?? Sustainable Action Pledge

At UWA we're committed to sustainable action through our teaching, research and our collective actions.

Nominate your Sustainable Action Pledge to demonstrate your commitment.?

Win UWA Merchandise to support your sustainability journey by adding your student or staff number.?

UWA will sponsor $1 toward either Trillion Trees Australia or the Marine Conservation Society for the first 500 pledges received.?

Results will be shared in September.

Submit Pledge

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???Did you know that last year? 1 in 10 Guild Café customers used their keep cups and 240,000 Single Use Cups went to Land fill!

We're making it easier for you to Avoid using single use cups. Together we can be more Sustainable, reduce waste and create positive change. Imagine if all 28,000 students and over 3,500 staff took individual actions for a more sustainable approach to living!

Be a GREAT Sort and Make Landfill a Last Resort.

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?? Inter-Club Campus Clean Up?

It's time we addressed the litter pollution on campus! Did you know in Semester 1, 5 students picked up over 30kgs of rubbish in just one hour!?

Join this inter-club campus clean up brought to you by the UWA Student Guild Environment Department and made possible with a UWA Grand Challenges Making a Difference Grant. Clean up kits will be provided and prizes will be awarded to the Club with the best member attendance and the most rubbish collected. Join as a club or come along solo!

Let's see how much of an impact we can make!?

Sign Up Here

Oceans Institute Seminar:?A New Vision for Coastal Resilience: Engaging Communities through Art to Design a Transformative Future'?

Join?Dr Natasha Pauli?and?Dan Martin as they present 'A New Vision for Coastal Resilience: Engaging Communities through Art to Design a Transformative Future,' the outcomes of their 2024 'Better Oceans' grant research.

The OI Monthly Seminar Series will provide a platform to showcase new research, discuss developing projects, debate ocean related issues, and connect regularly with colleagues. To keep the series engaging, we will feature a variety of formats, including seminar talks, panel discussions, and informal presentations.

Date: Thursday, 14 August 2025

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location: Ground Floor Auditorium, IOMRC

?? The Inter-Uni Coastal Challenge is Back!?

Join?Natural Resources Management organisation Perth NRM for a hands-on, impactful day exploring coastal processes. The Inter-Uni Coastal Challenge brings together university students from across Perth to take part in a series of rotating activities focused on real-world coastal challenges. Including:

?? Practical field-based activities
?? Environmental and marine science experiences
?? Teamwork and community connection

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Hosted by?Perth NRM?and proudly supported by?Volunteering WA?and the?City of Fremantle, this is your chance to learn, connect, and make a tangible impact on our coastline.

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When:?Saturday?August 16th 8.45 for a 9am start -1.00pm

Where: Leighton Beach, Meet outside Orange Box Café?

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Spaces are limited* – grab your spot and be part of the next wave of environmental leaders.

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Meet there if you can or limited spots are available to travel by bus from UWA departing 8.15.?

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Register here

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?? Learn about UWA's Sustainable Investment Approach

Join us for an inside look on how UWA is responding to global sustainability risks through its investment strategy.

When: Thursday August 21st 12.30-1.30pm

Where: The University Club, UWA Campus Crawley

As global challenges such as climate risk, increased regulatory pressures, social and demographic shifts and data privacy concerns continue to grow, investors face increasing pressure to manage Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) related issues effectively. Institutions like UWA face increasing complexity and greater scrutiny if we are not adequately managing these risks.

This session features Mercer, UWA's implemented consultant, who is responsible for the design, and in part, the implementation of the University's ESG approach.

This presentation will cover:

UWA's investment approach

Our current position and possible future direction

Q&A with Mercer's ESG specialists

The University's ESG approach is outlined in the Sustainable Investment Philosophy.

Register here

??Repair Lab UWA: Clothes, Accessories, Bikes.?

Come along to this free drop-in session with skilled volunteers who can help repair items including clothes, jewellery, bags and bikes. Repair Labs help give new life to items and save them from going to landfill. No need to register, just bring your item along!

When: Thursday 21st August 2025, 5.00-8.00pm?

Where: St Catherine's College?

*Some items may be beyond our volunteers' skillset. Expertise and repair services may vary from event-to-event. We cannot guarantee a successful repair, however our volunteer repairers will do their best to help you free-of-charge with the time, tools and skills they have available. Advice will be provided if your item is unable to be repaired.

Come solo or bring a mate, meet new people, and extend the life of your things!?

Keen to Volunteer as a Repairer

??Students Doing Good Challenge: Drive a Sustainability Strategy at this multi-University 1.5 Day event!?

Calling all passionate Changemakers!

Do you want to make a real impact while developing in-demand skills? Alongside students from UWA,? ECU, Curtin and Murdoch, you'll have the opportunity to develop a sustainability driven strategy for National Australia Bank (NAB) covering the Finance Industry that enables the prosperity of Australian people and the planet to thrive.?

When: Friday August 29th 4.00-8.00pm

? Saturday August 30th 8.30-5.30pm

Register here

?? Are you an eRideable user??

?Join an eRideable study being undertaken by UWA and Curtin University and track your rides via our mobile app to help shape the future of transport in Perth!

You'll get access to a mobile app (available for Android and iOS) where you can easily label your trips with their mode and purpose. The app will provide you with insights into your travel habits including your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy use for transport and even your levels of active travel.?

See how your choices add up- all while contributing to important research that helps shape a more sustainable future.?

Find out more and complete the Survey

Keen to demonstrate your Sustainable Action through Volunteering?

Guild Volunteering connects students to meaningful volunteering opportunities with life-changing organisations, both on-campus and in the wider community. As the hub of volunteering and community engagement at UWA, Guild Volunteering is partnered with over 300 not-for-profit organisations working across all areas of the community. Whatever you are passionate about, whether it's environmental sustainability, animal welfare, homelessness or refugee issues, we can help to link you to change-making organisations to volunteer with.?

Check out the numerous opportunities with Guild Volunteering available during August and sign up on UniHub.?

• SERAG -Swan Estuary Reserves Action Group
• Inter-University Clean up
• Guild Gardens

Check out UWA Guild Volunteering for more!

?? Interested in providing Birthing Kits to prevent maternal and child deaths??

???Be a GREAT Sort: Make landfill the last resort!

Specifically, we focused on Earth-Cycling, including supporting the establishment of a new community garden at UniHall and new equipment and plants for the Guild Volunteering Community Garden. In? "Dirt Cheap: Composting Workshop" with Shani Graham from Ecoburbia, students learnt about the components of good compost: 2 parts dry (paper/ cardboard), 1 part wet (food and garden waste), a little activator (usually something smelly!)…sun and water!

Students have been Avoiding unnecessary consumption including Fast Fashion! Pop-up Op shops run by Guild Volunteering at O-Day and throughout the semester were highly popular with students who chose to purchase quality garments second hand as opposed to fast fashion.

A workshop with The Feelgood Fashionista: Sustainable Fashion: Style with Impact explored the impact of fast fashion on the environment as well as the social impact (including poor working conditions for factory workers) and encouraged us to consider this when we think about purchasing.

Students can also now Give away their unwanted clothing and textiles on campus at the donation point outside the Guild Village (near Tattersalls Lecture Theatre), with items being recycled by Perth Community Clothing Recycling Warehouse. We've donated over 5 tonnes of clothing in just 7 months.

With the grant, we are implementing Keep Cup Libraries in each of Guild's on campus Cafes (Quobba Gnarning, Catalyst Café, Hackett Café and Business School Café). This was piloted in 2024 with donated keep cups and found to be successful and supports students to avoid single use coffee cups. However based on the feedback that it would be good to have a consistent drinking experience, this grant allowed us to purchase a suite of keep cups that students and staff can use and return. This is ideal for students grabbing a coffee while studying in the libraries or for staff who forget their keep cups.

UWA's Repair Lab has also been running repair sessions, encouraging staff and students to Avoid purchasing new things and extend the life of their items.

Find out more about?Waste Sorted

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Venture's partnership with Grand Challenges enhances support to current UWA student entrepreneurs who have a social enterprise concept that uses social innovations to make a positive difference and create change in the world. All incubated businesses seek to address 1 or more of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and 1 or more of the UWA Grand Challenges, A More Just and Equitable World and Climate Change.

Venture is a UWA Student Guild initiative that exists to better prepare students for the future of work, whatever that might look like. Through the curation of a suite of industry events and hackathons, industry-led skills development workshops, and via three flagship programs:

1. Venture's Innovation Consultancy works with industry partners to solve challenges;
2. Venture's Incubator supports the development of social and/or environmental impact student-led businesses through mentorship, a structured education program, industry-led workshops and equity-free seed funding;
3. Venture's Startup Internships where students learn industry-specific, practical tools with our industry partners before interning in one of Venture's incubated start-ups.

Venture's programs can be completed as work-integrated learning units or as additional, co-curricular opportunities.

Find out more or get involved by contacting [email?protected].

UWA Grand Challenges and Guild Venture support UWA student participation in the Joondalup Innovation Challenge!

The Joondalup Innovation Challenge (JIC)? is Western Australia's foremost collaborative Innovation Challenge, bringing together over 100 students from six educational institutions. Students work in multidisciplinary teams to solve real-world problems faced by Joondalup residents, students and businesses. Students develop key employability skills including communication, innovation, leadership, business agility and networking.

Students prepare themselves for the future of work by learning how to rapidly make decisions and deploy creative, technology-based solutions. They can build their confidence and capability in digital literacy and critical technology skills by attending both live and virtual summits and mastermind sessions and by preparing video pitches using the latest technology platforms.

Find out more on the?Joondalup Innovation Challenge website.

Global Citizenship Programme 2025 will be held in September/October

Global Citizenship is an experiential online course through which you will develop the skills and competencies needed to thrive in the 21st century, whilst learning more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals, enabling you to play an active role in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UWA Students will complete a series of experiential activities, offline tasks, reflections and discussions that will increase your knowledge and awareness of the UN SDGs whilst developing your leadership potential.

As a result of the programme, you will be:

• Equipped to take rapid action on the Sustainable?Development Goal that you choose
• Able to step outwards and collaborate with diverse networks
• Ready to challenge preconceptions and better inform people's perspectives
• Better equipped to operate across hierarchies
• Better prepared to live and maintain your values and integrity

Upon successful completion of the course, you can earn the 'Global Citizenship' micro-credential, demonstrating to the world that you've developed the skills to tackle complex global issues. This can be displayed on your LinkedIn page and in your digital backpack.

Register Your Interest Here

• AIESEC
• Amnesty International
• Bloom
• Coders for Causes
• Enactus
• Ignite Mentoring
• Multicultural Students Union
• Progressive Energy Society
• UWA Science Union
• Students for Refugees
• Teach Learn Grow
• TedxUWA
• Venture
• WA Youth Public Policy Institute

The?UWA?Making a Difference grants of $500 up to $2500 are awarded to current UWA students and are designed to stimulate social and environmental impact initiatives that address one or more of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and one or more of the UWA Grand Challenges,?A More Just and Equitable World and Climate Change.

The following student initiatives? and research projects were awarded Making a Difference Grants in 2025 based on their objectives and proposed impact:?

Australian Students for Development Network (AuS4D)

AuS4D is a national, student-led network focused on international development and humanitarian action, connecting students across disciplines and universities. It supports youth policy-making, promotes equity in development, and strengthens leadership pathways through mentoring and internships. By embedding SDGs and institutional partnerships, it empowers diverse student voices and fosters a scalable platform for global change.

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The Birthing Kits Project

This initiative addresses maternal health by assembling and distributing low-cost birthing kits to under-resourced countries, aiming to reduce preventable childbirth-related deaths. It also raises awareness through social media, educational panels, and volunteer events, building a multidisciplinary student community committed to global health equity. By combining hands-on impact with campus engagement, it strengthens both global outcomes and local student leadership. This initiative supports SDG 1, No Poverty, SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing, 5 Gender Equality and 10 Reduced Inequalities

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OrthoComposites (Bone Implant Materials)

This research initiative aims to develop durable, patient-specific composite bone implants using carbon and Kevlar fibres combined with biocompatible polymers. With successful lab validation and plans for scalable production, the project addresses a growing global health challenge—bone fractures—especially in ageing populations. It contributes to SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing through innovation in healthcare materials and is complemented by science communication activities to broaden its impact.

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Vibrio natrigens and Microbial Mineralisation for Marine Restoration

This project explores the potential of the marine bacterium Vibrio natrigens to sustainably precipitate minerals, supporting carbon capture, erosion control, and biomaterial development in marine environments. Unlike traditional methods, it avoids environmentally harmful by-products, offering a novel pathway for eco-friendly marine biotechnology. The initiative contributes to climate resilience and ocean restoration, aligning with SDGs 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 13 Climate Action, and 14 Life Below Water.

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Microplastics and Marine Conservation Exhibition

This initiative raises awareness about microplastic pollution through an interactive exhibition and a student diorama-making competition at UWA. It combines hands-on education, creativity, and peer learning to highlight the invisible threat microplastics pose to marine ecosystems and human health. By engaging students directly, it encourages sustainable behaviour and promotes long-term environmental stewardship aligned with SDG 14.

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STILL HERE, SHOW ME, HEAR ME: A refection of individual experiences of inclusion, disconnection or navigating university life

STILL HERE is a student-led initiative that invites the UWA community to reflect on and share personal experiences of connection and disconnection within university life. Through creative expression, this project supports student wellbeing, encourages a stronger sense of belonging, and raises awareness of UWA's formal support and complaint pathways. The initiative includes a private, self-directed portrait and voice recording booth, followed by a public art installation that transforms student contributions into an immersive, reflective campus experience. The initiatives supports SDG 10, reduced inequalities, 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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Understanding Environmental Policy Workshop and Inter-fac Campus Clean Up

This Environmental Policy workshop aims to raise awareness, educae and promote action toward environmental policy change. The Inter-fac campus clean-up is designed to instil healthy competition between clubs resulting in a cleaner campus. These initiatives support SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12, Responsible Consumption and Production and 13, Climate Action.

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The Survivor Art Installation: What Were You Wearing?

A powerful exhibition that challenges victim-blaming attitudes by dismantling the myth that clothing invites sexual assault. Inspired by the original 2014 installation at the University of Arkansas, it pairs outfits with anonymous survivor narratives to highlight that sexual violence is never about attire—it's about power, consent, and respect. Following a moving and well-received 2024 debut at UWA's Cullity Gallery, this initiative invites the university and wider community to engage in urgent conversations about sexual violence and survivor support.

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Making a Difference applications for 2025 have now closed but to be notified of future grant rounds please reach out to [email?protected]

?Previous Making a Difference Grant Projects [PDF 12MB]

Congratulations to the 2024 UWA Making a Difference Grants recipients:

? Bio-Plastic Research, combining bacterial plastic degradation with bioplastic production to address marine plastic pollution effectively.

? The Birthing Kits Project, providing clean birth kits to under-resourced communities to prevent maternal and infant deaths and infections during childbirth.

? Coders for Causes, a student-led team that assists charities and non-profits by providing free technical solutions, enabling them to redirect funds to essential initiatives.

? Women UNI-ted, a support group for female university students who have experienced domestic or intimate partner violence.

? Modern Forms of Slavery Awareness Initiative, raising awareness and educating students about modern forms of slavery in Australia.

? The SciComm Collective Podcast, a podcast by UWA Science Communication students enhancing science engagement and understanding through a professionally developed podcast.?

? Robotics Club Outreach Program, promoting STEM education, equity, and sustainability by introducing robotics education to younger students.

? Mental Labour Gender Gap Initiative, working on research to tackle workplace implications of mental labour to promote workplace equality.

? Equality at UWA, an initiative encouraging students to showcase projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

? Banksia Media Study, examining the ecocultural significance of Banksia media in the Southwestern Australian Floristic Region.

? "What Were You Wearing?" Exhibition, challenging victim-blaming narratives placed on sexual assault survivors.

Congratulations to the following high schools for receiving Making a Difference grants in 2023/2024:

• Busselton Senior High School
• Duncraig Senior High School
• Greenwood College
• Presbyterian Ladies' College
• Santa Maria College
• St Norbert College

The high school projects focused on waste reduction, mental health, plastic monitoring and bee habitats.?Busselton SHS's Caring for Country program saw students undertake environmental recovery, including anti-erosion and revegetation activities, on Wadandi Boodja and installing sanctuaries for the endangered Quenda after the Meelup Regional Park fires.