| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.36 |
| Liaison | Ben Dharmendra |
| Submission Date | July 30, 2021 |
University of Sydney
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Zoe
Morrison Strategy Advisor Strategy Office |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
The Sustainability Steering Committee has been established to provide guidance and oversight on the rollout and implementation of the Sustainability Strategy 2020 until such point as a decision is made to invest in staffing an Office of Sustainability.
Relevant decision-making responsibilities are delegated to the Executive and Business Owners (and their teams) and University committees.
The Sustainability Steering Committee will:
- oversee and provide guidance on the implementation of the Sustainability Strategy 2020, including making decisions on the prioritisation of initiatives and the development of related tactical plans and policies;
- oversee internal and external reporting, including the development, monitoring and reporting to UE of key performance indicators;
- enable a coordinated approach to sustainability across all areas of the University, including through drawing on the Community of Practice and leveraging other resources (particularly within the portfolios of members and across faculties and, externally, with industry and government);
- provide advice to the UE on the direction of sustainability-related activities across the University, including the inclusion of sustainability in other University strategies and external engagement;
- as individual members, act as an escalation point for milestones for which they are accountable
- provide advice on the design and implementation of a longer-term governance and operating framework for the Sustainability Strategy 2020, once the University’s financial position enables the establishment of an Office of Sustainability; and
- explore future opportunities for governance alignment and cost synergies with Modern Slavery work.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Chair: Professor Stephen Garton, Vice Chancellor and Executive Sponsor (Academic)
Members:
* Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education): Professor Pip Pattison (Academic)
* Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research): Professor Duncan Ivison (Academic)
* Nominee of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services): Professor Melissa Haswell (Academic)
* Vice-Principal (Operations): Stephen Phillips (non-Academic)
* Vice-Principal (Strategy): Rebecca Murray (non-Academic)
* Vice-Principal (External Relations): Tania Rhodes-Taylor (non-Academic)
* A Dean or Head of School, as nominated by the chair: Professor Robyn Dowling (Head of School and Dean, Sydney School of Architecture Design and Planning) (Academic)
* A Faculty General Manager, as nominated by the chair: Dr Emma Bowen (Faculty General Manager, Faculty of Science) (non-Academic)
* Chair, Sustainability Community of Practice, as nominated by the chair: Professor David Schlosberg (Director, Sydney Environment Institute; Professor of Environmental Politics) (Academic)
Attendees:
* Strategic Planning/Strategic Ventures team - Acting as Office of Sustainability
* Modern Slavery team (as required)
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
The University's Sustainability Strategy was launched in August 2020 in the middle of the COVID pandemic. This has limited our ability for a dedicated office of Sustainability. A team in the Vice Principal Strategy Portfolio currently oversee the coordination and compliance of the University of Sydney Sustainability Strategy 2020, acting as the to-be established Office of Sustainability. This team reports to the VP Strategy and provides regular updates to the Sustainability Strategy Steering Committee on ongoing operations.
Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
The University of Sydney's Sustainability Strategy 2020 outlines the University's institutional responsibilities and KPIs as related to environmental and social sustainability. This is coordinated by the Strategy Ventures team and various supporting actors throughout the university. The strategy was only launched in August 2020, accompaniments are still to bear fruit but key ones to date are:
* Award of a $500,000 grant from the NSW Environmental Protection Agency for the purchase and installation of a biodigester on our Camperdown/Darlington Campus which will take 50% of the campus organics and green waste when operational in May 2021.
* Installation of our first major living lab project - Gelion Solar-powered benches across the C/D campus. The benches also reduce dark zones and provide student socialisation areas in areas where infrastructure previously didn't exist. This initiative won an Australian Financial Review Higher Education Award for Sustainability for the above living lab project.
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
oversee the coordination, collaboration and compliance of Pillars 2 and 3 and engagement activities of the University Sustainability Strategy.
Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Undertake the sustainability activities specifically aligned to campus operations and coordinates the Green Impact engagement activities for the University Sustainability report.
Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Oversees the University's strategic energy and waste activities. Coordinates the University's energy, waste and water response to associated targets as part of the University' Sustainability Strategy
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.