APRIL

To all our members and supporters,

In this time of trial, I hope you are finding positive (virtual) connections with family, friends and colleagues to help you through this rather surreal period in our lives.
 
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is and will continue to be important to allow ourselves time to grieve the losses our community will be going through on so many levels. But it is also extremely important for us to focus on the longer term, to the time when we will collectively come out the other side. 

Instead of rushing to get back to normal, we should be looking forward to how we can get better. By acknowledging the changes brought about during these challenging times, we have a unique opportunity to rebuild a more resilient and sustainable future for all - people and planet.

As we continue to adapt to our ever changing circumstances, please do look after yourselves and be patient as new ways of doing and living are foisted on us. Remember the true test of character is how we choose to react to situations not of our choosing. We are all human, so don’t be too hard on yourself if your best self is not always at the fore. 
 
All the best from the ACTS team.

Corey Peterson
ACTS President

In a time where maintaining meaningful connections and shared learnings are more important than ever, we are delighted to announce the introduction of ACTS Member Roundtables.

These ACTS facilitated meetings will provide the opportunity for our members to connect in an informal virtual setting to share challenges, ideas and practical solutions with peers. Each roundtable will be limited to a small group, where all participants will have the opportunity to share experiences and ask questions on a particular subject area or theme.

We are now inviting members to express interest to join the first roundtable next week on Thursday 9th April at 1pm AEST. The focus of this first meeting will be sustainability engagement activities and how these are being adapted in response to COVID-19. The roundtable will be relevant for anyone adapting the delivery of programs and initiatives that aim to engage staff and students with sustainability on campus.

Please note, if there is a high enough demand to do so, multiple sessions on the same theme will be scheduled. This will ensure roundtables will remain small and focused with all participants having the opportunity to contribute.

Forum #5: What does COVID-19 mean for SDGs at universities?

Members are invited to save the date for the next closed forum in the popular Accelerating SDG Practice series - jointly presented by SDSN AusNZPac and ACTS. The next forum will be held on the 28th April, with more details on the discussion topic and details on how to you can register to participate being released soon. 

We are also pleased to announce that following the success of the first open webinar held last month, that additional webinars are now being planned as part of the ongoing series. Keep an eye out as registration details for a mid-May webinar will be opening soon.

If you missed last month's engaging students with the SDGs webinar, the video recording is now available on our member resource hub. 

Celebrating its 20 year anniversary, the ACTS Conference will return to Hobart to be hosted by the University of Tasmania on the 18 - 20 November 2020.

ACTS Conference 2020: Climate Action Now will provide the opportunity for practitioners, students and cross-sector partners working in all areas of sustainability to foster collaborative learning and exchange ideas on climate action and sustainable development. Working together, we can strengthen our contributions towards real and meaningful solutions for a better world.

The ACTS Conference Committee are inviting proposal submissions for sessions from an academic, operational and student perspective on the conference theme.

Submissions close Tuesday, 26 May 2020

Our friends at SOS International are working to get the biggest ever sample size in an academically robust survey of student opinions and attitudes towards sustainability, using this to create an engaging report that can lever action to transform education and direct society to a more sustainable and fair future.

They’re looking for universities and student-organisations to communicate the survey to their students in return for really useful data that will help inform your own sustainability work. The survey will be running 1-30 April 2020 and they’re providing heaps of support (promotional materials, response rate updates etc) to organisations who sign up. For more information visit www.sos.earth/survey or contact sandi@sos.earth.

• A cigarette butt litter reduction and/or prevention project
• Value for money in delivering the project outcomes
• Use Butt Litter Checks on affected sites before the project starts and on completion of the project as a key measure of project effectiveness
• Use the campaign materials to educate and guide the community on the appropriate disposal behaviour.
• Use the NSW 13-step approach in agreement with the landowner/manager