Charles Sturt University's (CSU) position as a higher education leader in environmental action has been confirmed again with the university achieving fantastic results across key environmental-themed rankings aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
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CSU ranked in the top 10 per cent of universities in the world for climate action, in the top 20 per cent for clean water and sanitation and in the top 25 per cent for life on the land and for life below water.
The rankings assess more than 1,100 universities across the globe against the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and ranks them in 17 categories across three areas - research, outreach and stewardship.
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Manager, Sustainability at CSU, Ed Maher, said the university's achievement in the environmental rankings reflected the impact of incorporating sustainability into all actions and practises across the university.
"Sustainability is a process that integrates environmental, social and economic considerations into decision making with the goal of creating a thriving and healthy society," Mr Maher said.
"Charles Sturt has a long history of developing initiatives across its campuses that improve the quality of life for our communities without increasing the use of natural resources.
"We were Australia's first certified carbon neutral university and have invested in carbon offset projects undertaken by traditional owners and Aboriginal rangers, and solar installations across our regional campuses save the equivalent carbon emissions as that generated by 1,032 homes."
Other programs at the university in Port Macquarie include:
- The sustainable construction and design of the campus's new Stage Two Development. The development features a 164kw roof top solar system, rainwater tanks to run the toilets, landscaping featuring drought-tolerant native species, automatic irrigation system for the gardens, on-site mulching of green waste and an automatic window traffic light system for internal climate control.
- Commissioning Electric Vehicle charge points at the campus to support the uptake of low-emission electric vehicles.
- One of the key pillars of the Charles Sturt University Clean Energy Strategy 2030 is future renewables and onsite energy storage. This includes improved demand management, new buildings to maximise solar and future batteries.
- The 'Wildlife Watch Charles Sturt University Port Macquarie' Facebook group developed to encourage staff and students to record wildlife on and around campus to monitor improved biodiversity. The Campus Environment Committee will be hosting a 'Walk and Talk' event on campus on Wednesday 5 May. Join the Wildlife Watch Facebook group for updates.
- Partnership with the local Hastings Birdwatchers group who survey birds around campus. The campus is a biodiversity hotspot, especially in the offset reserve area where more than 70 species were recorded between June and September last year.
Mr Maher said that in addition to investment in sustainable infrastructure,CSU researchers had played a key role in water management, biodiversity and groundwater management projects across Australia and the world.
"We recognise that climate change remains one of the single greatest challenges humanity faces, and for that reason we have adopted a mindset to constantly evaluate current practises, to find, implement, and promote a sustainable way forward," he said.
