Looking for ways to take action on sustainability as a student at ANU? Whether you're keen to get involved in hands-on projects, advocacy, or simply make more sustainable choices in your daily life, there are plenty of opportunities to take action.
You can participate in activities hosted by ANU Green or the ANU Kitchen Garden, such as events, volunteer opportunities and more. If you are looking for a fun way to gamify your sustainability actions and see your progress alongside others in the ANU community, join the One Small Step app. This platform gives you the resources and support to cut waste, save energy and embrace greener transport options both on and off campus.
If you are passionate about advocacy and student-led initiatives, the ANU Environment Collective is a great way to engage with environmental campaigns and awareness efforts on campus. For those interested in circular economy practices, the ANU Buy Nothing Facebook Group and ANU Green Network offer a chance to re-home and repurpose items, keeping valuable resources in use for longer.
No matter how you choose to get involved, every action helps create a more sustainable ANU!
Quick links
Community opportunities
Transforming values into action
Sustainability is a shared responsibility. At ANU, we are committed to embedding it into everything we do, from research and teaching to how we manage our campus operations. But real impact happens when we all play a part. See how ANU is working towards a more sustainable future and how you can be part of this journey.
One Small Step
Taking action on climate change looks different to everyone. What does climate action look like for you? The ANU community now has free access to a sustainability app that supports you in reducing your carbon footprint, both on and off campus. Whether you are already taking steps to reduce your impact or are unsure where to start, this app has something for everyone. Get support to tackle waste, save energy, embrace green transport, switch to climate-friendly products and more. Complete challenges, earn eco points and see your impact alongside a community of people invested in a more sustainable future. Together we can decarbonise our campus and community.
ANU Green Network
The ANU Green Network is a collaborative space for staff and students to become involved in environmental sustainability at ANU. It is a place where we can share resources, stories and experiences with one another.
Volunteer with ANU Green
ANU Green offers a diverse range of volunteering opportunities including water monitoring and conservation, circular economy and waste diversion and supporting the biodiversity and conservation of our campus’ natural environment and cultivated green spaces. These opportunities contribute to supporting sustainability action on our Acton campus and identifying where we can improve our practices. Volunteer opportunities are available to ANU staff and students, ranging from participating in organised events to engaging in ongoing programs.
ANU Kitchen Garden
The ANU Kitchen Garden program is a network of gardens on our Acton campus, which produces fresh, seasonal and delicious food. You can get involved by going along to one of our weekly Wednesday working bees, between 10am and 12pm.
The gardens offer off-campus students and self-catered on-campus residents the chance to regularly meet, carry out gardening and garden maintenance and benefit from the harvest. You don't need to be a green thumb, just come along and join in growing a thriving food garden to share! Learn about gardening by doing it: everything from composting to worm farms, weeding to seed sowing and pruning to planting.
ANU Environment Collective
The ANU Environment Collective (EC) is a student organisation focused on environmental sustainability, awareness and action on campus. The EC provides an opportunity for students to participate in sustainability initiatives and environmental advocacy aimed at fostering a more sustainable campus and addressing environmental issues.
Circular economy and waste
Participate in our circular economy
Looking for a place to donate items, rehome items or obtain second-hand items without having to travel across Canberra? Consider joining the ANU Buy Nothing Facebook Group, a space for our community to give and receive, and share and lend items to reuse and rehome and avoid contributing to landfill.
Student resources
Carbon Smart Travel Guide
The Carbon Smart Travel Guide is an online resource that aims to help our community plan how they can reach their goals with a lower carbon footprint. The guide outlines actions our community can take and things to consider when planning and booking travel.
Carbon Smart Events Guide
The Carbon Smart Events Guide is an online resource aimed to ensure our community is equipped to organised events in a sustainable manner that meets our ambitions. The guide provides suggested actions and considerations in your event organisation to directly reduce emissions associated with your event.
Carbon Smart Commuting
Whether you live near campus or in the suburbs of Canberra, there are option to reduce your emissions from commuting to and from campus. New electric motorized vehicles, an expanding public transport system in the ACT and a growing number of convenient cycling and walking paths make choosing sustainable transport easier than ever. Check our some of our suggestions for carbon smart commuting and consider if you can adopt one or a combination of them to get to ANU.
Community initiatives
Looking for more sustainability initiatives? Check out our community initiatives page to explore further opportunities to get involved with sustainability in Canberra.
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