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TropEco NEWS
Tree Mapping Green Interns get practical experience at JCU
Issue 4 April - June 2012
Editorial Letter from the Editor
Issue 4 April - June 2012 Editor: Adam Connell Sub Editor: Suzy Keys
Contents 3.
What’s happening?
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Tree Mapping by Adam Connell
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Students Bike Share
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Market Day - O Week in Pics
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Make Over for Goondaloo Creek by Adam Connell
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MeYou.com.au by Lania Lynch
10. ACTing green for LiFE 11. NQ Tropics Celebrate the Sea Festival by Laura Dunstan
Contribute to TropEco News Do you have a sustainability related story or event you want to tell people about? Please send it into tropeco@jcu.edu.au with any relevant pictures and we may put it up on the TropEco Facebook page or publish it in TropEco News.
. Photo: Andrey Armyagov
Well it’s been a big start to the year in 2012 and there has been lots happening in the sustainability arena. Thanks to all the students who came and said hi at the O-Week Market Day at both the Cairns and Townsville Campuses. Over 300 students signed up to the TropEco mailing list, which shows there is a lot of interest in what we’re doing. If you were on the Townsville Campus you would have noticed the JCU Green Team running trash basketball and giving away prizes for those that managed to recycle correctly. The Green Team is the new student environmental group who will be running activities and events this year for students. If you want to get involved with this group see the advert on the back page of the newsletter. The bike share program is up and running at three of the JCU colleges at the Townsville campus and feedback from students has been positive. The bikes look great and it is great to see students utilising this free service. Keep an eye out for the green cruiser bikes getting around the Townsville Campus. The Ecobus passes are selling like hot cakes with over 1500 passes already sold in Townsville and 300 in Cairns since O-Week. This is a great result and shows that students are using the buses to minimize their environmental footprint and avoid parking issues on campus.
2 TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
The Bio-Regen food recycling unit at Uni Halls is now operational and has been well received by the kitchen staff. The kitchen has already diverted over two tonnes of food waste from landfill which has been converted into a biofertiliser which is great for the garden. We will be holding an official launch on Friday 20th April at 10am at Uni Halls and we invite anyone interested to come and have a look at the machine. We have some high profile guests visiting JCU in April with Matthew Wright from Beyond Zero Emissions and 2010 Young Environmentalist of the Year, presenting a guest lecture at both the Cairns and Townsville Campuses on 16th and 18th April respectively. Matthew will be discussing Queensland’s path to a 100% renewable future, and he is a speaker not to be missed. For more details and bookings go to: http://www.beyondzeroemzissions.org/ events/qlds-path-100-renewable-future Our favorite friend of TropEco and the new host of Gardening Australia Costa Georgiadis - will be visiting us on Monday 23rd April for an intimate public lecture. More details will be available soon through the TropEco mailing list and facebook page and bookings will be limited to 100 people. If you’re not already signed up to the TropEco mailing list or facebook page, please email: tropeco@jcu.edu.au or visit:www.facebook.com/tropeco.james .cook.university and ask to be added. It’s the only way to be sure you are kept up to date with what’s happening around sustainability at JCU.
Adam Connell Manager, Environment Division of Finance and Resource Planning, James Cook University, Angus Smith Drive, Douglas, Qld 4811 P: +61 7 4781 5060 Mobile: 0459 097 253 E:adam.connell@jcu.edu.au
What’s Happening? Adam Connell The program features a selection of Australia's leading sustainability leaders including:
New Online Billboard
ŸAllan Jones MBE, ŸProfessor Ian Lowe AO, ŸDr Paul Downton ŸProfessor Peter Newman ŸMatthew Wright, Zero Emmissions.
The MeYOU Online Billboard is a new student service which was created to help eliminate paper waste related to use of physical billboards/notice boards on the university campus.
The full program can be viewed online. For more information about the speakers or to register online go to: http://progress.eventzilla.net P: 4032 1746 E: sustainability@cafnec.org.au
MeYOU aims to establish a safer, more efficient, cost-effective system for students to buy, sell and trade any university related items. Ÿ
It is MeYOU’s ambition to replace the traditional billboards to help reduce JCUs environmental footprint. TropEco supports the MeYOU billboard and encourages all staff and students to utilise it when buying or selling second hand items. See page 8.
Check out the new look TropEco page. Stay up to date with everything sustainable at JCU, and if you like us. let the world know.
Five lucky Sustainability students will be guests of CAFNEC to attend the conference.
Reinventing Progress CAFNEC Conference Cairns Tuesday 17 April, 9am-5pm The Hotel Cairns, Cnr Florence & Abbott St. Tickets $95 or $80 student (ticket price includes full catering) Position yourself as a leader in the area of sustainability, and take advantage of this opportunity to hear from Australia’s leading sustainability experts about:
TropEco Keep Cups & Water Bottles for sale at Bookshops Jute Bags $3.95 Keep Cups $9.95 Water Bottles $6.50
ŸMaking the most of the carbon economy ŸSuccessful emission reduction & energy efficiency case studies ŸDesigning and building sustainable, cities buildings & towns ŸStrategic thinking & planning for sustainability leadership Gold Sponsor: Cairns Regional Council Silver Sponsors: Regional Development Australia, James Cook University and TropEc, Arup and The Hotel Cairns
TropEco Shirts $25.95 Packages Bag, Keep Cup and Bottle $19.50 Bag, Keep Cup, Bottle & Shirt $44.50
TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
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Green Intern maps campus trees TropEco Green Intern - Dilki Wanniarachchi - recently completed an important project mapping the significant trees on the JCU Townsville Campus, with support from Associate Professor Betsy Jackes. The Significant Tree Mapping Project will be used as a learning tool for JCU students, as well as a tool for JCU grounds staff to identify trees to be protected in the future. The next stage of the project will be to consult with the JCU community for feedback on the trees identified and ask for any additions to the project through an application form and assessment process. Interactive maps will then be made public through the JCU website and other tools can then be developed in consultation with the School of Marine and Tropical Biology to enhance teaching and learning for JCU students. Photo: Dilki and Professor Professor Betsy Jackes working together at tree mapping.
4 TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
Tree Mapping TropEco asked Dilki about her experience as a Green Intern. How did you find out about the TropEco Green Interns program?
courses, especially Introduction to GIS course and Advanced GIS course.
I took note of TropEco posters which were displayed around Environmental Science. I read a lot of information from their web site and it attracted me, especially the Green Interns program.
What work skills did you learn from undertaking this project?
The contact details provided on their web site led me to meet Adam Connell, the Manager of Environment at JCU. Adam has a tremendous passion for natural habitats and environments. He has initiated several projects with the aim of improving the university’s culture and practices. It was a valuable opportunity to work with Adam and to be involved in the Significant Tree Mapping Project as my professional placement. What was involved in the Significant Tree Mapping Project? The aim of the Significant Tree Mapping Project was to identify and protect significant trees on the Douglas campus and to store the location and relevant data of each tree in a GIS database. I completed the project as part of my professional vacation placement course, which is designed to encourage students to gain first hand work experience in a vocation within their chosen field. How did this project help toward your studies?
I gained valuable skills for my future career by working with conservationists, botanists and spatial analysts at JCU. The project was an important opportunity to work in an environment that assists and supports professional programs in the workplace. I learnt software programs such as Map Source, Virtual geographical and geospatial programs such as Google Earth, as well as the latest handheld GPS units. These skills were useful in the conversion of GPS coordinates of significant trees to spatial files using various software programs such as AutoCAD and ArcGIS. The project was a great opportunity for me to work with Professor Betsy Jackes. She has a vast botanical knowledge and taught me how to use the comprehensive plant identification systems that are available online. These systems helped me as an amateur botanist to identify various tree species around campus. Has the experience you gained from this project helped you to find work? The project gave me a remarkable opportunity to launch my career with Ergon Energy as a System Analyst Tester and a Spatial Analyst. I also had several interviews with other reputable companies around Queensland. My work experience with JCU was looked upon favourably with prospective employees because of its excellent environmental reputation and sustainability credentials.
The project consisted of planning, development and implementation of spatial maps, as well as researching and storing of information of significant trees. These activities met my professional placement requirements. In addition, it was a great experience to work as a Geographic Information System Analyst at JCU.
Where would you like to see the tree mapping project go from here?
This project helped me by providing practical work experience for my
I learned that one of the most important management strategies to reduce
environmental impacts and improve sustainable development is to encourage close cooperation between policymakers, researchers and the university community. Using the tree mapping project we could develop sustainable guidelines, and initiate and promote revegetation programs in relevant areas using the spatial maps of the project. Revegetation programs in key areas of the campus would help to re-establish endemic native tree species. This is especially important in the riparian areas on campus to improve the water quality and enhance bio=diversity. From undertaking this project I have realised that special care has to be taken to position trees where they would have the minimum adverse impact on the infrastructure of the campus, underground services or pavements; thus avoiding removal at a later stage. The spatial maps could also be used to assess the cyclone resistance of various tree species and whether they are appropriately planted. I would like to see the project provide relevant botanical information and interactive spatial maps for academic and professional staff at JCU and be used as a tool by students for teaching and learning. The second phase of this project will make the spatial maps available on the JCU website. Would you recommend the Green Interns program to other students? I received invaluable guidance and tremendous encouragement from Prof Betsy Jackes (School of Marine and Tropical Biology), Adam Connell (Environment, Estate Office) and David Roy (Planning and Development, Estate Office). The training from my placement project undoubtedly is a great foundation prior to my work as a GIS, environmental and conservation analyst in Queensland, Australia. Email :adam.connell@jcu.edu.au to join.
TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
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Photo: Stephanie Clay, Jessica Taylor, Kiersten Luber from George Roberts Hall take advantage of the bike share program to get to class.
Students bike share Students at TownsvilleJCU campus are using bikes to commute around the campus thanks to the new bike share program. Adam Connell explains how it works. College residents at George Roberts Hall, Uni Halls and Rotary International have been keen to use the new TropEco Bike Share program, which was rolled out in O-week this year. The attractive green cruiser bikes are provided as a free service to residents as part of the TropEco program to encourage students to get around campus on bike rather than drive. Environment Manager Adam Connell, said he hopes the service would be used by students in the colleges as a fast
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TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
and easy way to get to their lectures, instead of having to find a car park or walk long distances. “There’s plenty of bike parking near all our lecture theatres so the bike share program is an ideal way to get around hassle-free while helping students to keep fit�, Adam said. A bike lock and a helmet are also provided to students so they have everything they need to get around campus. For more info on the bike share program contact Adam: tropeco@jcu.edu.au
Townsville Over 300 students signed up to the TropEco mailing list, on Market Days during ‘O’ Week at Townsville and Cairns campuses. Many students were about to launch into the Sustainability degree that started this year. If you were on the Townsville Campus you would have noticed the JCU Green Team running trash basketball and giving away prizes for those that managed to recycle correctly. The Green Team is the new student environmental group which will be running activities and events this year for students. If you want to get involved with this group see the advert on the back page of the newsletter. Photos: Green Team rep Jayne Chugg running the trash basketball competition at the Townsville campus.
‘O’ Week Market Days Cairns In Cairns, Lania Lynch welcomed the many new Sustainability students who visited the TropEco stand and joined up for the TropEco newsletter and G- Mag. Below: Lania explains the benefits of joining the Green Team. Right: Annie Rose, Tasha Sanders and Sarah Bradsha at the Cairns campus. Photos: Suzy Keys
TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
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Makeover for Goondaloo Creek TropEco is helping Coastal Dry Tropics Landcare to rehabilitate sections of Goondaloo Creek and Wadda Mooli Creek on JCU land writes Adam Connell JCU students and staff were amongst almost 100 participants that took part in the Coastal Dry Tropics Landcare (CDTL) native tree planting day on Saturday 3rd March at the Goondaloo Creek site downstream of the Discovery Drive Bridge. Over 700 trees were planted in less than an hour which left time for participants to get involved in the other fun activities on the day such as native wildlife handling and a well deserved BBQ. Goondaloo Creek is the most preserved tributary to the Ross River and is a haven for native flora and fauna, however the downstream reaches near
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the hospital are clogged with exotic weeds and it needs the help of volunteers to re-establish the native biodiversity in the area. CDTL have worked hard to get this site established and will have recently formed a partnership with TropEco to rehabilitate sections of Goondaloo Creek and Wadda Mooli Creek on JCU land in the coming months. For more information on how you can get involved with CDTLI go to www.cdtli.org.au, become friends with Coastal Dry Tropics Landcare on Facebook, or contact tropeco@jcu.edu.au
TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
Free advertising online JCU business student Ryan Vasta, launched his MeYou Online Billboard in 2012 to reduce waste. Lania Lynch investigates. The MeYOU Online Billboard is a new student service which was created by JCU student, Ryan Vasta to help staff and students reduce paper waste from physical billboards/notice boards throughout the university campus. It will also establish a safer, more efficient, cost-effective system for students and staff to advertise events, buy, sell and trade any products or services. It is MeYOU’s ambition in the near future to completely replace the traditional billboards in an attempt to help reduce JCU’s carbon footprint on the environment. The MeYOU Online Billboard was developed by 2nd year Townsville Business student Ryan Vasta, who saw a need for more effective communication between JCU students and staff, which did not rely on paper based notice-boards. Ryan invested considerable financial and intellectual resources into the project.
Lania: Ryan, the concept of MeYOU is timely and a fantastic initiative. What prompted you to develop the program and have people been using the site?
Lania: What benefits are there for people using MeYOU and do you have a vision of where you see the site heading?
Ryan: Originally I thought of the concept in my first couple weeks at JCU as I began looking for accommodation, textbooks and furniture on the physical notice boards around the campus. It was only then, I realised how much paper actually got wasted and that most of the ads were either outdated or sold, I knew there had to be a more efficient, eco-friendly solution.
Ryan: By signing up and using MeYOU’s new online noticeboard, the JCU community can contribute to the reduction and elimination of paper waste throughout the campus.
The idea of an online noticeboard popped into my head, which I then thought about for nearly a whole year. I got some great advice from my university friends and in November 201, MeYOU.com.au was unveiled as a trial.
In recognition of his innovation, TropEco has partnered with Ryan to help promote the online billboard and also awarded Ryan a grant of $1500 towards development costs.
After its trial, MeYOU.com.au was officially launched at the start of January 2012. The number of students and staff to get on board the project has just been unbelievable; the site has nearly hit 25,000 page views since January and new members are continually signing up each week.
TropEco’s Environmental Coordinator, Lania Lynch caught up with Ryan to find out what drove him to develop MeYOU.
It’s been fantastic to see the system being so effective and even greater to see the JCU community working together towards a greener future.
JCU is leading the way in creating a sustainable university and the MeYOU project is a reflection of what sustainability is all about. One of the main benefits of the new website is it’s a more efficient costeffective system, that provides students and staff with a platform to advertise events, buy, sell and trade any university products or services. The best part is that it’s all free! By the beginning of next year, MeYOU.com.au will be expanding to the rest of the universities within Queensland, our main goal though is to eventually have the site used throughout all the universities around Australia so we help create an eco-friendly network within the academic community. Lania: TropEco is delighted to partner with you, and we look forward to hearing more from you as you continue to develop the concept, and I hope many more students join www.meYou.com.au
TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
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ACTing green for LiFE The (Leaning in Future Environments) LiFE Index was given a soft launch at recent Green Universities Conference in Melbourne for ACTs delegates.
The Learning in Future Environments (LiFE) Index performance management and improvement system was demonstrated to attendees at the recent Green Universities conference held in Melbourne. Feedback from those there was extremely positive, with the first TAFE sign up occurring at the end of the session. Holmesglen TAFE in Victoria were so impressed with the system, they immediately put their hand up to be involved, joining Macquarie University as first movers.
Their main reasons for getting involved include: Holistic Approach – the LiFE Index takes into account all areas of core business for educational institutions through an environmental and social lens. This approach ensures the focus is not just on environmental sustainability through operations, but on making a holistic change towards sustainability through learning and teaching, research, governance and community engagement.
Aside from the conference, over 80 individuals from 28 TAFES, universities and polytechnics from Australia and New Zealand attended face-to-face workshops and online webinars to view a demonstration of the system.
Multi User - the multi user system enables involvement of colleagues and members of teams from across many institutions. The system can be used to share documents, information ideas and best practice and communicate more effectively across departments.
Loads more information and opportunities to view the benefits of the LiFE Index can be found through the website (www.thelifeindex.com.au). Since this exciting new system was officially launched on March 21, universities and TAFEs are getting on board. www.acts.asn.au/
Strategic Planning – the system is designed to help assess where members are now and make strategic plans for the future. Multiple layers of management can be involved and can start from a position that is most suitable to them.
The developers of LiFE asked colleagues from Australasian institutions and current United Kingdom users what benefits they saw the LiFE Index bringing to them within their institutions.
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Being Part of Community – the LiFE Index features an internal and external community forum that allows sharing of information, best practice, ideas and experiences with colleagues and team members, and other LiFE users.
TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia
Promoting Success – an institution’s performance can be reviewed by LiFE’s independent experts and is a public demonstration of how serious members are about improving their social responsibility and sustainable development. Managing Documentation – Members can use the in build document management system to store and share relevant documentation across their institution. They can quickly and easily access or update the documents and use the reporting function to download these documents for meetings or submissions. National and International Benchmarking – the LiFE Index has been developed to help members to publicly promote their achievements and benchmark their success both nationally and internationally. www.thelifeindex.com.au/why-life/ ACTS Membership Free for all JCU staff and students. Did you know that ACTS membership is free for all JCU staff and students? Why not join today and access the member benefits? Find out the latest in sustainability across the Australasian tertiary sector by subscribing to the bimonthly enACT, ACTivate and member spotlights. Keep up to date and ‘like’ ACTS on www.facebook.com/ACTSinc
Celebrate the Sea 100,000 marine creatures including turtles die each year from plastic rubbish. Celebrate the Sea collected one tonne in one day. NQ Dry Tropic’s Community Support Coordinator, Laura Dunstan. On Sunday March 4th, NQ Dry Tropics hosted its annual Celebrate the Sea Festival to celebrate both Clean up Australia Day and the beginning of National Seaweek. This free community event increases community awareness of environmental issues, promotes appreciation of our natural assets, increases volunteerism and encourages sustainable behavioural changes. Celebrate the Sea Festival attracted over 350 volunteers who removed one tonne of rubbish from the beach, contributing to a more sustainable and debris free future for marine life. Plastic was the most common form of rubbish collected. As plastic pollution kills more than 100,000 marine creatures each year, the national campaign Clean up Australia Day gives Australians the chance to lower these alarming numbers within our local waters.
The event organiser, Laura Dunstan, said “the festival is a great way for the Townsville community to actively contribute towards a more sustainable future”. “Participants are learning from local community groups, politicians, scientists and Traditional Owners about ways to improve the environment for future generations.” Participants learnt more about the marine environment through fun and engaging activities. During the festival, 15 sea turtles were brought up from the ocean by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service for tagging and data collection. Children were also delighted to hang out with local environmental mascots, Duey the Dugong, Tiny the Tern and Reef HQ’S Lucky T Turtle.
Eleven environmental groups including JCU’s TropEco program held displays and activities for the participants. Groups used this opportunity to network with other groups, increase people’s awareness of their products and to promote their key messages and campaigns. Eight local businesses also provided support for this event through sponsorships, volunteers and in kind support. The Celebrate the Sea Festival was a great way for community groups to work together to promote volunteerism and use our natural resources wisely. Participants felt empowered and inspired by the presentations by local scientists and Traditional Owners. NQ Dry Tropics is looking forward to working with everyone again in 2013.
TropEco, James Cook University, Tropical Queensland, Australia 11
Be part of the positive change happening at JCU
Join the
‘Student Green Team’
Social meetings every fortnight Share and discuss ideas Movie nights every month Link with other green groups Get involved with volunteering Campus clean - up days Second hand markets days Contacts to get involved kate.nairn@jcu.edu.au or jayne.chugg@my.jcu.edu.au Meet like-minded people