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Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee to the Vice-Chancellor

• Overview
• Terms of Reference
• Meetings
• Plans for 2011
• Membership
• Member Biographies

Overview

The Vice-Chancellor established the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee in June 2009 following the recommendation of a Working Party on Environmental Sustainability, November 2008. Environmental sustainability in this context refers to the wise use of natural resources; moving to renewable resources where possible; minimising the production of wastes; maximising opportunities to recycle resources; reducing our impacts on ecological systems; contributing to the wellbeing of people and communities, locally, nationally and internationally, and minimising environmental impacts on them.

Download a copy of the Working Party on Environmental Sustainability Report (in PDF format).

Terms of Reference

(Approved 16 November 2009)

a) To provide advice to the Vice-Chancellor on:

i) The development of policy and practices that promote environmental sustainability on University of Otago campuses;

ii) The development, implementation and monitoring of policies and practices that nurture a culture of environmental sustainability on University of Otago campuses;

iii) Promoting the development and maintenance of the University’s campuses, facilities and services so that they embody the principles of environmental sustainability and foster high quality stewardship of the social, economic, cultural and physical environment in which the University operates;

iv) Promoting environmental sustainability in the policies and practices that pertain to all aspects of the carrying out of the University’s research;

v) Encouraging the incorporation of sustainability perspectives into appropriate areas of the University’s teaching activities, to enhance students’ ability to evaluate environmental sustainability issues critically;

vi) Promoting the principles of environmental sustainability in the practice of the University’s community service and outreach;

vii) The governance and management of environmental sustainability in the University.

b) To receive and consider reports and plans that influence the environmental sustainability of University of Otago campuses.

c) To consider and report on any matter concerning environmental sustainability referred to it by the Vice-Chancellor.

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Meetings

Meetings are held every two months.

Extraordinary meetings are held as required to deal with specific issues.

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Plans for 2011

During 2011, the Committee plans to work on the following projects:

i) Develop a website for the University’s Environmental Sustainability (ES) activities. This will include links to research, teaching and community activities as well as policies and practices.

ii) By instituting a regular ‘Green Piece’ in the Otago Bulletin, seek to raise awareness of the ES activities already in place on campus and thereby aim to encourage participation.

iii) Support University ES initiatives and activities as appropriate.

iv) Explore the possibility of incorporating a Sustainability Objective into the University’s Strategic Plan.

v) Develop an excellent working relationship with the University’s ES Coordinator (soon to be appointed).

vi) Provide input into the implementation of the University’s Campus Master Plan as required.

vii) Encourage the development of environmentally sustainable travel, procurement, and recycling policies, including E-waste.

viii) Provide support to the Chair of Environmental Studies Working Party as required to implement academically sound and coherent environmental studies programmes and papers at the University.

ix) Partner with the Human Resources Division to develop a proposal to promote environmental sustainability through human resource policy.

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Membership

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Member Biographies

Professor Carolyn Burns

Department of Zoology

(Convener)

Carolyn is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Zoology where she is still active in teaching and research, specialising in freshwater ecology related to the ecology and management of lakes and wetlands. Her longstanding interest in environmental sustainability began more than 30 years ago when, as Chair of New Zealand’s Nature Conservation Council (a statutory advisory body to government), and a Regional Councillor of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), she led the development of the New Zealand Conservation Strategy (1981) that is underpinned by the concept of environmental sustainability. Carolyn has served on numerous governmental councils, committees, working parties, task forces, and tribunals dealing with environmental issues, as well as advisory groups to local and regional bodies, and within the University.

Professor Tom Brooking

Department of History and Art History

(Representing Humanities)

Tom Brooking, MA (Massey) PhD (Otago) is Professor of History at the University of Otago. He trained as a political and agricultural historian at the Universities of Otago and Kent, England. He has published in a wide range of journals on environmental and agricultural history and produced nine books including Environmental Histories of New Zealand (2002) co-edited with Eric Pawson. Between 2005 and 2007 he served on a Cabinet advisory panel on walking access in New Zealand and is a member of the Council of the Agricultural History Society (USA). He is writing a biography of New Zealand’s longest serving Prime Minister Richard John Seddon and is working in a collaborative project on Scottish migration to New Zealand. His latest major publication is Tom Brooking and Eric Pawson, Seeds of Empire: The Transformation of the New Zealand Environment published by I.B.Tauris of London in 2010 as part of their environmental history series. Tom looks forward to working with ESAC to help make the University of Otago campus more sustainable.

Mr Mark Brunton

Office of Māori Development

Mark Brunton’s (Ngäi Tahu, Kati Mamoe, Waitaha) role in the Office of Mäori Development at the University of Otago involves ensuring effective facilitation of the consultation process between researchers at the University and Ngäi Tahu through the Ngäi Tahu Research Consultation Committee. Mark is able to provide advice on the consultation process.

Along with colleagues in the Office, Mark is also responsible for delivery of a number of strategic initiatives that are developed as part of the Mäori Strategic Framework. Mark has a role in formal cultural functions within the University including mihi whakatau for various events. As part of the University’s relationship with its iwi partners, Mark liaises with Ngati Toa Rangitira through the Wellington campus.

Completing an Arts degree, Postgraduate Diploma in Commerce and a Masters in Indigenous Studies at Otago, he has more than 20 years experience in the computing industry in operations, software development, systems analysis and website design, development and management. Mark has worked at Databank, Otago University, AgResearch, the DCC, and returned to work for the University of Otago in late January 2006.

Ms Hilary Phipps

Property Services

(Representing Environmental Sustainability Co-ordinator)

Hilary Phipps has recently taken up the position of Environmental Sustainability Co-ordinator at the University of Otago. This role is based within the Property Services Division and focuses on providing direction, investigating initiatives, assimilating data and developing processes advocating and implementing environmental sustainability into the University’s portfolio and environment. Assisting the University to embed environmental sustainability necessitates looking beyond the limits of Otago’s campuses, developing and maintaining strategic sustainability partnerships and relationships with (local, national and international) environmental stakeholders.

In the past Hilary has worked as an Environmental Investigator for the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment in Wellington. She has recently completed her doctoral research, the aim of which was to explore and deepen understanding around value attributed to community-based ecological restoration projects in New Zealand. Having submitted the final version of this thesis, Hilary will shortly be conferred with a PhD in Environmental Science from The University of Auckland.

Hilary is thrilled to take up this new position at the University and actively contribute to the work of the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee in nurturing a culture of environmental sustainability at Otago.

Dr Anna Thompson

Department of Tourism

(Representing Commerce/School of Business)

Anna is the Commerce Division (School of Business) representative on ESAC. She is a senior lecturer in the Department of Tourism and co-director of the Centre for Recreation (http://www.crr.otago.ac.nz). Her research interests focus on issues relating to sustainable nature-based tourism, ‘sense of place’, landscape studies, ecotourism, cultural heritage tourism and visitor interpretation. She teaches 300 and 400 level papers and supervises Masters and PhD students. She has responsibilities on several external committees including the NZ Mountain Safety Council National Research Committee and recently completed 3-year terms on the National Ecotourism Advisory Committee and Te Ana Whakairo (Ngai Tahu Maori Rock Art Centre Trust). Her personal interests include environmental education and permaculture. Anna was a member of the 2008 University of Otago Sustainable Working Party prior to being appointed to the ESAC.

Associate Professor Sarah Wakes

Convener of the Environmental Studies Working Party

Sarah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Sciences and course director of the Design for Technology major in the Applied Science degree. She is active in teaching and research, specialising in engineering analysis tools, their application to real world problems, the interface and interaction of industrial design and technology, and Computational Fluid Dynamic simulations over complex topographies such as sand dune systems. She is the convenor of the Environmental Studies Working Party, currently undertaking the development of a web portal funded through a Quality Advancement Grant to better project to potential students the wide range of Environmental study options available at the University of Otago.

Ms Christina Watson-Mills

Head of Toroa College, Accommodation Services

(Representing Services Division)

Christina is the Head of Residence at Toroa College. Her interest in sustainability is demonstrated within the Toroa community through her focus on the implications of how a large number of residents can study, work and live together sustainably, with as little impact on the environment as possible. As well as a recycling programme, composting, and a worm farm - the Toroa College community has bicycles to borrow, a solar hot water system for some units, information campaigns regarding sustainable practice, and EARTH the residents own Environment Committee. Christina’s personal focus lies within the educational power of the Toroa College community where she lives, and the wider University community, in relation to sustainable living and working practices.

Mr Richard White

Health Sciences Divisional Office

(Representing Division of Health Sciences)

Richard is the representative of the Division of Health Sciences on ESAC. He has had a variety of roles across the University, as an Teaching Fellow in the Department of English, as a researcher in the Quality Advancement Unit and, in his current role, as Academic Committees & Projects Co-ordinator in the Health Sciences Divisional Office. He jokingly tells his colleagues he is the self-appointed Associate Dean (Rubbish), since he acts as the advocate for acting sustainably in his office and has a wiki page to ensure that relevant information is always available and not lost if he leaves his role.

He also holds an additional honorary role as the University Copyright Officer. In this role he not only advises staff and students on copyright matters but also promotes open access to information and knowledge. This, along with his current and former roles, means he has connections to many parts of the organisation, which has fostered an interest sustainability of organisational knowledge, especially through electronic means of collaboration and retention. As well as the Green wiki page for staff in his office, he has a blog designed to store useful information for colleagues in the Division. With Simon Hart, Learning Services Librarian, he founded the Copyright Community of Practice, a network of staff from across the organisation – librarians, academics, administrators, content producers – that seeks to enhance institutional knowledge of and spread good practice in things related to copyright.

He also spent seven years in Japan as an English teacher, an experience that taught him to appreciate the importance of New Zealand’s natural resources and instilled in him a determination to do his bit to ensure we do not take this for granted. 

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