Bikes, bagels, and bargains. The team behind Toitū te Taiao Sustainability Office is continuing a stellar line up of events this year. Toitū te Taiao are the team that runs sustainability initiatives around campus such as Te Oraka, the sustainability neighborhood, and diversion days. Critic Te Ārohi caught up with Abigail Spratt, Waste Minimisation in Shared Spaces Student Lead at the Sustainability Office, to see what good is being done for Papatūānuku.
Hazel Cameron, the Impact Student Lead, recently published Te Oraka’s impact report for semester one. With 778 hours of volunteer work and over 12 events held (on top of normal opening hours), a whopping 4,290 students walked through the doors of the small, but charming op shop. Te Oraka’s kaupapa expands far beyond clothes though, with 118 pre-loved bikes making their way to new homes thanks to donations from Southern Youth Development and e-rescue laptops now available for purchase in store this year. The bike grabs tie in well with ongoing sustainable transport work, which has even seen some collabs with the Dunedin City Council.
Working with Waste Management NZ (WMNZ) on one diversion day was another highlight of the year so far. While a lot of focus is on waste reduction, diversion day emphasises putting your waste in the right place too. Abigail explained, “There’s normally two big skips and then we get as many wheelie bins as possible around the Marsh.” Afterwards, Sustainability Office volunteers (sometimes joined by other groups like Students for Environmental Action or Hold On to Your Friends) will sort waste into the right places. While not so glamorous for the volunteers, it certainly is for Mother Nature. More diversion days are coming up this semester too.
Perhaps the biggest turnout of any events of the year has been ‘Unpacked’ – a screening of Ocean with David Attenborough. Auahi Ora was packed out, along with a korero afterwards with climate experts and marine scientists. “We had a really good tryout in response to it. I think some people were actually quite emotional about it,” Abigail said.
Another ongoing brainchild of the Sustainability Office is the Sustainability Neighbourhood. Nestled amongst a group of UniFlats on Great King Street, the garden provides a chance for the flats to connect and get to know each other – especially beneficial for the many exchange students who call the flats home during the semester. “They tend to have like ready to eat stuff in them so they'll be like silverbeet and kale, all that kind of stuff,” said Abigail. Free food and free power? UniFlat students are really winning at life right now. Look out for the student and staff gardening club later this sem so everyone can grow a feed.
Upcoming initiatives still in the works include another night market. Expect good music and some very tempting deals. As flatting season ramps up too, the annual Drop for Good event makes its much-anticipated return. “I think the numbers will be big this year, which is really exciting obviously!” said Abigal. This provides a chance to hand off unwanted goodies from your flat to a better home – also a massive win, saving the drive out to the tip.
With just over half a semester left, the Susty Office has no plans on slowing down. Expect to keep finding bargains and initiatives that are good for the planet (and the occasional free bagel). To keep in the loop, follow both @sustainability_at_otago and @te_oraka to see their aesthetically pleasing feeds.