While Tasmania is net zero greenhouse gas emissions already thanks to protecting and not over-logging our vast forest reserves, this only masks that we still have similar levels of emissions per person from other sources such as transport, waste and industry as other Australians and people from other wealthy countries.  Therefore we in Tasmania can very much make a difference by making more sustainable choices at all levels of our community, from individuals, through to schools, businesses and governments.  By being good examples of how we can have a very good quality of life while impacting less on the environment not only can we be proud of ourselves but share how we have done that with other Australians and around the world so they can be inspired by our efforts (and we should be of other good roles model as well).

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is very much working hard to help reduce Tasmania’s carbon footprint through a range of actions.

UTAS became the second carbon neutral certified university by the Commonwealth Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard in 2016 and in 2023 a third university in Australia has achieved this. Joining Race to Zero in early 2021 supports our commitment and recognises the climate emergency. Already carbon neutral, UTAS meets all Race To Zero criteria (pledge, plan, proceed, publish).

UTAS has reduced emissions even before these public commitments. Key initiatives include: complete fossil fuel divestment in 2021; reduced embodied carbon emissions in new buildings; transitions from natural gas to electric; all new developments solar power ready and many buildings now have solar panels; 13 years of supporting transport mode shift to more sustainable options such as bus, bike, carpooling and car sharing; and our efforts to reduce waste to landfill. While emissions reductions are already embedded in energy, transport and waste plans, our Emissions Reduction Strategic Plan 2022-2030 requires a minimum 50% reduction in total emissions by 2030. This will be accomplished by focusing on 15 emission sources with 42 specific actions. Remaining emissions are offset through domestic and international projects with environmental and social co-benefits, delivering a zero net emissions UTAS from 2016. We produce publicly available greenhouse gas emissions inventories every year as well as Public Disclosure Summaries for government websites.

Beyond Climate Active/Race to Zero related initiatives, UTAS’s climate action also includes research, learning and teaching, and engagement, with various internal and external (collaborative partnerships) groups working in these areas, such as:

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) leadership/authorship at forefront of Australasian contributions to global understanding of climate change. Five UTAS-linked scientists are among just 20 lead authors from Australia for the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the IPCC. Research of this quality has been made possible by the strong collaboration between the University, CSIRO, and the Australian Antarctic Division.
• Climate Futures leads the nation in impact mapping to a fine scale, winning the 2012 Resilient Australia Award from Emergency Management Australia. This project was an Australian leader and one of the first of its kind internationally due to its localised projections. Data from the project is now being made available to many sectors of the community including state and local government, emergency services, water authorities, power companies, farmers, graziers, fruit growers, vignerons, and researchers. Academic staff regularly present to company Boards and CEOs.
• Other groups with activities relating to climate action, include the Centre for Renewable Energy and Power Systems (CREPS), the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre led by UTAS, the Centre for Marine Sociology, and the Global Climate Change Week committee, as well as various groups researching ecological restoration in the face of climate change.
• Hundreds of students at all levels have been involved in climate related projects through the Sustainability Integration Program for Students (SIPS). Between 2017-2020, 271 students undertook on-campus energy projects, 66 worked on sustainable transport, 113 undertook waste projects including audits, and 21 were involved in food and garden projects involving diverting food waste from landfill. Examples of student-led projects include options for Study Abroad students to offset their carbon footprints, a benchmarking study to understand climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies at Australian universities, student wellbeing for climate active students, support for Global Climate Change Week, and understanding financial divestment for the Tasmanian University Student Union. Postgraduate research project examples include a PhD project on sea level rise impacts on UTAS properties and a Masters research on diverting organic waste from landfill.
• UTAS currently offers 100+ courses with climate-focused units.

Climate Active information here: https://www.climateactive.org.au/

Race to Zero information here: https://racetozero.unfccc.int/

UTAS Greenhouse Gas Inventories available here: https://www.utas.edu.au/about/sustainability/facilities-and-operations/greenhouse-gas-emissions

UTAS Public Disclosure Summaries available here: https://www.climateactive.org.au/buy-climate-active/certified-members/university-tasmania

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) has a range of initiatives to make our campus more eco-friendly, including:

• Engagement:  We run a Green Impact program for staff and students to get directly involved in activities to improve their sustainability.  This is a fun and competitive program between teams to be the most sustainable, with prizes and awards to recognise high performers.
• Transport: UTAS was the first Tasmanian fleet to include electric cars and the first to install electric bike charging starting in 2012 (min 10% of parking spots).  We have also provided electric car charging in all Tasmanian campuses. We have installed literally hundreds of bike parking spots as well as spaces for motorcycles.  We also partnered with Metro Tasmania to provide better services to our campuses and new bus stop shelters as well.
• Resources and waste: The first UTAS Waste Minimisation Action Plan has a target of a minimum 25% reduction of waste to landfill by 2025. Initiatives being implemented include deployment of organics waste collection in all buildings; expansion of the Recycling Walls for non-standard recyclables; use of products with recycled content such as Reconophalt™ asphalt for new carparks at our Inveresk campus that has diverted over 710,000 plastic bags and 20,700 toner cartridges from landfill and uses reclaimed asphalt as well as aggregate and sand from street sweepings; carpets throughout as recycled and recyclable; and designs with ‘deconstructability’ for materials re-use when buildings are no longer needed. Our Re-Use Program started in 2016 with furniture and has since then expanded in number and types of items being relocated or donated generating over $800,000 in savings already. Sustainability with a circular economy focus is also embedded in the new Asset Management Procedure (2021) and a Clean out and Disposal Process Guide (2020).
• Procurement has played a critical role in recent years from embedding sustainability in purchasing documents with a focus on sustainability as a key value alongside value for money and quality, development of our Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Commonwealth) statement with a focus beyond compliance from our suppliers, and working with our IT Services teams to reduce the number of printers and removing the need to print at all. Staff are encouraged to access the Re-Use Program prior to buying new; there is a focus on embodied carbon reduction in design and builder contracts. Where possible, materials are reused from discarded materials or low embodied carbon materials are used (i.e., materials manufactured in a way that produced lower carbon emissions than standard materials). All other initiatives around reduction of waste to landfill are based on circular economy principles.
• Buildings:  We are building all new campuses across the state with very efficient and sustainable buildings that includes better insulation, double-glazed windows and environmentally friendly furniture, carpets, and paint.

All of the ways that UTAS seeks to be a leading sustainable university is publicly shared in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) website.