Peter Garrett performing at the Here for Good concert, MarchThe development of our strategy has beenguided by advice and feedback from staff,students, the Sustainability Strategy SteeringCommittee, and our broader community.It serves as a signal that we wish to partnerwith our community, with industry and thewider South Australian society to turn ourambitions into reality.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peopleshave lived in this country for over 60,000years and in Caring for Country, are expertsin sustainability. Across every element ofour Sustainability Strategy, we seek to learnfrom cultural knowledge and make positivechange with an ethos of Caring for Countryand culture in our heads and our hearts.The decision to act and put the Universityon a more sustainable path is not a hard oneto make. In fact, it is not really a choice at allbut an imperative. Every fraction of a degreeof global warming we avoid lessens theimpact on future generations. In 2017, theworld had already warmed by one degreefrom pre-industrial levels. We must act withspeed and scale. The University of Adelaideis up for the challenge, and in a position tohelp our communities and partners withtheir aspirational sustainability transitions.We have set a target to acceleratedecarbonisation efforts within our campusfootprint by achieving net zero by 2025 andcarbon neutrality by 2030. Our commitmentto responsible investment includes atransition plan to divest from all directfossil fuel investments by the end of 2024.We have targets addressing responsibleprocurement and reduction of waste,sustainable transition and decarbonisationefforts within our campus operations,and revegetation and biodiversity onour campuses.Our cumulatively greatest contribution tosociety accrues through our educationalactivities and the lifetime contributionsalumni make to society. We have a criticalrole to play in supporting the learning anddevelopment of the next generation of worldleaders. Moving forward, all graduates willbe exposed to sustainability considerationsin their degree, and we will embedsustainability in our graduate attributes andin relevant education programs acrossthe University.“The decision to act andput the University on amore sustainable path isnot a hard one to make.In fact, it is not reallya choice at all but animperative.”Here for Good outlines the University’scommitments and vision for a sustainablefuture that is embedded across ourInstitution. You can find the strategy andmore about how you can join us to maketransformational change for good onour website.Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray is theChair of the University’s SustainabilityStrategy Steering Committee. She is Head ofDepartment in Geography, Environmentand Population.LUMEN – WINTER 2023 15
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