Highly Commended ACTS Award of Excellence – Student: Thomas Crawford

University of Tasmania

Tom is a gentleman of sustainability. Due to significant time spent in Africa travelling and teaching in a Nairobi slum, he is passionate about social and environmental justice and is considered, polite and passionate in his activism. Tom co-led the 2015 sit-in at the University of Tasmania over divestment, helping garner national attention to the issue. He has worked hard to support the University to effectively address organic waste. Tom is a past President of the UTAS Environment Collective and a key member of Source Community Wholefoods, the on-campus cooperative cafe and sustainability education centre. He has parlayed his efforts at university and Source to win a $5000 City of Hobart grant to establish a community composting hub to serve as a model for future organics waste management in southern Tasmania. He is now a paid student intern with the University of Tasmania sustainability team developing a proposal for an on-campus digester. Tom lives his values through his transport and living choices, is open to new ideas, is polite and reliable, respected by staff and admired by many students interested in sustainability.