While most tutorial classes spend their time arguing about who’s New Zealand’s worst politician, the appropriateness of colloquial language or, better yet, what not to do if you’re a world leader; the green kids are cunningly hatching plans on how to sustainably manage the University environment.
Each tutorial class of Environmental Studies 114 at Vic is broken up into about five separate groups of six students which each focus on a separate issue and set about solving it, using the word ‘action’ as an important concept. The projects range in size and scale but all are part of the ‘think globally, act locally’ movement and are involved with making Victoria University a more environmentally friendly place, which will hopefully impact on greater Wellington.
Recycling at VUW has already proved to be an effective method for dealing with waste output. The job for two groups is to streamline and promote the existing system by setting up signage systems and managing recycling bin placements around the campus to ensure students are aware and motivated to put their rubbish in the right place. Group member Lizzie Earl says “the aim of introducing accurate and clear signage is to make a greater percentage of the students care about the environment.
Recycling correctly will help sustain a healthy environment that will have positive effects for later generations.”
Another group project involves ‘curtain banks’ and ‘efficiency kits’, and tutor Aaron Packard is developing another project to help students with insulation. The project includes lobbying landlords to provide better insulation for student housing and providing students with ‘kits’ that include cylinder wraps, shower heads, draft stripping and eco light bulbs.
Other projects range from recycling old cellphones to reducing the usage of phonebooks in offices and paper waste management.
The overall outcome will be a volume containing the best assignment from each group, to be held at Facilities Management, so that they may utilise the work carried out for further developing Victoria’s commitment to sustainability.