by Megan Kaye, Student Sustainability Advisor Wagga Wagga
In March, CSU’s Wagga Wagga campus switched their lights off and enjoyed a night under the stars for Unearthed Hour.
Unearthed Hour, a play on words incorporating the sustainability initiative ‘Earth Hour’ and Triple J’s new music station ‘Unearthed,’ is an annual live music event run by the Student Sustainability Advisors.
The aim of the event was to encourage Charles Sturt students to switch off their lights and reflect on their electricity usage, as well as support student performers and raise a sense of community across campus.
Over 200 people attended, listening to 14 fantastic acts, ranging from solo piano to group vocal and acoustic performances.
Sustainability initiatives on the night included:
- A tally of lights in the residences conducted by Residential Advisors, which showed majority of common room lights turned off during the event.
- Buckets were distributed around the event to collect bottles for the ‘Return and Earn’ program.
- In the intermission, I got to share about my role as Sustainability Advisor and vision behind Earth Hour.
- Combined involvement from CSU groups – CSU Green, Residence Life, Residents of Wagga Wagga (RAW), the Sound Club, the CSU Social Media Team and the SRC.
RAW assisted with the organisation of the music equipment and ensuring everything ran smoothly on the night. Furthermore, Liz and Mike from the Charles Sturt Sound Club did an outstanding job of setting up the music equipment and producing high quality sound. Jack Fisher from the Charles Sturt Social Media Team attended, taking photos and videos on the night. The SRC provided a free BBQ and those involved in the ‘World’s Greatest Shave’ put on a bake sale, raising over $400 for the cause.
The event was deemed very successful by those attending, from the light tally to the large student turnout and the quality of performers on the night.
Our goal this term is to encourage residential students to engage in other ways to have an impact on sustainability, including using reusable coffee cups and water bottles in the lead up to World Environment Day on 5 June.
