Charles Sturt University has been declared Australia’s first official carbon neutral university.
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The institution has been certified as ‘Carbon Neutral’ by the National Carbon Offset Standard – Carbon Neutral Program, administered by the Federal Department of the Environment.
CSU is currently the only Australian university to reach this national standard, and one of only 27 organisations to be nationally recognised for their carbon neutrality.
CSU’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Vann, has called the official status a just reward for years of planning and investment in people, systems and infrastructure that have reduced the University’s ‘carbon footprint’.
“With this accreditation, we hope that we can inspire other organisations, both regional and national, to seek to achieve these standards and do their bit for the planet,” Professor Vann said.
“This award shows we don’t just claim to be sustainable, we are recognised as doing the hard work and investment to earn this status.”
He said the plan to be carbon neutral has been underway for years and included many changes such as installing solar panels on campus to the use of electric cars, adding CSU took the view it was up to the university to take responsibility for it’s carbon footprint.
Professor Vann said CSU reached this important sustainability milestone by reducing and offsetting its carbon emissions so that, according to the Department of Environment, “the net emissions of the organisation are equal to zero”.
“The award demonstrates that Charles Sturt University lives by the Wiradjuri phrase Yindyamarra Winhanganha, or ‘the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in’.
“It’s beyond the simple goals of our University Strategy, or of higher education. It goes to the heart of all Australian people, particularly our communities in regional Australia.
“Through this certification, Charles Sturt University is showing all Australian communities how we can live more sustainable lives.
“We have shown how an organisation with nine campuses spread over a thousand kilometres in regional NSW and Victoria can operate and thrive while being aware of and showing care for the places where we live and learn,” he said.
