Charles Sturt has Sustainability Student Advisers across all campus and also online, so let’s meet the 2023 team.
Rebecca (AKA Becky) – Albury Adviser
What are you studying at Charles Sturt and where would you like this to take you?
I am currently in my second year of Environmental Science and Management. I am incredibly passionate about creating a sustainable environment where both the human population and wildlife can coexist and thrive together.
My dream is to work with people to make our world a better and more sustainable place- no matter how big or small that impact might be.
What does your role as a Sustainability Student Adviser involve?
As the sustainability adviser, I aim to bring together a wide range of people to promote sustainable initiatives at Albury campus.
Our campus and Albury community are already leading in many environmental innovations. I aim to adopt and communicate these innovations to Charles Sturt students.
I am incredibly passionate about protecting and enhancing our environment and would love to share these passions with my peers.
What makes you passionate about sustainability?
Growing up on a farm, I was constantly surrounded by nature and wildlife. My family were massive advocates for sustainability and taught me the importance of caring for land.
With so much of our land being degraded and native populations declining, I find it incredibly rewarding to be a part of the change and work towards a more sustainable future.
What is an easy way to be more sustainable?
The easiest way to be more sustainable is to take a second to think about the environment.
It can be as simple as deciding to bring reusable bags when shopping or turning off the lights when you leave the house- sometimes you might forget but it’ll soon become a habit.
These things may be small, but overtime, the positive change can be massive!
What do you enjoy doing outside of uni?
I love to play sport. I play for Charles Sturt Mud Dogs league tag team and social touch and netball. I also love to catch up with my family- especially my two nannas who are always full of stories and laughs.
I have a great group of friends who are always down for any social event ever and are very good at listening passionate rants about the environment!
Erin – Bathurst Adviser
What are you studying at Charles Sturt and where would you like this to take you?
I’m about to start my second year of Paramedicine. Besides working on road I’m hoping to gain experience overseas and explore research opportunities.
I’m aiming to constantly learn throughout my career and possibly implement protocols to improve both patient outcomes and paramedic job satisfaction.
What does your role as a Sustainability Student Adviser involve?
My role is to encourage people to make sustainable decisions and demonstrate how that can be done to fit their current lifestyle.
I’m here for anyone who has questions, suggestions, or ideas for sustainability focused events. If you don’t know where to begin in being more environmentally conscious, my role is to help you get started on that journey.
My role also involves organising sustainability initiatives and events, promotion, and communication with other advisers at different Charles Sturt campuses.
What makes you passionate about sustainability?
I’m passionate about sustainability because the decisions we make can have a positive influence on our lives and our community. The act of being sustainable can invoke creativity to reduce waste such as DIY-ing and thinking outside the box.
It can also bring people together with shared interests like gardening. The underlying motivation of sustainability is to make the world a better place by reducing your negative impact how you can which is ultimately a good thing.
What is an easy way to be more sustainable?
Everyday swaps are how I have found sustainability to be something that can be integrated seamlessly into life, and in some instances can make it more cost effective in the long run.
The upfront investment is worth it although can be daunting. Things such as reusable fruit and vegetable bags and storage bags, a keep cup and water bottle, metal razors, switching to digital note-taking and so much more.
What do you enjoy doing outside of uni?
I enjoy the classic stuff like spending time with friends and trying to stay active. I also love playing music, riding motorbikes, crochet, looking after my ever-growing collection of plants and my beloved snake, Dave.
Henry – Wagga Adviser
What are you studying at Charles Sturt and where would you like this to take you?
This year I’ve been lucky enough to start a Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Charles Sturt. I’m super passionate about studying this course and looking forward to becoming a vet in the distant future.
What does your role as a Sustainability Student Adviser involve?
I believe that my role as a Sustainability adviser involves promoting sustainable initiatives for all residents and students of Charles Sturt Wagga campus.
One focus that I have is to show young people how being more sustainable can be accomplished by everyday small changes. Another key focus of mine will be aiding students in revitalising the campus community garden.
What makes you passionate about sustainability?
As a young person, I know that our environment is becoming harsher, and I want to have a meaningful reducing this change. I’d like to see more students have a positive impact on their environment and campus.
What is an easy way to be more sustainable?
A couple of easy ways to be more sustainable is by looking to your community gardens for produce that could be used in cooking. This may save a trip down to the shops reducing your food mileage and saving you a few dollars in fuel!
Another easy strategy to be more sustainable would be turning off the lights in your accommodation’s shared spaces. By switching these lights off, you could be doing your bit to be more sustainable.
What do you enjoy doing outside of uni?
Outside of uni, I enjoy riding my horse, gardening, going out on uni nights, going to uni club events, and going back to my family farm to help there.
Tivi – Port Macquarie Adviser
What are you studying at Charles Sturt and where would you like this to take you?
I am studying a Bachelor of Education (K-12) and hoping that this will take me through different roles in places across Australia and the world.
I plan to do a lot of travel with my degree, exploring Governess positions in regional Australia, cultural impacts on education in countries with prominent Indigenous groups, and English teaching in undeveloped countries.
I want to strive to adapt my teaching style based on as much culture and learning from around the world as I possibly can.
What does your role as a Sustainability Student Adviser involve?
My role as sustainability adviser involves coordinating with the students, staff, and groups associated with my Charles Sturt campus, as well as with local councils and organisations in order to create a more environmentally friendly environment and experience for students attending Charles Sturt in addition to contributing to a community drive for sustainable practices.
I also believe that my role is important to help guide students who want to reduce their impact on the environment and engage with a wider group of like-minded people.
What makes you passionate about sustainability?
My passion for sustainability stems from my desire to travel and experience all the world has to offer.
I know that the rate that climate change is developing that many of the natural wonders of the world may not exist for much longer, but I want to be able to see all of them, not just read about them as history.
This is why I have significant interest in reducing my environmental impact, as well as reducing and recycling my waste.
What is an easy way to be more sustainable?
The easiest way that I think people can be more sustainable is by using the key word ‘recycle’ in everyday aspects.
With the prominent issue of consumerism and desire to keep up with trends, society has a lot to work towards in terms of reducing the sheer amount of product that we unnecessarily invest in.
However, to convert these inevitable behaviours into more sustainable actions I will always encourage shopping second hand; new and trending clothes can be so easily recycled rather than wasted now through online buy and sell apps such as ‘Depop’ and ‘Poshmark’.
Similarly, household goods; crockery, linen, furniture, glassware, tools, hobby related items etc., can be so easily, and often more economically sourced from second hand stores such as St Vincent’s, The Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Lifeline, ‘Save the Children Op Shop’, stores that all additionally raise money for important community foundations to help those in need.
What do you enjoy doing outside of uni?
Outside of Uni I enjoy just experiencing life. My family have forever been ‘experience’ over material gifters and it has influenced me to spend more time going to concerts and festivals, listening to live music, spending good and bad weather going to the beach and exploring natural areas around where I live, spending time with my friends and on my own, typically reading.
Jessie – Online Adviser
What are you studying at Charles Sturt and where would you like this to take you?
I am studying a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management, and my specialisation is Climate and Sustainability. At the start of my degree, I knew that I wanted to take this in an education/communication direction, spreading awareness about environmental issues and sustainability.
However, as I’ve progressed, I’ve developed an interest in both soil and marine. I’m considering doing diplomas in education and marine biology once I complete my bachelor and seeing where that takes me. I am also not sure a desk job is for me, so I’m interested in finding something with plenty of field work.
What does your role as a Sustainability Student Adviser involve?
I guess we’re all still just figuring that out, but mostly, I think we’re here to make sustainability accessible and enticing to our peers, however we can.
What makes you passionate about sustainability?
So, I think I just really like all animals (including humans). I am so concerned about the welfare of life and I find the future that we are creating for all species on this planet really scary.
I think I’m passionate because I don’t understand how people could look at how much damage we are doing and not be desperate to stop it, but I have so much faith in people that I have to assume that the reason everyone isn’t actioning change is because they just aren’t aware or exposed to the reality.
So, I want to be that point of exposure for people, in any way that I can and if that comes from being exuberantly passionate about environmental issues, then that’s what I will do.
What is an easy way to be more sustainable?
There are a million easy ways to be more sustainable that are accessible to all of us. I tend to focus on plastic pollution in the home because the effect is multi-fold. Limiting the amount of plastic you bring into your home not only reduces the pressure on landfill, terrestrial areas, and oceans, but it also reduces associated emissions and improves personal, communal and environmental health. So, my top three reduction tips would be:
- If you have access to safe, clean tap/filtered water, then buy a refillable water bottle and use that rather than using bottled water.
- Buy a reusable coffee cup – this lets you keep your caffeine addiction alive.
- Construct a capsule wardrobe of pieces that you love and make you feel great. Get off the fast fashion track. The industry makes up a huge percentage of emissions, is incredibly consumptive and destructive, and disposal of garments is at a global crisis point.
Oh, and a last one for free…quit smoking/vaping for the love of all that is good.
What do you enjoy doing outside of uni?
Nothing, I am boring… Which translates to–getting out in nature, going on bushwalks, getting into the ocean, travelling, eating, and cooking.
Oh, and spending time with my friends, family, and my cutest little bundles of feather and fluff.
I’m desperate to give indoor rock climbing a crack but none of my friends are that keen and I need a cheerleader. All pretty obvious stuff really.
