Green Gown Awards Australasia 2015 – Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change - Winner image #1 Green Gown Awards Australasia 2015 – Continuous Improvement: Institutional Change - Winner image #2

The University of Melbourne

Integrating Sustainability at Melbourne – A whole of University approach

The Sustainability Program has grown since 2006 to include initiatives across leadership and governance, facilities and operations, learning teaching and research, and partnerships and engagement. The Program has seen increases in carbon savings from 9,713 in 2008 to 31,754 tonnes in 2014, water savings of 164ML/pa (30%) since 2006 and savings from the furniture reuse program of $2,821,815 based on estimated retail replacement value and $130,445 on landfill charges.

Top 3 learnings

1. Staff and students really do want to make a positive impact. By facilitating them we really can make a difference.
2. We shouldn’t underestimate that the work we do has an impact on the broader the community and the world.
3. Change in sustainability is a continual improvement process and needs to be embedded in everything we do.