‘To be a sustainable university’ is one of the five key goals outlined in the Griffith 2020 strategy.
To underline Griffith’s commitment to becoming just that, all campuses will play host to Sustainability Week 2018 from September 3-7 with a range of talks, displays and markets on offer.
The week creates opportunities for staff and students and community members to be involved with Griffith’s Sustainability agenda.
Visitors will find an array of workshops, activities and stalls at the Sustainability Fair on the Gold Coast campus and Enviro events on Nathan, Logan, Mt Gravatt and South Bank campuses.
Griffith is also taking the lead in committing to practical ways the university can become more sustainable in its practices, such as switching its pool car fleet to hybrid vehicles (which will be on display at the Nathan campus), using an electric buggy for on-campus maintenance and landscaping, and installing electric vehicle charging stations at the Nathan and Gold Coast campuses.
And Griffith academics are thinking greener with their research projects – Associate Professor Cheryl Desha and her work to turn food waste into a super dynamic compost; Dr Hum Gurung who mentors and inspires young conservationists in Nepal and Asia; and Professor Paul Simshauser, whose solar installation trial in remote indigenous communities has the potential to yield positive environmental and economic outcomes.
What’s happening at Griffith’s 2018 Sustainability Week
Tuesday 4 September
Sustainability Fair
Come along to Griffith’s Sustainability Fair – free pedal powered smoothies, free Australian native plant give-aways, touch tank, live music and chill out area. Gold Coast campus, grassed area outside G10, 10am-2pm.
GroNATIVE app
Come along and collect a plant in front of the library (G10), learn more about our free app ‘GroNATIVE’ that includes profiles of more than 400 plants native to southeast Queensland. Download the free GroNATIVE app from iTunes and Google Play.
Library Lightning Talks
Adapt or Die G10 Library, at the Shard 12-1pm – Listen to our researchers’ action plans for survival in a world of climate change! Griffith Library Lightning Talks presents Prof Catherine Pickering, Prof Cordia Chu, Dr Leah Barclay and Dr Wade Hadwen. What have our researchers discovered? What does that mean for life in the human era? Expect to be challenged!
Wednesday 5 September
Sustainable jewellery for sale
Check out the Sustainable Jewellery on sale by students from the Jewellery and Small Objects Collective at the Enviro markets at QCA at the South Bank campus, 11am-2pm.
Ghosting: A workshop with artist Pamela See
QCA students are invited to drop-in to The Pod, QCA Library, to participate in a workshop with Pamela See. Participants will work with Pamela to create hand-cut strawboard templates using motifs representing a selection of redundant technologies. The cut-outs will be displayed in the Library during Sustainability Week. From 12-1.30pm.
Thursday 6 September
Community forum – Circular Economy, Who’s responsible
Come along to the free EcoCentre Nathan campus community forum with Rebecca Gilling, Deputy CEO of Planet Ark. From 6-8pm, RSVP to [email protected]
Library Lightning Talks
Waste Wars, N53 Library, Level 1 foyer, 12-1pm – Listen to our Griffith academics battle it out on the podium about the war with e-waste, plastic bags and pollution! What have our researchers discovered? What will it mean to live in a world filled with increasing amounts of rubbish? Expect to be challenged! Griffith Library Lightning Talks presents Fred Leusch, Kathy Knox, Eleni Kalantidou and Matthew Burke.
See Professor Fred Leusch’s appearance on ABC’s War On Waste.
Enviro markets
Join in on Griffith’s Sustainability Week celebrations at the Enviro Markets, on Thursday 6 September 2018 10am-2pm at the Nathan campus.
All Week
War on Coffee Cups display
Check out the War on Coffee Cups display at Nathan campus – all week. From 12-2pm each day; the first 10 people per hour to complete a survey will receive a free reusable cup.