ACTS 2011 Conference
Adelaide, Australia - 28-29 September 2011
“Sustainability as Core Business: Building the Case for Change”
The University of Adelaide hosted the 11th annual Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) Conference - Sustainability as Core Business: Building the Case for Change, on 28-30 September 2011 at the National Wine Centre. ACTS is the primary forum for sustainability in the Australian and New Zealand tertiary sectors. The association promotes and supports change towards best practice sustainability within the operations, curriculum and research of the Australasian tertiary sector.
Over three days, the conference explored how sustainability fits into the core business of tertiary education institutions with keynote addresses from Professor James McWha, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Adelaide, Hon Paul Caica MP, Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray and Minister for Water, and Rob Brookman AM, Chairman, Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals and Producer Sustainability program WOMAD Earth Station. Delegates also head presentations from Ellen Sandell, National Director of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Jimmy Branigan, Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) UK. Click here to read the conference program.
The final day of the conference was spent across two field trips exploring sustainable sites in South Australia including Sinclair's Gully and Christie Walk Sustainable Village (photos below).
The highlight of the conference was the Green Gown Awards on Thursday evening where the University of Adelaide won its first Green Gown Award in the Student Campaigns & Initiatives category for the Sustainable Transport Pledge, ran at O’Week celebrations. More information on this project here.
Winning the Green Gown Award for Student Initatives & Campaigns. (L to R: Mathew Jeffrey, Libby Dowling, Jon Dee, Founder and Managing Director of Do Something! Bec Taylor, Jimmy Branigan EAUC and Leanne Denby, President of ACTS) 
University of Adelaide students sponsored by the Office of Sustainability to attend the conference. (L to R: Kyra Evanochko, Themis Scanlon, Alexander Stanley and Bec Taylor) Absent from photo: Edward Cuenca. 
Ellen Sandell, National Director, Australian Youth Climate Coalition. 
Tour group at Sinclair's Gully for a conservation walk, sustainability talk and wine tasting. 
Tour group at Christie Walk learning about hebel construction.
Find more photos on Facebook and on the ACTS Facebook.
