways of working that you have found to be successful;
• focussed on real examples with 5 minutes presentations to start discussion:
  • sustainability in superannuation by Patrick Chamberlain
  • Sustainability in planning by Tim Perkins
  • Sustainability in the social professions by Trudi Cooper
  • Sustainability in design by Alun Price; and
• a great opportunity to meet other sustainability professionals working in higher education in Western Australia with refreshments provided.

Please RSVP for catering purposes to
Dr Rowena Scott
ACTS Regional Director WA (Professional Development)
Phone: 08 6304 2447
Email: r.scott@ecu.edu.au

With the previous RD for South Australia – Jonathan Pheasant – moving to the ACTS Executive Board to be Vice-President Universities, ACTS is now seeking a new RD for this region. The primary role of the Regional Directors is to: coordinate and manage existing members in the region; recruit new members; coordinate up to 4 events throughout the year (these can be workshops, seminars, networked luncheons with a key speaker – these event will be supported with ACTS funding); attending yearly meeting with ACTS Board and other Regional Directors; and take advantage of opportunities presented. Contact us for more information or to register your interest.

Development of the new performance management tool, appropriately called LiFE (or Learning in Future Environments), is due to launch in November with input and collaboration from colleagues across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. LiFE is a comprehensive online tool, which will have the capacity to store data against sector specific metrics, as well as provide frameworks for processing an institution through four main categories: Leadership and Governance; Learning, Teaching and Research; Partnerships and Engagement; and Operations. The new website has just been launched through which you can find our more information about the tool in preparation for it’s launch.

The winners of the 2011 Green Gown Awards Australasia were announced at a fabulous dinner and award ceremony at the prestigious National Wine Centre of Australia, in Adelaide, South Australia on 29 September 2011. The evening was addressed by internationally renowned guest speaker and environmental activist Jon Dee – founder and Managing Director of Do Something!

In their second year and founded in the UK, the Awards were established to recognise sustainability excellence within institutions and this year drew winners in 6 categories, with 27 institutions submitting applications. Organisers were delighted with this overwhelming response from 20% of Australasian tertiary education institutions.

The Award submissions were subject to strict judging by a panel of independent experts, comprising representatives from 21 organisations, including Universities Australia, TAFE Directors Australia, DEEWR and industry experts such as Siemens and InterfaceFLOR. The judges were extremely impressed with the quality and standard of entries, and congratulated the efforts of all involved with the Award scheme.

The winning entries showcase the innovative and diverse initiatives being developed and implemented within our tertiary education institutions. The Continuous Improvement – Institutional Change category was awarded to La Trobe University for showcasing excellent leadership through embedding sustainability into every facet of their activities, whilst New Zealand’s University of Canterbury took out the Continuous Improvement – Specific Area award for their stream restoration project. The University of Adelaide won the Student Initiatives category for delivering a fun behaviour change program targeted at engaging students in sustainable transport. The Learning and Teaching category was won by RMIT University for incorporating sustainability within their  Bachelor of Arts – Textile Design degree.

Commenting on the 2011 Awards, Leanne Denby – President of Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS), the managing organisation of the Awards said “we were delighted and overwhelmed with the positive and enthusiastic response from the sector. The Awards scheme celebrates outstanding initiatives and showcases the strength of the sustainability movement in the tertiary education sector. We recognise the awards as a fantastic initiative to support and reward the many efforts of institutions to drive the sustainability message forward. We look forward to the Awards going from strength to strength and inspiring others”.

The Green Gown Awards Australasia are run by ACTS and founded in the UK by the  – Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) and HEEPI. The event was held in conjunction with the 11^th International Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) Conference and was attended by over 120 international and national sustainability practitioners from the tertiary education sector, business and government. ACTS is the sector champion for improving and promoting sustainability in the further and higher education sector. Representing 49 universities, TAFEs and polytechnics within Australasia which equates to 36% of the Australasian sector, and has seen unprecedented growth in membership since incorporating in 2006.

The 2011 ACTS Conference was hosted by the University of Adelaide at the National Wine Centre, South Australia, between 28 – 30 September. The theme for the conference “Sustainability as Core Business: Building the Case for Change” aptly addressed this challenge faced by the tertiary sector by exploring how sustainability fits into core business and providing tools and techniques to enable the required change.

With a panel of distinguished keynote speakers, the conference was attended by over 120 delegates, engaging with presentations on a wide variety of topics addressing campus sustainability and education for sustainability. The conference brought together leaders, academics, sustainability-focused decision makers, environmental managers, engineering and technical staff, and students from the tertiary education sector, business and government throughout Australia and New Zealand.

As part of the new international collaboration efforts, Leanne Denby (ACTS President) facilitated an open session to draw input into the national and international tertiary education response for Rio + 20. Jimmy Brannigan, a representative from ACTS international sister organisation Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) hosted a productive session on how to create Net Positive Leadership in your organisation. From tips on using social media to create change for sustainability right through to practical ideas on how to build sustainability into the core business of Learning and Teaching, the 11^th international ACTS conference was as diverse as it was inspiring.

The highlight of the conference was the Conference Dinner, where delegates enjoyed a hard-earned night of celebration. The food and wines were a delicious accompaniment to celebrating the achievements of the Green Gown Award Australasia Award winners. The Retro Photo Booth was a hit and delegates danced the night away at the beautiful National Wine Centre.

The conference wrapped up with a sector update and a LiFE Performance Management Tool overview at the University of Adelaide on Friday 30 September. Some delegates chose to kick off the long weekend by attending one of two conference field trips – a sustainability tour of Adelaide or a biodynamic winery tour in Norton Summit.

All in all it was a successful, fun-filled and inspiring conference through which delegates created and strengthened networks, and gained insights, motivation, and ideas to further embed sustainability into the core business of their respective institutions. We’re looking forward to the next ACTS Conference in 2012 – dates and venue to be confirmed, but expect it to be in the last week of September and in Queensland.

Green Gown Awards Australasia
Awarding Sustainability Excellence

ACTS invites you to participate in the 2011 Green Gown Awards Australasia. The Awards recognise the exceptional initiatives taking place within tertiary education institutions to become more sustainable.

Entries Close Soon!

Applications for the 2011 Green Gown Awards Australasia close in less than two weeks. The deadline for all submissions is Friday 5 August 2011.

There are 6 categories for 2011:

• Continuous Improvement – Institutional Change;
• Continuous Improvement – Specific Area;
• Learning and Teaching;
• Student Initiatives and Campaigns;
• TAFEs and Smaller Institutions;
• ACTS Awards of Excellence

How to Enter - please download the GGAA flyer here or visit the ACTS website for more information. Return the entry form to ggaa@acts.asn.au by Friday 5 August 2011. All tertiary education institutions can enter – universities, TAFEs, registered training organisations etc.

As part of Deakin Week, staff, students and the wider community are invited to participate in Deakin University’s annual Environmental Sustainability Forum.

Engaging people with environmental sustainability is a key component in creating sustainable futures. The forum will showcase a range of local communities and organisations that are successfully engaging people with their sustainability programs. Learn about current initiatives that Deakin University is currently undertaking and find out more about each of the program areas (water, waste, energy, biodiversity, sustainable transport, education for sustainability and procurement) and how you can lead and engage staff and students with environmental sustainability.

Tuesday 2 August 2011
9.30am – 4pm

Click here for more information

Don’t forget!

With the redevelopment of the ACTS website, all staff and students of our member institutions are able to register to the site to access the members only content as well as receive email updates and notifications. Registration from our homepage is a short and simple process and provides excellent benefits. It’s been great to see some of our members promoting ACTS as a resource within their institutions. Don’t forget to help spread the ACTS word within your own institution!

Green Gown Awards Australasia

Entries for the second Green Gown Awards Australasia are NOW OPEN!  2011 sees the introduction of three new categories, bringing the total to of 6 Awards, open to all Australasian tertiary education institutions. The deadline for all entry submissions is Friday 5 August 2011. For more information click here…

ACTS Scholarships CLOSE SOON

The 2011 round of ACTS scholarships are now open. There are three scholarship categories offered – Conference Scholarship for Employees, Conference Scholarship for Students and the Development Scholarship. All three scholarships will close in July so be sure to submit your applications soon! For more information, or to apply click here…

2011 ACTS Conference

Registrations for the 2011 ACTS International Conference, to be held at the National Wine Centre, Adelaide SA from 28 – 30 September 2011 will open on Monday 25 July 2011. Find out more about the conference here…

Request for information…

Academic Research/Papers on the Performance of Australian Companies

The Clean Technology Innovation Centre is looking for recent academic papers/research that assesses the performance of Australian Companies (in any sector) who have incorporated sustainability concepts and programs into their operations, compared to those companies that haven’t. This information will be utilised to present a convincing argument to small and medium sized enterprise that a sustainability program will result in cost savings and potentially in increased revenue, brand loyalty and business opportunities. The key message needs to be that sustainability programmes make good business sense. The research can be around any form of sustainable activity from water and energy efficiency through to waste management or building technologies.

If you are able to assist, please respond to:
Mel Cox
Clean Energy Technology Network Coordinator
Clean Technology Innovation Centre – Enterprise Connect
Email: mel.cox@innovation.gov.au

A consulting firm run by the former president of ACTS David Carpenter is seeking expressions of interest from junior academics and post graduate students to undertake ad hoc work for the federal government in the following areas:

• Flora and fauna assessment
• Assessment of ecological communities
• Biodiversity conservation
• Heritage assessment (Archaeological surveys, heritage management plans)
• Environment management planning
• Environmental impact assessment
• Energy efficiency
• Water efficiency
• Green Building Standards

If you have practical experience in any of these areas and knowledge of federal government environmental policies, please send your CV to David.Carpenter@sustineo.com.au.

Green Gown Awards Australasia
Awarding Sustainability Excellence

Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) invites you to participate in the 2011 Green Gown Awards Australasia. The Awards recognise the exceptional initiatives taking place within tertiary education institutions to become more sustainable.

Entries Now Open!

Applications for the 2011 Green Gown Awards Australasia are now open and the deadline for all submissions is Friday 5 August 2011.

There are 6 categories for 2011:

• Continuous Improvement – Institutional Change;
• Continuous Improvement – Specific Area;
• Learning and Teaching;
• Student Initiatives and Campaigns;
• TAFEs and Smaller Institutions;
• ACTS Awards of Excellence

How to Enter - please download the GGAA flyer here or visit the ACTS website for more information. Return the entry form to ggaa@acts.asn.au by Friday 5 August 2011. All tertiary education institutions can enter – universities, TAFEs, registered training organisations etc.

Winners will be announced at the ACTS International Conference, hosted at the prestigious National Wine Centre, Adelaide, 29 September 2011. To submit an abstract for the conference workshops on the theme of ‘Sustainability as Core Business: building the case for change’ (by 1 July 2011) or enquire about sponsorship opportunities please visit the ACTS Conference page.

We’d like to say a very big thank you to this year’s present sponsors:
Ecosave (Gold Sponsor), InterfaceFLOR, Climate Friendly, G Magazine, TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute