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Sustainability
The University of the Sunshine Coast is committed to environmental sustainability for the benefit of students, staff and the wider community.
The University's teaching and research efforts increasingly focus on sustainability and the environment, with specialist programs offered in climate change adaptation, sustainability, environmental change management and coastal zone management.
Dedicated research centres and groups undertake globally recognised research in similar sustainability-related fields, with outputs of regional, national and global relevance.
The campus is environmentally sensitive in its design and function, with the University instilling a philosophy of sustainable operations through its ecologically sustainable Master Plan and environmental initiatives.
Courses and programs
The University offers a four-course minor in Sustainability, encouraging students to apply the principles of sustainability to their career, a business idea or everyday lifestyle. The minor is available to most undergraduate students, depending on the course requirements of their degree program.
Postgraduate coursework and research programs within the science and sustainability discipline develop specialist knowledge and encourage new ideas across range of sustainability-related fields.
Research
The Sustainability Research Centre was formalised as one of the University's flagship research concentrations in September 2007. Work within the centre encompasses a range of disciplines and transdisciplinary research, with the core focus aligned with social, behavioural and economic sciences. The centre's disciplinary focus is on the social sciences, with niche area research projects focused on societal adaptation.
The University is a partner in National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, a national interdisciplinary effort to generate the information needed by decision-makers in government and in vulnerable sectors and communities to manage the risks of climate change impacts.
USC works collaboratively with the Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries and the CSIRO on significant forestry research projects, working towards developing a greener and more sustainable hardwood forest and timber industry in Queensland.
The University's GeneCology Research Group operates in the areas of ecology, genomics and physiology, with researchers from the group partners in the Seafood CRC, the cooperative research centre that achieved the world-first captive breeding of Southern Bluefin Tuna. The project was recognised by Time Magazine as the second most important innovation of 2009, behind NASA's Ares rocket.
Sustainability-related research efforts at the University were highlighted in television advertising in 2010—the commercial is available on YouTube.
The campus
The University of the Sunshine Coast is a flora and fauna reserve, spread over 100 hectares adjoining the Mooloolah River National Park.
This ecologically sensitive location has seen high importance placed on the managed development of the campus, including the need for structural, landscaping and waste management strategies to minimise impact on the National Park.
The environment has been a primary consideration throughout all stages of the University's development.
On campus initiatives
On campus sustainability initiatives can be grouped into the below categories:
USC is the first university in Australia to gain full EnviroDevelopment accreditation from the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) for achieving elements of sustainability across six categories—ecosystems, waste, energy, materials, water and community.
EnivroDevelopment certification is awarded to environmentally sustainable developments for the following achievements:
- Improved water use through water efficiency mechanisms and / or source substitution such as rainwater and stormwater harvesting.
- Reduced production of greenhouse gases and reduced use of fossil fuels. This is achieved through greater efficiencies in energy usage and use of renewable and non-polluting energy sources such as solar power.
- Protected and enhanced health and sustainability of natural systems and the encouragement of native biodiversity and rehabilitation of degraded sites.
- Vibrant, cohesive and sustainable communities with good community design; the provision of community facilities and networks; safe, accessible housing and options for the reduced use of private motor vehicles.
- Environmentally responsible material usage including reuse of materials, recycled materials and consideration of the life cycle environmental costs of materials.
- Comprehensive waste management procedures and practices to reduce the amount of waste to landfill.