Cross University Networks
ACTS - Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability
ACTS is the primary forum for sustainability in the Australian and New Zealand tertiary sectors.
In addition to being a current Institutional Member of ACTS, CSU has two active members on the ACTS board:
- John Rafferty (Lecturer, Murray School of Education) has the role of Vice President Campus Learning, and
- Edward Maher (A/Manager, CSU Green) has the role of Regional Director, Non-metro NSW/ACT.
The mission of ACTS is to promote the integration of the principles of sustainability within the curricula and operations of these sectors. ACTS serves members of the education community from institutions including universities, colleges, polytechnics and TAFEs. It supports everyone from academics looking for creative and innovative ways of teaching about sustainability, to environmental managers whose primary focus might be on reducing an institutions environmental impact.
ACTS also administers the Green Gown Awards Australasia. CSU was recently announced as the inaugural winner of the ACTS Award of Excellence. In 2010, CSU also won a prestigious Green Gown Award, in the category of 'Continuous Improvement - Institutional Change'.
NSW Sustainability Advantage program
CSU joined the Sustainability Advantage program in December 2008. This program, run through the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, is a business network designed to help organisations understand sustainability, and successfully manage their operations for a better environment through a comprehensive roadmap for environmental action.
CSU is currently completing the 'Resource Efficiency' and 'Staff/Student Engagement' modules of the program, and is an active member of both the Tertiary Education and Wagga clusters. In June 2010, the Sustainability Advantage program awarded CSU Bronze Recognition status for our sustainability initiatives and achievements.
AASHE - Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
AASHE is an association of colleges and universities, based in the USA, that are working to create a sustainable future. Their mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation.
The AASHE Sustainability Resource Centre has a number of interesting resources available on sustainability in areas such as campus operations, education & research, and planning & engagement.
ACUPCC - American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment
The ACUPCC is a framework to support universities in the USA to implement carbon neutrality. The Commitment recognizes the unique responsibility that institutions of higher education have as role models for their communities and in educating the people who will develop the social, economic and technological solutions to reverse global warming and help create a thriving, civil and sustainable society.
There are a range of interesting resources available on the ACUPCC website, including the publication "Education for Climate Neutrality", which identifies some of the best practices across higher education in the move towards carbon neutrality.