We have put in place a number of strategies, facilities and services to reduce the carbon footprint of our daily university operations. For example, we have installed solar energy systems in a number of our buildings, including the Charles Perkins Centre, the Sydney Business School, Abercrombie Student Accommodation and the Queen Mary Building, with another 17 buildings scheduled for installation across the Camperdown and Darlington campus.
By the end of the year, we will have 796kW of solar panels installed, generating 1,000,000 kWh of clean energy per annum for use within the University. When completed, this will be one of the largest city rooftop solar installation projects in New South Wales, and of course it will save money that we can put towards research and education.
We have also developed a program to avoid the dumping of furniture, fittings and equipment in landfill. Any furniture that we cannot use or recycle is given a new lease of life through ‘Project ReLIFE’. When the Victor Coppleson Building was demolished, earlier this year, we donated the furniture and fittings to Tokaikolo University in Tonga. That university was ravaged by Cyclone Ian in 2014. We are working with Heilala, an Australian charity that helps developing countries around the world to protect the environment and that supports international development through the reuse of commercial office furniture and fittings and related goods.
The University also has an urban community garden on the Darlington campus that aims to encourage fresh produce consumption and provides a clear knowledge of its benefits in our students by introducing them to harvest, eat and learn sessions.
The University of Sydney app highlights where students and staff can find the closest facilities to help support our sustainable campus. This includes the locations of end of trip facilities to encourage people to walk and cycle to campuses and the free filtered water stations we have installed across campus where bottles may be refilled.
The University of Sydney is proud to support environmental events that raise awareness and promote participation in sustainability. During Earth Hour 2016, we achieved a 19 per cent reduction in power across campus compared to the previous Saturday, and on National Tree Day — the largest community-based planning and nature care event in Australia — we were delighted to plant the first of the trees in a new planting program we are rolling out across campus.
We are pleased with our progress in generating sustainable practices and will continue to strive to improve, reducing our impact on the environment by developing these and other initiatives.
