“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”1
So what is being done to prepare for a sustainable future in the educational realm? This is just the question that the 9th Annual ACTS Conference has been addressing.
To read the full article please click here.
http://www.greentimes.com.au/climate-change/passport-to-the-future.html
The article by Lisa Tarry is from the online publication, The Fifth State. To read in full click here.
It’s the million-dollar question: what are green skills? And it was the opening question at the Green Steps’ session of the Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) conference at Macquarie University in Sydney recently. But are green jobs just political rhetoric or the actual creation of new jobs for new sectors? …….
Dear ACTS Members,
Dr Nathan Cassidy, Policy Officer with Universities Australia, has requested ACTS members assistance with a UA research project to help progress the National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability, Living Sustainably (request below). As the report needs to be complied by the end of October, could you please provide information by Friday 23 October 2009.
We will also be putting this information up on the ACTS website. Thanks in advance for your assistance to Universities Australia and in helping build ACTS into the type of organisation you want.
Regards,
Lania
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Universities Australia is a member of the National Council on Education for Sustainability, which will progress certain actions under the Australian Government’s National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability, Living Sustainably (NAP). Contained within the NAP are actions pertaining specifically to the university sector. These actions involve strategies to develop whole-of-institution sustainability programs (including research; teaching and learning and campus management); sustainability incentives scheme for universities; and sustainability networks to improve co-ordination, share best practice and communicate concepts within universities as well as sustainability for key professions through integration of sustainability into professional learning qualifications and university degree accreditation.
As a background to this work Universities Australia has been asked to compile a short background snapshot of where the higher education sector is currently placed in terms of a) campus green programs and environmental management and b) education for sustainability.
I would ask those of you who are interested to provide me with short blurbs about what your university is doing in either or both of these two spaces. I understand that there is a range of practice in the sector and some institutions are doing more than others. In the interests of providing an honest snapshot of the whole sector, I would urge that you provide information even if you are not proud of your institution’s progress.
I need to have this report compiled by the end of October, so I would ask that you provide the information to me by Friday 23 October 2009.
Please contact me directly if you have any queries on 02 6285 8105.
Universities Australia is planning to become more involved in sustainability issues in the near future, and looks forward to a deeper relationship with ACTS.
Regards,
Nathan Cassidy
ACTS would like to give a final thank you to the sponsors of this years conference. Without the support of these organisations, the conference would not have been as sucessful as it was.
ACTS would like to thank all who attended this years conference at Macquarie University, your involvement and contributions ensure that ACTS can continue to grow and be the best possible representative of sustainable campuses across Australia and New Zealand. A big thank you also goes out to Leanne Denby, Belinda Bean, Iain Brew, Michelle Shackleton and all the student volunteers from Macquarie University for their tireless efforts in organising the conference. We also thank our keynote speakers Leith Sharp, Professor Tim Flannery, Professor Steven Schwartz and Adam Spencer for contributing their time and extensive expertise.
Over the coming weeks the ACTS committee will be developing the ideas and recommendations that resulted from the discussion workshops at the conference. With the help of our members we believe that ACTS can become a driving force in institutional sustainability in the higher education sector.
We are already working towards expanding on the existing content available to ACTS members on our website. We look forward to receiving contributions from all our members as well as providing information on relevant programs, initiatives and opportunities.
Resources which have been recently added to the ACTS website can be easily accessed from the ‘Resources’ section of the homepage after you have logged in. Additions this week include:
On a final note, for those who were able to make it to the Conference Dinner, I think you would agree that we put ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’ to shame and may slightly regret signing the photography release form! A selection of images from the evening will soon be available!
The 2009 ACTS conference (30th Sept - 2nd Oct, Macquarie University Sydney) is shaping up to be one of the best yet. The program has been updated to include:
If you haven’t registered yet, go to the ACTS conference website and have a look at the great program. You will find that the ACTS conference is not only one the most cost afforable events offered each year but also a great opportunity to meet and network with others with a similar focus on sustainability in the higher education sector. We look forward to seeing you there.
Please pass this email onto anyone you think would be interested in attending the 2009 ACTS Conference.
Conference website:
Adelaide 16-18 October 2009
From 16-18 October 2009 Friends of the Earth Adelaide, in partnership with the University of Adelaide, Faculty of Professionals, Research Unit for the Study of Society, Law and Religion (RUSSLR) and the Conservation Council of South Australia will host Australia’s first conference on Earth Jurisprudence. This conference is modelled and run in consultation with the UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA).
Earth Jurisprudence calls for a radical shift to our legal system, from a human-only orientation to an Earth centred approach. This involves fostering mutually enhancing human-earth relations based on reciprocity, restraining potentially damaging human activities and recognising the rights of nature.
Participants will be introduced to the concepts of Earth Jurisprudence and led through a series of interactive workshops on the shortcomings of our current approach to environmental protection, viewing nature as property, connection to place and understanding nature, the relationship between Earth Jurisprudence and Indigenous law/religion, a mock trial and strategies for implementing Earth Jurisprudence in Australia.
Speakers for the conference will include:
Participation at the conference will be limited to forty people. Click here for more information.
Registrations will open on 5 May 2009. To register your interest, please contact Peter Burdon
The ACTS website has recently undergone a major redevelopment and we would like to thank you for your patience while the site has been out of action. We are now live and have some exciting new changes to announce.
Members will now need to login from the homepage to access the members only content. Usernames and passwords will carry over from the previous version of the website, however if you have any issues logging in into the new site please email Delwyn Langdon.
The ACTS website can only be as good as its members make it - we are seeking information from all of our members who are working hard in introducing and integrating sustainability within their institutions to share their knowledge, experiences and expertise with other members of ACTS. The forum can also we a great tool for sharing knowledge and asking questions, and we hope that members will regularly contribute their thoughts and ideas. Why note head over to the forum and introduce yourself as an ACTS member now!
On other note, registrations for the 2009 ACTS Conference at Macquarie University in Sydney are now open. The program this year is set to be one of the most exciting offered yet, including key note speakers such as:
Exclusive to ACTS delegates at the conference will be a premier screening of the feature film The Age of Stupid which be released in Australia in late 2009. The trailer for the film can be viewed here.
