2023 Sustainability impact report | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Accessibility links

Search

Pro tip: To search, just start typing - at any time, on any page.

Searching {{ model.searchType }} for returned no results.

News

UniSC Newsroom

Staff

More

2023 Sustainability impact report

Action and impact for a sustainable future is what we stand for at UniSC. We align with and strive to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Here's a snapshot of our progress.

SDG 1: No poverty

Financial assistance

  • 1,500+ students supported with over $4.3 million in scholarships, bursaries and prizes (over 90% with equity hardship element)
  • 20 regional dedicated scholarships and bursaries to over 115 students
  • 22 years of supporting the community with local startup assistance

Startup assistance

  • The Innovation Centre Sunshine Coast, since inception:
    • Assists 275+ resident members
    • Generated over $60M in economic value
    • Created more than 300 jobs

SDG 2: Zero hunger

Student hunger interventions

  • 82,000+ food items funded by SSAF
  • UniSC Student Guild foodbank provides pantry staples (pasta, long life milk, basic meal items) and personal care items

Facilities

  • 70+ Student and staff kitchens and tea rooms across all UniSC campuses and study sites

SDG 3: Good health and well-being

Physical and mental health

  • UniSC conducts research on physical and mental health through its research and teaching centres:
    • Sunshine Coast Health Institute
    • Thompson Institute
    • Centre for Bioinnovation
    • Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems
    • Clinical Trials Centre
    • Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research
  • UniSC is part of the Manna Institute, a virtual mental health institute, focusing on the mental health of Australia's ageing population
  • Final year students provide dietary advice through the UniSC Nutrition and Dietetics Clinic, including:
    • healthy eating
    • pregnancy nutrition
    • disease management nutrition
  • UniSC staff have access to the Employee Assistance Program, which provides free and confidential counselling services
  • UniSC Student Services and Engagement team provides students with information needed to access free sexual and reproductive healthcare services offered by Queensland Health and regional health clinics
  • UniSC Student Health and Wellbeing Strategy has been co-designed with students to support their health and wellbeing needs
  • UniSC clinical trials were conducted to test:
    • 3-in-1 vaccines (COVID-19, influenza, RSV)
    • Needle-free influenza vaccination
    • Elevated cholesterol vaccine
    • Antimalarial drugs
    • Treatment for the prevention of COVID-19 in immunosuppressed
    • Coeliac disease treatment
    • Migraine prevention and treatment tablet
    • Therapy for neurological diseases associated with dysregulated brain cortisol
    • Dipstick test for Nipah virus
Shared sports facilities
  • UniSC Free Social Sports program provides free access to shared sports facilities through a variety of sporting programs for students and staff during semester teaching weeks
  • Multi-functional sports stadium that seats 3,000 spectators
  • Four outdoor fields for community use and university sporting teams 
  • Olympic-standard swimming pool, home to the UniSC Spartans
  • Home to the national Para Sports Hub
  • UniSC Student Guild runs free yoga classes
  • UniSC campuses and study sites are smoke-free
  • Nearly 2,000 hours of Parasports events and training
  • Over 2,300 attendants across sporting events

Off campus

  • Final-year placement program for Bachelor of Nursing Science, including lectures on:
    • Improving quality of life for elderly residents beyond general care
    • Dementia
    • Falls prevention
    • Wound management
    • End-of-life care
  • 216 Healthcare providers hosted UniSC students for work integrated learning placements

SDG 4: Quality education

Student composition

  • More than 3,000 graduates in 2023
  • 3.53% students enrolled at UniSC are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • 38.89% students enrolled at UniSC are first in family to attend university
  • 13.94% students enrolled at UniSC have a disability

Access assistance

  • 1,500+ students supported with more than $4.3m in scholarships, bursaries and prizes

Buranga Centre

  • UniSC provides cultural spaces for connecting, meeting, studying and learning are located at multiple study sites:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast Buranga Centre, Dhu Mur'ang
    • UniSC Fraser Coast Buallum Jarl-Bah
    • UniSC Caboolture Buranga Centre
    • UniSC Moreton Bay MB.A

Community learning

  • 30+ educational events and courses open to the local community
    • Suicide alertness and intervention skill training programs
    • Trauma informed care training
    • Indigenous suicide intervention training
    • Thinking tools for differentiated learning
  • UniSC runs programs for primary and secondary school students:
    • Make, Integrate and Explore workshops on controlling light
    • Game creation
  • Tertiary Preparation Pathway courses is a bridging program to introduce adults to university life
  • UniSC Equip is a free introductory program for adults looking to refresh their study skills or needing an introduction to university
  • Free online courses, offered through FutureLearn, featuring global leaders:

SDG 5: Gender equality

Policies and procedures

Gender balance of students

  • 69% students enrolled are female
  • 16 female-specific scholarships and bursaries awarded to 25 students
  • 67% female staff (FTE)

Principles and guidelines

Staff advancement

  • Five senior female staff members participated in the Women Attaining Leadership program

SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation

Recycled water

  • 63% water from recycled sources at UniSC Sunshine Coast
  • 14% water from recycled sources at UniSC Moreton Bay
  • Over 30,000kL recycled rainwater used across UniSC 

Wise water consumption

  • All UniSC campuses are Water Refill campuses providing free drinking water refill stations
  • The University does not sell any single use plastic water bottles either directly or through its vendors
  • Environmentally-friendly and non-toxic e-water cleaning solutions are used in the cleaning regime at UniSC to replace the use of commercial cleaning chemicals
  • UniSC Campus Master Plan embeds specific requirements that promote conscious water usage:
    • Use drought-tolerant native and endemic plants on campus
    • Integrated water management process to capture and treat wastewater, stormwater and rainwater

Engagement

  • Sustainability tours are conducted for local businesses, schools and the wider community highlighting sustainability initiatives that promote conscious water usage on campus

SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy

Renewable energy

  • UniSC has approximately 6,500 solar panels that power a “water battery” used to provide air conditioning across the Sunshine Coast campus
  • Renewable energy produced on-site supplies 30% of our energy use at UniSC Sunshine Coast
  • 3,213,500 kWh solar energy used at UniSC Sunshine Coast
  • 2,827 tonnes CO2-e (emissions) avoided through on-site consumption of solar energy

Energy efficiency

  • Revised Carbon Management Plan includes commitment to add solar arrays at:
    • UniSC Moreton Bay campus
    • Thompson Institute
    • Dilli Village
    • Other UniSC operated campuses

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

Policies, agreements and guidelines

Student opportunities

  • UniSC degrees have the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning (internship, placement, practicum and field experience)
    • 6,400+ students
    • 9,200+ placements
    • 1,150+ partners

SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Research

  • $38.96M in research income

Infrastructure

  • Built on 3 new buildings at UniSC Moreton Bay:
    • Embodied carbon design
    • 1900+ cubic metres of gross- and cross-laminated timber
    • Timber regrows in 45 minutes (gross laminated timber) or 6 minutes (cross-laminated timber)

Events

SDG 10: Reduced inequalities

Students

  • 38.89% students enrolled at UniSC are first in family to attend university
  • 13.94% students enrolled at UniSC have a disability
  • 14 Indigenous-specific scholarships and bursaries awarded to 215 students
  • Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HDR scholarship launched

Policies, charters and plans

Access

Events

  • UniSC Sunshine Coast hosted a Multi-Sport Day showcasing parasports and efforts to facilitate equitable access to all levels of sport

SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities

Community facilities

  • 5 Library locations open to the community
  • Art Gallery boasting the largest collection in the Sunshine Coast Region

Sustainable transportation

  • 4 electric vehicle charging stations across UniSC Sunshine Coast campus
  • 2 electric vehicle charging stations across UniSC Moreton Bay campus
  • 20+ bike storage areas across all campuses 
  • Three free UniSC Express Shuttle services for staff and students
  • Bus stops in walking distance of every campus
  • Train station and cycleway across the street at UniSC Moreton Bay
  • UniSC has adopted a new policy to purchase EV and hybrid fleet vehicles

Events

  • Sustainability Week was held across UniSC campuses with a range of activities, including:
    • Documentary screening
    • Workshops
    • Pop up events
    • Market Day events
    • Native tree and shrub planting

Research

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

Circular economy

  • Over 93.5 tonnes of waste recycled
  • 43% waste diverted from landfill through composting and recycling streams:
    • Paper/Cardboard
    • Comingled recycling
    • eWaste
    • Polystyrene
    • Metal
    • Clear soft plastics
    • Batteries
    • Lighting
  • Nearly 6,500 containers recycled with 100% of funds earned through Containers for Change donated to charity
  • Composting of organic waste through the University's on-site composting apparatus (OSCA) at UniSC Sunshine Coast
  • 100% Carbon neutral A3 and A4 paper supplied for all departmental and School printing

Policies and plans

SDG 13: Climate action

Emissions avoided

  • 2,109 tonnes CO2-e (emissions) avoided through the use of on-site solar energy and chilled water at UniSC Sunshine Coast

Planning

Engagement

  • UniSC researchers study whether the science on coastal climate change risks, impacts, adaptation and impact reduction should be paused so action can be taken; findings have been promoted:
    • News articles
    • Podcasts
    • Radio
    • Online
  • Active member of Noosa Biosphere, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

SDG 14: Life below water

  • More than 1,900 people enrolled in the UniSC Life Below Water conservation short course
  • A team of Design Futures students were selected as finalists for the Biodesign Challenge Summit in New York City for their recyclable seaweed fabric idea to fight fashion waste
  • The Campus Master Plan (CMP) has been updated to expand the University's commitment to harvesting rain, storm and waste water, enhancing irrigation systems managing floods and protecting existing drains across campus
  • UniSC, as part of its Water Refill Initiative that flows from the CMP, is committed to reducing plastic waste on its campuses by banning the sale of single-use plastic water bottles
  • The Waste Management Technical Operations Guideline and Hazardous Waste Disposal Process are designed to prevent hazardous waste and pollutants from entering the environment at University campuses and study sites and sets out guidance for management of spills

SDG 15: Life on land

Campus setting

  • Over 70 nest boxes across UniSC Sunshine Coast providing homes for possums, gliders and a range of birds
  • 350 trees planted
  • UniSC Sunshine Coast campus is a Land for Wildlife member with its flora and fauna reserve and works directly to maintain and extend existing ecosystems and the biodiversity of flora and fauna that ecosystem supports 

Policy

Research and collaboration

  • UniSC and the Sunshine Coast Council joined forces to create a world first ecosystem function mapping resource that shows the different ecosystem services for each location across the region
  • Ceva Wildlife Research Fund committed $175,000 to support turning a UniSC Centre for Bioinnovation vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia into an industry-grade registered version
  • The UniSC Campus Master Plan aims to develop the Sippy Downs campus so as to maintain and prioritise shared land ecosystems

SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

Representation

  • Representation on the University Council from students, academic and professional staff
  • A Student Ombudsman is in place to ensure students receive fair and equitable treatment across all aspects of the student experience, particularly regarding the resolution of grievances and complaints

Policy and reporting

Engagement

  • UniSC representatives have been serving on the Sunshine Coast 2032 community lead group to provide advice to local, regional and state government and 2032 Olympic organisers regarding shared land and facilities that can be used for the Brisbane Olympic Games
  • UniSC academics and researchers released articles in The Conversation around a range of issues:
    • The national digital ID scheme
    • Google Chrome ad tracking
    • Uncapping university places for Indigenous students
    • The Five Eyes alliance
    • Videos of child assaults
    • Spy balloons

Download reports

We aim to provide resources in an accessible format. If you would like any document in a different format for accessibility please contact us.