This Saturday 22 April is Earth Day, an opportunity for us to celebrate sustainability and consider more ways we can take action.

Wondering how you can get involved with sustainability at ANU?  

Together with the Below Zero Team, we’ve compiled a list of several opportunities that can help to reduce your carbon footprint and get you involved in community initiatives where you can work with others to generate lasting, positive change. 

Travel is a valued part of the University experience with positive impacts for career development, building relationships, extending networks and beyond. It can be challenging to balance our desire to reduce our carbon footprint and undertake meaningful travel for our work or study.  

You can find practical advice for making more sustainable travel decisions in the ANU Low Carbon Travel Guidelines, developed by the ANU Below Zero Program, the University's program to be carbon negative by 2030. 

Taking public transport instead of driving can reduce your annual carbon emissions by an estimated 80 per cent and riding a bicycle for shorter trips will reduce your carbon footprint by 75 per cent. Not only are there environmental, physical, mental and financial benefits of not using a car to drive to campus, but you can also potentially save time and frustration by avoiding peak hour traffic and searching for parking spots! 

Today in Kambri, the Canberra Electric Bike Library hosted an e-bike come-and-try event in partnership with ANU Below Zero. In case you missed it, visit this webpage to find out how to book a free e-bike trial today and options for salary sacrificing and e-bike purchase. If driving is your only option, have you considered an electric vehicle? Check out the ANU salary sacrificing options. 

Planning an upcoming event? Consult the Low carbon events sub-guide to see how you can host a fun and engaging event that also has a low environmental impact. Hot tip: hosting a virtual or hybrid event will vastly reduce the carbon emissions for that event. Check out the story below for an easier and more efficient way to run these types of events using Zoom Events.  

Reducing our energy consumption habits is one of the most important actions that we can take to reduce our carbon footprint. Find some top tips to reduce your energy usage (and your energy bill) here.

ANU Green Impact is a sustainability program designed for staff and students to have fun with their colleagues while making a positive difference. Champions from the 2022 season said that they better understand how sustainability relates to them and how their actions impact issues connected to sustainability as a result of participating in Green Impact. They also said that they have a better understanding of how to use their knowledge about sustainability to encourage change in others. Want to create a team and start growing your positive impact? Find out how to here. 

As a result of post-pandemic pressures, the Canberra Food Co-op is at risk of closing down. This community-led, non-profit organisation aims to encourage zero-waste shopping, affordable access to local food and products and build a community that promotes knowledge sharing and culture. It is conveniently located on ANU campus near Barry Drive.  

Save the Co-op and become a member. For more info visit their website or follow them on Instagram.  

ANU Below Zero Program seeks to integrate practical emission-reductions with research and teaching activities at ANU, with the aim of using our expertise to drive innovation in this vital sector.  

Do your current or upcoming research programs address aspects of climate change, the energy transition, nature-based solutions for atmospheric carbon removal, organisational or behavioural change programs or any of the other aspects of this transformational change program? Are there ways ANU Below Zero topics or projects can support your teaching of future courses, whether coursework, student research projects or HDR programs?  

The Below Zero team are eager to help you turn the University into a living lab for your research or teaching plans. Contact the team at belowzero@anu.edu.au 

Want to learn more about Earth Day and how to get involved, visit their website to find events happening near you or to register an event. 

Geraldine Schmid, the Venues and Functions Manager within the Facilities and Services Division at ANU, is leading the way in helping the University achieve its below zero targets. With her team, she has created the first sustainability plan for a building at ANU that aligns with the University's commitment to becoming carbon negative by 2030.

In an effort to contribute to the University's sustainability goals, Geraldine believes it's important to lead by example, and her team is doing just that by examining their practices and making changes where necessary. In a recent interview, Geraldine shared her experiences and insights on making ANU a greener campus.

We hope to tell many more staff stories in upcoming editions. If you know someone who deserves a spotlight get in touch with the On Campus team.

Thursday 20 April, 12.30-2pm 

Australian Universities: A Conversation About Public Good rekindles a much-needed conversation about the vital role of public universities in our society, arguing for initiatives informed by the realities of university life and offering a way forward for government, communities, students and public universities – together – to advance public good. The event will include a panel discussion with the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and Head of the Australian Public Service Glyn Davis, Julia Horne and Susan Goodwin Gwilym Croucher from the University of Sydney and Kylie Message-Jones the Director of the ANU Humanities Research Centre, who will moderate the panel. 

Register here 

Thursday 20 April, 6.15-7.15pm 

Join the ANU Australian Studies Institute for a captivating conversation between writer, artist, and mapmaker Kim Mahood and Martin Thomas from the ANU School of History. Mahood's new book, Wandering with Intent, explores the complexities of Aboriginal and settler Australia through essays that take readers on a journey to remote places and communities where she collaborates on mapping, storytelling, and placemaking projects. 

Register here  

Community Courses: ANU staff 50% discount 

Looking to use your ANU staff discount to enrol in community courses at the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CLT)? Maybe to learn Mandarin or develop your creativity in an art class? You no longer need a voucher code, as the discount will be applied automatically when you register using your ANU email address. This feature enhances convenience and ensures a hassle-free enrolment process. 

Explore more courses here 

 

FREE Training - Supporting Student Wellbeing and Disclosures of Sexual Misconduct 

Thursday 20 April, 12-3pm 

Participants will learn how to use the disclosure tools, provide an initial response and referral pathways within ANU and in the community. The workshop will also cover understanding the role of the Student Safety and Wellbeing team in supporting students in distress as well as support services available at ANU and in the community for staff and students. Other Health, Safety and Wellbeing Training sessions are available on the Respectful Relationships Eventbrite page.  

Register here 

 

EOI now open for Kambri Market stallholders 

Friday 28 April, 2-4pm 

There are new weekly markets coming to Kambri.  

This will be a weekly event with the first market being held next Friday.  

The Joplin Lane Markets will provide a great opportunity for staff and students to sell their items in a sustainable way. It’s free to have a stall, we just ask that you don’t sell food or drink. To book a stall space, contact Geraldine or Dharmesh via Kambri.venues@anu.edu.au. 

If you don't have anything to sell, come and enjoy the Joplin Lane Friday music sessions while indulging in some lunch at the Kambri tenancies and grooving to some awesome tunes, all while supporting a sustainable event initiative. 

Did you know Zoom has introduced ‘Zoom Events’, a platform that gives you the power to create and tailor virtual and hybrid event experiences for registrants instead of trying to coordinate Zoom sessions with Eventbrite? With a pleasurable online event experience, you can grow your audience while reducing the environmental impact. Read more tips in our low-carbon event guide.  

Information Security Office - Changes to staff log in

On Wednesday 26 April, the next phase of streamlining and improving ANU login security will commence by adding a secondary Authenticator prompt to Web Applications. This will use the same Authenticator staff already have set up App (i.e. MS Authenticator, Google Authenticator), so there is nothing new required. Please read the details from the Information Security Office. 

 

Transition to OneDrive Pilot Program 

Information Technology Services (ITS) will soon be removing Home Drives and encouraging the use of OneDrive. We are looking for people to participate in a Pilot Program in May to help the project team test out the transition process. You can register for the pilot program here. 

Read more 

 

 Consultation on the ANU Gender Equity Strategy is open 

The Gender Equity Plan Taskforce and the Equity and Belonging Team have developed a draft of the University’s first Gender Equity Strategy, in collaboration with key stakeholders. Staff are invited to give feedback on the Strategy. Read the draft, find out more information, and provide feedback or support at the link below. Feedback will be accepted between 17 April and 5 May 2023. 

Submit your feedback here

 

New Anti-Racism Taskforce 

The University is aware of the challenges experienced by staff and students of colour in university settings. As set out in our Strategic Plan, ANU is committed to being a standard bearer for equity and inclusion, so we want to ensure that our systems and processes are fit for purpose, and that all staff and students are equipped with the skills and knowledge to make our community a safer, respectful and equitable place. An Anti-Racism Taskforce has been established to identify opportunities to further improve our culture and operations, to effectively respond to and reduce racial prejudice in all forms. 

The Anti-Racism Taskforce, chaired by Professor Sujatha Raman, is currently conducting initial consultations and are approaching a number of stakeholders and experts within the University to identify good practices already within the University and opportunities to further develop them or create new opportunities to advance and promote a culture of respect and inclusion where diversity is embraced and celebrated. 

If you would like to contribute, we would love to hear from you. Please send your comments and ideas to belonging@anu.edu.au before 10 May. 

Join the ANU Green Network - an online resource for you to get involved with environmental sustainability at ANU.  

This Teams channel and SharePoint site connect staff and students with easy-to-access resources, tips and updates on sustainability and climate action on campus. You can connect with others around the University via the discussion boards to post opportunities on sustainability-related projects or events, collaborate and inspire others to make positive changes and share your insights on local problem-solving and overcoming challenges to act more sustainably.  

Join now and become a part of the ANU Green Network today.