We are carbon neutral
The MGA is proud to be certified carbon neutral by Climate Active. We are the first student association in Australia to achieve this.
Climate Active is a partnership between the Australian Government and Australian businesses to drive voluntary climate action. They award certification to organisations that have achieved a state of net zero emissions.
Our Climate Active certification demonstrates the MGA’s commitment to reducing and removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as we put into it.
How did we get here?
In 2021, we undertook an audit that looked at the carbon emissions of our operations. You can read the full report here.
Our emissions were similar to that of the professional services sector, and well below the average tertiary education sector emissions. To neutralise our 2021 emissions, the MGA purchased carbon offsets supporting the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor. We chose this project because it focusses on revegetation of deforested pasture land in Australia and has a strong emphasis on the employment and inclusion of the local Indigenous community.
Where are we going?
Becoming carbon neutral is only the start. The MGA has now set emissions reduction targets for 2025 and 2030 and we are committed to maintaining our carbon neutral status. Read more about our goals in our Climate Active Public Disclosure Statement.
We’ve done this for our students, for our staff and for a sustainable future on this planet. You are integral to this journey forward.
Read more about our carbon neutral journey on the Monash Insider website here.
Sustainability matters to our graduate students
Sustainability is important to our graduate students, our staff and the broader University community. It is more than just preventing climate change: it’s also about equality, a fair world and creating a bright future for everyone.
The Research. According to the ‘Climate of the Nation 2021’ report (Quicke 2021), 87% of young Australians (aged 25-34; the average age of our grads) believe climate change is happening. Young Australians are supportive of emissions-reductions strategies and are increasingly saying they intend to adopt more sustainable behaviours (Quicke 2021; Kachaner et al. 2020). Additionally, climate change has been shown to be three times more concerning than COVID-19 to Australians (Ingle & Mikulewicz 2020), impacting mental health and causing ‘eco-anxiety’, which can impact academic performance (Bas 2021).
The first-hand experience. Now more than ever, grads want to be part of a sustainable future. They drink coffee in MGA reusable cups, attend classes via Zoom, and take public transport when they do come to their campus. They ask what we are doing to decrease our environmental impact and how we aim to ensure there are equal opportunities for everyone.
Sustainability matters to our Executive Committee and staff
Each month, members of our Executive Committee and professional staff come together to discuss the MGA’s sustainability journey. We share our successes, discuss new initiatives and ideate on further improvements to the sustainable operations of our organisation. We’re also incorporating the UN SDG targets into our professional staff position descriptions and the Executive Committee is directing our operations to be more gender-equitable (50% female committee membership) and sustainable in its food choices (towards 100% vegetarian catering by 2023).
This year we have two office teams participating in the Australian/NZ Green Impact competition, making sustainable changes to our operations and raising awareness of sustainable practices.
How graduate students can get involved
- Get your own MGA reusable cups, containers and bottles to use when on campus.
- Bring your own bag and containers to our pop-up grocer or free lunch events.
- Participate in an MGA event or service knowing that we are off-setting our emissions.
- Participate in MGA Be the Change Week next year.
Do you have feedback on our sustainability journey, or ideas for our future? We’d love to hear from you.
Contact: mga-events@monash.edu
The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
“The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.”
