Lumen Winter 2023 - Flipbook - Page 15
Peter Garrett performing at the Here for Good concert, March
The development of our strategy has been
guided by advice and feedback from staff,
students, the Sustainability Strategy Steering
Committee, and our broader community.
It serves as a signal that we wish to partner
with our community, with industry and the
wider South Australian society to turn our
ambitions into reality.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
have lived in this country for over 60,000
years and in Caring for Country, are experts
in sustainability. Across every element of
our Sustainability Strategy, we seek to learn
from cultural knowledge and make positive
change with an ethos of Caring for Country
and culture in our heads and our hearts.
The decision to act and put the University
on a more sustainable path is not a hard one
to make. In fact, it is not really a choice at all
but an imperative. Every fraction of a degree
of global warming we avoid lessens the
impact on future generations. In 2017, the
world had already warmed by one degree
from pre-industrial levels. We must act with
speed and scale. The University of Adelaide
is up for the challenge, and in a position to
help our communities and partners with
their aspirational sustainability transitions.
We have set a target to accelerate
decarbonisation efforts within our campus
footprint by achieving net zero by 2025 and
carbon neutrality by 2030. Our commitment
to responsible investment includes a
transition plan to divest from all direct
fossil fuel investments by the end of 2024.
We have targets addressing responsible
procurement and reduction of waste,
sustainable transition and decarbonisation
efforts within our campus operations,
and revegetation and biodiversity on
our campuses.
Our cumulatively greatest contribution to
society accrues through our educational
activities and the lifetime contributions
alumni make to society. We have a critical
role to play in supporting the learning and
development of the next generation of world
leaders. Moving forward, all graduates will
be exposed to sustainability considerations
in their degree, and we will embed
sustainability in our graduate attributes and
in relevant education programs across
the University.
“The decision to act and
put the University on a
more sustainable path is
not a hard one to make.
In fact, it is not really
a choice at all but an
imperative.”
Here for Good outlines the University’s
commitments and vision for a sustainable
future that is embedded across our
Institution. You can find the strategy and
more about how you can join us to make
transformational change for good on
our website.
Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray is the
Chair of the University’s Sustainability
Strategy Steering Committee. She is Head of
Department in Geography, Environment
and Population.
LUMEN – WINTER 2023 15
