Join us

We can go fast but alone, we prefer to go far and together.

Charles Sturt University students and staff can get involved in our effort to become more sustainable and eco-friendly.

Join the sustainability effort

CSU Sustainability team works in partnership with various organisations, groups and individuals to apply sustainable practises that take local issues and concerns into consideration:

Sustainability Advisers coordinate and participate in environmental and social sustainability-themed events/initiatives throughout the academic calendar. Each year we look for a cross-campus team of motivated students who have an awareness and appreciation for sustainability principles and who can communicate with and inspire their peer community.

Our Student Sustainability Advisers have:

  • A sound academic record and live on campus (if applying for a campus role)
  • An awareness of and appreciation for sustainability principles
  • High level verbal and written communication skills including the ability to liaise effectively with students and staff across the university
  • The ability to work effectively with limited supervision while demonstrating good time management skills

Roles and responsibilities

We aim to have one Student Sustainability Adviser at every main campus, plus one Online Student Sustainability Adviser. As a Student Sustainability Adviser you play a key role in engaging students in sustainability events and initiatives. You will work closely with the Sustainability Team and Res-Life Team.

Principal responsibilities of a Student Sustainability Adviser include:

  • Delivering one sustainability-themed event (e.g., Biodiversity Month) within each session
  • Provide promotional support to sustainability-themed events (e.g., Orientation Week Market Day, Tree Planting Days, etc.) run by Sustainability at Charles Sturt
  • Developing communication pieces promoting sustainability initiatives from the student’s perspective (e.g., waste management, biodiversity, water and energy usage)
  • Establishing and maintaining interaction with the relevant campus Res Staff/Leaders, Student Representative Councils & Campus Environment Working Groups
  • Meeting with the Sustainability at Charles Sturt team for fortnightly online check-in meetings to report work progress, discuss initiatives and request assistance.

Engagement dates

End of January - end of October each year

Roles readvertised

October/November each year

If the Student Sustainability Adviser team is something you would like to be a part of, send us an email and express your interest at sustainability@csu.edu.au or, keep an eye our on our socials for the end-of-year recruitment period.

For a little more insight, you can read these Charlie Blog articles that introduce our current and previous Student Sustainability Advisers:

Meeting Schedule

Quarterly/Monthly etc.

Student Sustainability Adviser Tool Kit

Roles and responsibilities

A diverse group of LiFE Champions embed sustainability into our university culture. These champions are sustainability change enablers across the LiFE frameworks. They lead by example, hold individual beliefs around sustainability, and possess key knowledge and energy that encourages others to think and act in more sustainable ways. Champions are critical as the ‘feet on the ground’ across the University and are critical to the implementation of the LiFE action plans.

Our LiFE Champions:

  1. Know the framework action plan inside and out and will happily tell you all about it
  2. Encourage you to include sustainability tasks in your work unit operational plans and staff performance plans (PPDR)
  3. Make sure sustainability is on the agenda at meetings
  4. Track our progress and success against action plan frameworks
  5. Keep the lines of communication open between Charles Sturt Sustainability and framework stakeholders
  6. Share stories of our achievements and good practice to celebrate our successes

Champions can be contacted to discuss the implementation of the LiFE action plans. Many of our wonderful champions are pictured in each framework section.

Meeting Schedule

Quarterly/Monthly etc.

LiFE Champion Tool Kit

Roles and responsibilities

The Learning in Future Environments (LiFE) index is a framework which allows us to benchmark how effective, impactful and innovative our sustainability approaches are at Charles Sturt. We implemented the LiFE index in 2016 and have been implementing this year on year. The LiFE steering committee have dealt with a diversity of priority activities to move towards sustainable best practice.

The LiFE Steering Committee was established in March 2018 and it provides advice to the University's Executive Leadership Team (ELT), via the Chief Operating Officer on the following items:

  1. Recommendations to ensure the delivery of the Charles Sturt University Strategic Plan leverages opportunities to foster Charles Sturt University's organisational commitment to sustainability as outlined in its Sustainability Statement.
  2. Strategic leadership and guidance associated with the implementation of the LiFE framework.
  3. The adequacy of participation by key stakeholders in the LiFE framework and provide advice on increasing engagement activities.
  4. Strategic advice to ensure key business processes, policies and procedures promote positive sustainability outcomes.
  5. Feedback on the extent to which key organisational planning instruments such as Initiative and Improvement Plans and the Employee Development and Review Scheme are being utilised to support sustainability objectives.
  6. Emerging best practices in sustainability and recommendations for adoption, where appropriate, within Charles Sturt University.

The Committee Membership Includes:

  • Chief Operating Officer as ELT member with delegated organisational responsibility for Sustainability
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Pro-Vice Chancellor, Research, or an appointed representative from that Division
  • Pro-Vice Chancellor, Learning & Teaching
  • Director, Facilities Management
  • Manager Sustainability at Charles Sturt
  • Executive Director People and Culture, or an appointed representative from that Division
  • Executive Director, Division of Student Experience
  • Research Engagement and Impact Officer - Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor Research (Performance and Governance)
  • Senior Executive Support Officer – Office of the Vice-Chancellor
  • Director, Portfolio Strategy and Operations (Academic Portfolio)
  • Strategic Advisor - Regional Engagement & Government Relations

Right of Audience and Debate:

  • Sustainability Project Officer, Sustainability at Charles Sturt
  • Campus Environment Working Group Chairs
  • An Executive Officer appointed by the Chief Financial Officer to provide secretariat support

Committee Tool Kit

Roles and responsibilities

Tag your research

Undertake ELMO training

Organise and run local sustainability events in a sustainable way

Create stories and post on social media

Researcher Tool Kit

Student Tool Kit

Roles and responsibilities

  • Help develop and implement strategies to achieve Charles Sturts sustainability targets through actions such as undertaking projects, seeking funding, and contributing to educational programs for the wider University community
  • Prepare an annual report, outlining the environmental initiatives undertaken by the group, and suggest possible future initiatives
  • To support the facilitation of the implementation of the 16 LiFE action plans to progress towards best practice in sustainability Initiate environmental or recreational projects to promote or enhance sustainability on campus

Campus Environment Working Group (CEWG) Tool Kit