How we care for our environment at Uni accommodation
Are you concerned about the environment? There are simple everyday actions and student initiatives that are easy to do and make a big difference.
Our student accommodation services are contributing to the University aim to be carbon neutral by 2025. Here is how our residences practice sustainability:
A rooftop beehive and leftovers made into frittatas
Receiving a Green Impact award for innovation of their kitchen and menu in 2019, Medley Hall has long been applying sustainable practices. Dr Helen Lamb, Head of Medley Hall told us about the initatives in place.
"Waste such as veggie peelings is reduced at source; the kitchen receives peeled veg and the scraps are used to feed farm animals and make compost", she said.
"Fruit and veg used is in season and local where possible, meat is sourced from ethical sources, chicken and eggs are free range and all food waste from meals is collected and turned into compost by a commercial company".
Veggies garden beds, an edible indigeneous garden, installing solar panels, double glazing and waste streams for recycling as well as maintaining a beehive that produces 20 jars of honey a year are why Medley Hall are leading the way with sustainability.
"While all the above does reduce waste, eating well (no processed or pre-prepared foods) tends to cost a little more. We think it is well worth it though"! Dr Lamb said.
Photo: Students collecting meals from the Medley Hall dining room.
Swap shops and donating to op shops
Instead of throwing unwanted goods into landfill, students at Little Hall and The Lofts are encouraged to give their unwanted goods to Diabetes Australia. Not only are goods such as clean bedding, clothing, books, unopened food, kitchenware, and furniture given a second life, but their sales raises funds for vital diabetes research and programs.
Ash Harrison, Community Manager at Little Hall said the Sustainability Team attended Little Hall in December and held a Free Christmas Shop in conjunction with their Festivas Lunch.
"Residents were able to enjoy a delicious home cooked feast and then complete Christmas shopping, completely free of charge. Items from the Free Christmas Shop had been collected directly from the reuse program held across the residential colleges", she said.
The Free Christmas Shop provided an opportunity for the Sustainability Team to further highlight the program, encourage donations/collections and educate the residents on the importance of sustainability within Little Hall.
Little Hall and The Lofts also work closely with the University’s Sustainability team on various initiatives to recycle items no longer needed. Goods are collected, cleaned and repackaged as ‘starter packs’ for new students at ‘Free Shop’ events at the start of each year.
Establishing a native garden
Lisa Bellear House used to have just European plants in the garden that were dormant in winter and scorched in summer. Recently the front garden was re-landscaped with only Indigenous native plants.
Dr Katherine Firth, Head of Lisa Bellear House said indigenous Australian plants are better suited to our extreme weather, including our harsh summers, so plants aren't replaced as often, and there are flowers and greenery for more of the year.
"We changed the planting in spring 2023, which is always the best time to put in new plants. We often see rainbow lorikeets, possums and butterflies in gardens and parks near Lisa Bellar House, but not in our garden. Now we have flowers, seeds and leaves to attract wildlife and make our garden part of the local ecosystem", she said.
'We have planted flax lilies (dianella), woolly bush (adenanthos), banksias, basket grass (lomandra), native hibiscus and native violets. The leaves are soft greens and the flowers are mostly shades of purple, yellow and white."
"The mural portrait of Lisa Bellear in Warrior Woman Lane shows her with a purple native hibiscus in her buttonhole, so we were inspired to honour her legacy through the flowers we planted too", said Dr Firth.
Photo: Lisa Bellar House native garden
You can learn more about how we embed sustainability best practice through our virtual sustainability tour.
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