Sustainability Plan Targets (2017-2020)

Target	Status	Comment
Ensure that sustainability remains enshrined at the highest level of University strategies	Exceeded or met	Advancing Melbourne provides the framework for the University's strategic direction to 2030. Released in 2020, Advancing Melbourne articulates the enduring purpose of the University as "to benefit society through the transformative impact of education and research". A commitment to Place is reflected in the aspiration to "be leaders for a sustainable future - through education and research, through our campuses and their operations, through partnerships and in the development of precincts intertwined with the city". Responsibility for sustainability at the University sits with the Vice-President (Administration & Finance) and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Report annually and publicly on the University’s sustainability impacts and performance using global best practice standards	Exceeded or met	The University has released a Sustainability Report annually since 2015. This report is the University's sixth Sustainability Report and the fourth under the Sustainability Plan 2017-2020.
Uphold the principle of stakeholder inclusiveness in our reporting and decision-making processes	Exceeded or met	Extensive consultation with University students, staff and alumni occurred from August to November 2020, marking the first phase of development for the new Sustainability Plan. The key purpose of consultation activity was to inform development of the next Plan in ways that are meaningful to, and supported by, the University community. The University community was invited to provide feedback on performance under the Sustainability Plan 2017-2020, as part of this process. Findings are captured in the Sustainability Community Consultation Report. The Sustainability Report 2020 was prepared through data gathering and consultation with University portfolios responsible for the respective activity areas of the Plan. Data and content for this Report is also sourced as part of the University’s annual reporting process.

SIF performance criterion [5]	Status	Comment
Performance - SIF Criteria
Fund Managers’ performance in integrating climate change risk and opportunity into the investment process [6]	Exceeded or met	Mercer completed its annual review, finding the University's fund manager, Victorian Funds Management Corp. (VFMC), has made significant progress in its approach to climate change, and consequently in its alignment with the SIF. VFMC is now fully aligned with five out of six fund manager requirements.
Listed equity carbon footprint, as measured by the weighted average carbon intensity (WACI) of the portfolio	Exceeded or met	An investment portfolio carbon footprint was undertaken for the University by Mercer in 2020. The results show that the University's investments are on a beneficial trajectory, with the carbon intensity of both its Australian Equity and International Equity portfolios reducing since the last report from Mercer in 2018.
Active Ownership activities, with a specific focus on how the Fund Manager(s) is incorporating climate change into its proxy voting and engagement activities	Exceeded or met	Mercer has assessed the University's Fund Manager(s), VFMC, as compliant with the SIF’s active ownership requirements. VFMC continues to consider climate change risk in its stewardship activities and to report on this to University management.

Target summary [5]	Status	Comment
Performance - Plan targets
By 2021, the University’s investment portfolio will: Have divested from, or be in the process of divesting from within a reasonable period, any material holdings that do not satisfy the requirements of the University’s sustainable investment framework for managing material climate change risk Incorporate a meaningful allocation of impact investments in the strategic asset allocation, potentially in	On track On track	a) See SIF reporting critera (table above). The University remains in active engagement with the Fund Manager(s) on the SIF requirements, and not aware of any material holdings that are out of alignment with the SIF. b) A proposed Impact Investing Framework was presented to the University's Investment Management Committee (IMC) in late-2020. The IMC determined that more work was required to ensure alignment with University goals.
Establish a separate specific investment fund where a donor wishes to stipulate (subject to certain conditions) investment parameters for their endowment that are not accommodated through the existing portfolio	N/A	No such request has been made.
Become a direct signatory to the UNPRI	Exceeded or met	The University became a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) in 2020.

Target	Status	Comment
By 2020, all undergraduate degree programs can demonstrate (at the course and/ or major level) that core and compulsory curriculum enable students to understand and apply sustainability knowledge and values to practice in their field, consistent with the Melbourne graduate attributes	Partially met	The Sustainability Fellows program has been further developed to integrate sustainability into core curriculum, with the addition of a fellow in the Faculty of Arts, and benchmarking of subjects in Architecture, Building & Planning. The Joining Melbourne Module, 'Sustainable Communities & Campuses' was developed and has been integrated into some core (e.g. Discovery) and other undergraduate subjects. The forthcoming Sustainability Plan will propose the development of consistent approaches for both evaluating the extent to which sustainability is incorporated, and facilitating deeper integration of sustainability into a wider range of subjects. These will be responsive to the unique impacts and potential of disciplines, actively drawing upon pedagogical theory.
Increase the number of University of Melbourne graduates who can demonstrate a specialisation in environment and sustainability as defined by the National Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement for Environment and Sustainability, thereby contributing to their employability	Exceeded or met	Enrolments into the Master of Environment remained steady despite the pandemic, with 194 students commencing this degree in 2020. This was largely due to high domestic enrolments, while international enrolments decreased. Further specialist courses on offer include Graduate Certificate in Green Infrastructure, Master of Energy Systems, Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business. Future work in this area will identify, strengthen and promote majors and pathways within existing Bachelors and Masters degrees that enable students to explore and apply trans-disciplinary responses to major contemporary and emerging sustainability challenges.
Evidence of increased student engagement with organisations positively contributing to sustainability through workintegrated and classroom activities	Partially met	This target is about enabling students to apply sustainability principles in their future practice by both engagement with organisations positively contributing to sustainability and to also critique organisations they are involve with via work-integrated learning (WIL). In 2020, philanthropic funding from the McCall MacBain Foundation was secured to establish the 'Wattle Fellowship', a sustainability and leadership development program to enhance the leadership and sustainability skills of student leaders from any discipline. The program is grounded in action on sustainability endeavours and a culture of leadership. It includes an element of entrepreneurship, where students will develop an action project in their community. The Faculty of Business & Economics 'Business Innovation Lab' (BIL) enables students to apply theories learned in the classroom to real-life business problems using design thinking with a focus on Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), community and not-for-profit organisations. In 2020, the BIL was linked directly with key University sustainability partners, and a number of student opportunities are proposed for 2021. Future work in this area will include engaging with WIL via teaching academics in the active Network for Experiential Learning (NEL). The work will involve benchmarking the University's current approach to sustainability in WIL, and developing methods for encouraging students to critically reflect on the sustainability of the organisations in which they are placed.

Target

Status

Comment

By 2020, all undergraduate degree programs can demonstrate (at the course and/ or major level) that core and compulsory curriculum enable students to understand and apply sustainability knowledge and values to practice in their field, consistent with the Melbourne graduate attributes

Partially met

The Sustainability Fellows program has been further developed to integrate sustainability into core curriculum, with the addition of a fellow in the Faculty of Arts, and benchmarking of subjects in Architecture, Building & Planning. The Joining Melbourne Module, 'Sustainable Communities & Campuses' was developed and has been integrated into some core (e.g. Discovery) and other undergraduate subjects. The forthcoming Sustainability Plan will propose the development of consistent approaches for both evaluating the extent to which sustainability is incorporated, and facilitating deeper integration of sustainability into a wider range of subjects. These will be responsive to the unique impacts and potential of disciplines, actively drawing upon pedagogical theory.

Increase the number of University of Melbourne graduates who can demonstrate a specialisation in environment and sustainability as defined by the National Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement for Environment and Sustainability, thereby contributing to their employability

Exceeded or met

Enrolments into the Master of Environment remained steady despite the pandemic, with 194 students commencing this degree in 2020. This was largely due to high domestic enrolments, while international enrolments decreased. Further specialist courses on offer include Graduate Certificate in Green Infrastructure, Master of Energy Systems, Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business. Future work in this area will identify, strengthen and promote majors and pathways within existing Bachelors and Masters degrees that enable students to explore and apply trans-disciplinary responses to major contemporary and emerging sustainability challenges.

Evidence of increased student engagement with organisations positively contributing to sustainability through workintegrated and classroom activities

Partially met

This target is about enabling students to apply sustainability principles in their future practice by both engagement with organisations positively contributing to sustainability and to also critique organisations they are involve with via work-integrated learning (WIL).

In 2020, philanthropic funding from the McCall MacBain Foundation was secured to establish the 'Wattle Fellowship', a sustainability and leadership development program to enhance the leadership and sustainability skills of student leaders from any discipline. The program is grounded in action on sustainability endeavours and a culture of leadership. It includes an element of entrepreneurship, where students will develop an action project in their community.

The Faculty of Business & Economics 'Business Innovation Lab' (BIL) enables students to apply theories learned in the classroom to real-life business problems using design thinking with a focus on Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), community and not-for-profit organisations. In 2020, the BIL was linked directly with key University sustainability partners, and a number of student opportunities are proposed for 2021.

Future work in this area will include engaging with WIL via teaching academics in the active Network for Experiential Learning (NEL). The work will involve benchmarking the University's current approach to sustainability in WIL, and developing methods for encouraging students to critically reflect on the sustainability of the organisations in which they are placed.

Target	Status	Comment
Equip ourselves to be a prominent actor in annual global sustainability policy development	Partially met	In 2020, the University launched Advancing Melbourne, its ten-year future strategy and vision, with an institutional commitment to shaping safer climate futures as the first research grand challenge. Senior leaders held a ‘Grand Challenges’ workshop from which emerged a new, holistic approach to climate and sustainability. The new initiative aims to bring researchers from different academic backgrounds together to develop practical outcomes for the challenges ahead, to empower the next generation of researchers and students to strive for a sustainable climate future, and to ensure the institution is a world leader in decarbonisation. By the end of 2020 a proposed initiative, Melbourne Climate Futures (MCF), was agreed for launch in 2021. Key research institutes and initiatives continued their global sustainability work, despite the pandemic. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 169 targets and 231 indicators that need to be met by 2030 and the world’s ability to meet these goals is even more compounded in our growing cities. The University’s Connected Cities Lab continued to advance this work through its leadership of the SDGs Cities Challenge, a collaborative project with local governments across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific. Implemented in 2020, participating cities undertake a six-month program that brings them together in a collaborative, ‘learn-and-do’-style group-training engagement to gain SDG expertise and align their city’s goals with the UN’s 2030 Agenda. 2020 offered opportunities to creatively engage with domestic and international audiences. The University launched a new web series of conversations titled Conversations on COVID-19: The Global View, addressing a range of different impacts from the pandemic, including sustainability. Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (MSSI) engaged new audiences through delivery of a highly successful climate-focused webinar series Towards 2030: Climate Action for the Crucial Decade Ahead. The progress of key initiatives such as these will now consolidate to support the University’s holistic approach to climate futures.
Develop industry partnerships that emphasise our resources for sustainability research including the campus as a living laboratory	Exceeded or met	A wide range of research partnerships continued in 2020, from projects with Melbourne Water to develop a new framework for assessing spill risks to the sewerage network, to a partnership between Melbourne School of Design and AETMOS exploring office buildings’ indoor environmental performance during the extreme bushfire season experienced during 2019-2020. Some unique research reports were also published in 2020. A partnership between the Melbourne Law School and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) resulted in a comprehensive legal review which identified opportunities to develop and strengthen waste management law and policy in 15 Pacific region countries, to reduce environmental, health and economic risks resulting from poor waste management. In September, the World Bank released a flagship publication Solid Ground: Increasing Community Resilience through Improved Land Administration and Geospatial Information Systems which was an outcome of the collaborative work undertaken by two University of Melbourne research centres - the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructure and Land Administration and the Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety - together with the Global Land and Geospatial Unit of the World Bank. The University also finalised the Melbourne Connect precinct, Australia's newest purpose-built innovation precinct that brings together the digital expertise of industry leaders and the University of Melbourne under one roof. The people, place and programs at Melbourne Connect are designed to help researchers, start-ups, industry, government, higher degree students and the community unlock digitally driven, data-enabled and socially responsible solutions to our most pressing challenges. The Science Gallery within Melbourne Connect is a living lab for exhibitions and ideas, exploring the collision of art and science. Melbourne Connect will accommodate parts of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT), including the School of Computing and Information Systems, as well as a number of research centres from the faculties of Law, Science and Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Other partners based at the precinct include the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), SANE Australia, Clarke-Hopkins-Clarke, and MAXONIQ.
Ensure strong research links to campus sustainability operations and planning	Partially met	University operations have continued to draw on research expertise and collaborations with academics to enhance campus infrastructure and experience. As an example, a research project is utilising campus-based operational data to develop a multi-dimensional approach to facilitating the decision making process for energy master planning of net-zero emission communities, especially focusing on energy supply resilience. The new Fishermans Bend campus is the primary case study for this project. In another example, the University's energy data is being used by masters students within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology to evaluate potential applications for on-site renewable energy resources.
Communicate University sustainability research knowledge to the broader community	Exceeded or met	In 2020, the University’s research hub went live, providing a new channel to market the University’s research, research facilities and collections. It is an important tool in providing research knowledge and outcomes to the broader community, in conjunction with other channels such as Pursuit, Newsroom and Find an Expert. Thirty-four sustainability related stories were published on Pursuit in 2020, and thirty-eight ‘science and environments’ news stories were also released. The University will be highlighting its new, holistic approach to climate and sustainability research in 2021. In February, the Melbourne Energy Institute’s ground-breaking power system security assessment was used by Australian Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel in his independent review into the future security of the national electricity market. Dr Finkel directly referenced the work of the Institute in his address to the National Press Club and consequent appearance on ABC’s Q&A.

Target	Status	Comment
Achieve Green Star Communities accreditation for the Parkville campus by mid-2017	Exceeded or met	Achieved a 6-Star rating rather than the 5-Star rating initially targeted.
Maintain minimum 5-Star Green Star ‘Design and As Built’ rating (or equivalent) for all new buildings, achieving a minimum 6-Star or equivalent by 2020	Exceeded or met	In 2020, the University reinforced its commitment to a sustainable and resilient built environment with: Green Star ratings achieved on three major projects – 6 Star for Western Edge Biosciences and Werribee Teaching & Learning buildings; 5 Star for the Ian Potter Southbank Centre (Green Star target set prior to Sustainability Plan implementation). The Fishermans Bend Stage 1 project joining the Green Building Council of Australia Early Access Program to help drive forward the standard for sustainable buildings not just within the University’s Estate, but also across Australia.

Target

Status

Comment

Achieve Green Star Communities accreditation for the Parkville campus by mid-2017

Exceeded or met

Achieved a 6-Star rating rather than the 5-Star rating initially targeted.

Maintain minimum 5-Star Green Star ‘Design and As Built’ rating (or equivalent) for all new buildings, achieving a minimum 6-Star or equivalent by 2020

Exceeded or met

In 2020, the University reinforced its commitment to a sustainable and resilient built environment with:

Green Star ratings achieved on three major projects – 6 Star for Western Edge Biosciences and Werribee Teaching & Learning buildings; 5 Star for the Ian Potter Southbank Centre (Green Star target set prior to Sustainability Plan implementation).
The Fishermans Bend Stage 1 project joining the Green Building Council of Australia Early Access Program to help drive forward the standard for sustainable buildings not just within the University’s Estate, but also across Australia.

Climate mitigation and resilience

Target	Status	Comment
Develop and implement Climate Adaptation Plans for each University campus by 2020	Partially met	The University's understanding of climate-related risk continues to develop, with risk screening completed for all campuses and next steps identified. At project and precinct level, climate adaptation plans have been incorporated in all major infrastructure developments. The University is collaborating with the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to understand and address the vulnerability of international students to climate-related risks as part of the Government’s Greater Melbourne Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. Climate adaptation plans completed for campuses: Parkville Fishermans Bend Climate risk screening completed for campuses: Dookie Creswick Burnley Werribee Climate adaptation plans completed as part of building design and construction: Southbank: Ian Potter Southbank Centre Werribee: Werribee Teaching & Learning building Parkville: Western Edge Biosciences, Melbourne Connect (Office Building and Student Accommodation), Little Hall student accommodation, New Student Precinct Other risk identification and adaptation activities undertaken: included climate adaptation requirements in building design standards study into vulnerability of trees at Parkville to higher temperatures study into how the University can better help students cope in extreme weather participated in DELWP workshops regarding an adaptation strategy for Greater Melbourne

Target

Status

Comment

Develop and implement Climate Adaptation Plans for each University campus by 2020

Partially met

The University's understanding of climate-related risk continues to develop, with risk screening completed for all campuses and next steps identified. At project and precinct level, climate adaptation plans have been incorporated in all major infrastructure developments. The University is collaborating with the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to understand and address the vulnerability of international students to climate-related risks as part of the Government’s Greater Melbourne Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.

Climate adaptation plans completed for campuses:

Parkville
Fishermans Bend

Climate risk screening completed for campuses:

Dookie
Creswick
Burnley
Werribee

Climate adaptation plans completed as part of building design and construction:

Southbank: Ian Potter Southbank Centre
Werribee: Werribee Teaching & Learning building
Parkville: Western Edge Biosciences, Melbourne Connect (Office Building and Student Accommodation), Little Hall student accommodation, New Student Precinct

Other risk identification and adaptation activities undertaken:

included climate adaptation requirements in building design standards
study into vulnerability of trees at Parkville to higher temperatures
study into how the University can better help students cope in extreme weather
participated in DELWP workshops regarding an adaptation strategy for Greater Melbourne

Target	Status	Comment
Publish a University-wide Biodiversity Management Plan by March 2017	Exceeded or met	Plan published in March 2017.
Establish biodiversity baseline data for Parkville and Southbank campuses by mid-2017	Partially met	Biodiversity baseline data collection for all campuses began in late 2019. Seven baseline metrics have been defined for data collection to inform and support a ‘no net loss’ approach across campus grounds. Work has progressed across all campuses and across all metrics. Three University student interns were engaged in the data collection in semester 2 of 2020, supporting the Biodiversity Officer and the Grounds team. Baseline data collection will continue into 2021 with two new interns and is planned to be finished by end-2021. Level of completion by campus as at end 2020: Parkville 64% Southbank 26% Burnley 53% Werribee 20% Creswick 21% Shepparton 13% Dookie 18% Other sites 6%. Baseline data collection was undertaken by members of the Campus Management team, who helped to collect over 4,500 data points which are estimated to represent around 34,000 plants at the Parkville campus.
Establish biodiversity baseline data for the remaining campuses by end-2018	Partially met	See above.
Complete campus-specific plans and commence implementation by the end of 2020	Not met	Campus-specific plans have not been drafted. The 2017-2020 Biodiversity Management Plan will be reviewed in 2021, at which point a new plan for 2021-2025 will be developed. The new plan will include campus specific direction.

Target	Status	Comment
Achieve carbon neutrality before 2030	On track	The University continued mapping its pathway to carbon neutrality in 2020. This work was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be completed in 2021.
Achieve zero net emissions from electricity by 2021	On track	The University’s two renewable energy Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) (MREP and Murra Warra) will enable this target to be met. Electricity is the largest source of emissions for the University, at over 60%.
Reduce electricity demand by 18,350 megawatt hours per year by 2020 through on-campus energy projects [11]	Partially met	Planning for net-zero emissions electricity in 2021 through renewable energy PPAs has taken precedence over electricity demand reduction projects. Nonetheless, the University has achieved significant reductions in electricity demand through on-campus projects. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) projects are continuing to deliver electricity savings of 3GWh per year. The Smart Campus Energy Upgrades (SCEU) program was scaled back in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic with only contracted projects progressing. The program will resume in 2021. During 2020 the program spent $2.08 million anticipated annual savings of 1,841 MWh through Solar PV, HVAC and LED lighting projects across twelve buildings expected to result in $350,000 annual savings. The LED lighting project in the Eastern Precinct car park at the Parkville campus resulted in energy savings of 61%. In 2021 the SCEU program will develop a large-scale HVAC project centred in the Baillieu library that spans seven buildings and upgrades aged infrastructure. Significant energy savings are expected.
Reduce mains water usage by floor area by 12% from 2015 baseline by 2020	Exceeded or met	Water consumption across the University reduced by approximately 33% in 2020, the result of significantly less staff and students on campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This corresponds to a reduction of 42% from the 2015 baseline. The University is continuing to focus on reducing water intensity within new infrastructure, and developing water harvesting and reuse projects. Water reduction technologies will continue to be prioritised and implemented in new buildings.
Reduce waste to landfill to 20kg per person by 2020	Exceeded or met	Waste to landfill reduced significantly in 2020, largely due to the move to a virtual campus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The significant reduction in the number of staff and students on campus resulted in 13.2kg of waste to landfill per person (across all staff and students) over 2020. This result is significantly below the Plan target of 20kg per person, although it does not take into account the reduced numbers of people on campus. Overall in 2020, waste from offices and retail outlets reduced, while medical and research waste increased. The flagship Choose to Reuse Plate Program was launched in 2019, with the Choose to Reuse Events Service launched in early 2020. Both programs were paused from March 2020 due to the move to a virtual campus. Throughout 2020 there was considerable work undertaken to embed waste reduction into leases for retailers and contractors, reduce waste at source through a review of single use disposable items, investigate options for organics collection and increase reuse options. Waste reduction principles have also been embedded into new capital projects such as the New Student Precinct.

Target	Status	Comment
Develop and implement a Supplier Code of Conduct together with Social Procurement Framework and response to Modern Slavery	Exceeded or met	Supplier Code of Conduct has been developed and is available on the University's website for all suppliers to review. A Social Procurement Framework was developed in 2019 and sets out a five-year spend target.
Achieve commitments under the University’s Fairtrade certification	Exceeded or met	In 2018 the University moved to 100 percent Fairtrade kitchen consumables.

Target	Status	Comment
Complete a Sustainable Transport Strategy for all University campuses by end-2017	Not met	A Sustainable Transport Strategy was not completed and approved during the Plan period due to competing priorities and resource availability. However, a number of sustainable transport initiatives were undertaken as part of major projects and ongoing campus management activities to understand current commuting habits and to provide the infrastructure and services to encourage healthier and more sustainable travel for students, staff and visitors: a complete audit of cycling end-of-trip facilities at Parkville resulting in a map of all facilities at Parkville surveys to understand commuting practices and end-of-trip facilities needs additional end-of-trip facilities incorporated as part of major projects, such as Melbourne Connect, Werribee Teaching & Learning Building, and The Ian Potter Southbank Centre Increasing attention in 2020 to air travel yielded a more complete understanding of University impact with more granular procurement data available. Business flights constitute one of the University’s largest emissions sources. The University recognises the necessity of air travel for international students to enjoy the full Melbourne experience on campus. While this is beyond the University's operational control, it is an impact directly related to the business and subject to further assessment in future.
Offset staff air travel emissions – 50% by 2018, 100% by 2020	Exceeded or met	Climate Active accredited carbon offsets were purchased to offset the University’s 2020 staff air travel emissions (2,464 tonnes of offsets).
Reduce air travel emissions per staff member by 5 to 10% for international, 10% for domestic by 2020	Exceeded or met	Air travel emissions were less than 10% of 2019 levels in 2020, due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions. Restricted air travel in 2020 has been significant in forcing alternative means of conducting University business. Access to more complete and granular data on air travel will enable divisions to be more proactive in reducing impact into the future.
Reduce fuel emissions from fleet vehicles by 25% from the 2015 baseline by 2020	Exceeded or met	Emissions from fleet vehicles were reduced to 220 tCO₂-e in 2020, which is a 62% reduction on the 2015 baseline. While some of this reduction is related to COVID-19 restrictions, it is expected that the Plan target would have been met in 2020 regardless.
Offset 100% of remaining fleet emissions annually	Exceeded or met	A total of 636 tonnes of offsets were purchased for 2019/20 financial year by Greenfleet.
Reduce the University’s car fleet by 20% from 2015 baseline by 2020	Exceeded or met	The University’s car fleet was reduced to 138 vehicles at the end of 2020. This is a 25% reduction on the 2015 baseline.
Replace 10% of University car parking spaces with bicycle parking by 2018	Exceeded or met	This target was achieved in 2019.

Target	Status	Comment
Increase staff/student level of awareness in University sustainability issues to over: 15% with high level of awareness; and	Exceeded or met	In 2020 the University ran its biennial Staff and Student Sustainability Survey (SSSS) to canvass the thoughts, views, and ideas of its current student and staff community. There were 1,216 respondents. Respondents with a high level of awareness of University sustainability related issues increased from 11% in 2018 to 17% in 2020, exceeding the target. Sustainability engagement highlights for 2020 include: Launch of the first virtual sustainability tour, which features in the Joining Melbourne Module for 2021. Green Impact went virtual and encouraged people to green their at home environments. There was slightly less participation due to people being at home and the challenges posted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sustainability team delivered a greater number of engagements online in 2020 – a total of 93 total engagements made up of 32 events, forums and workshops, and 61 presentations to 3,606 participants.
70% with moderate level of awareness or higher	Partially met	In the SSSS, 44% of respondents reported a moderate level of awareness of University sustainability related issues, so 61% in total had a moderate level of awareness or higher. This is an increase of 6% from 2018.
Increase staff/student level of participation in sustainability initiatives	Exceeded or met	In 2020, Green Impact (GI) allowed staff and students to feel connected to a community, even while working from home. The GI program proved to be very flexible, enabling behavioural change to be extended beyond the workplace and into the home and wider community. The 2020 GI program enabled the following participation in sustainability initiatives: 52 GI teams 26 active GI teams were audited 227 active team members participated 1,229 people participated by association 712 actions from the GI toolkit were completed 30 student assistants and 16 student auditors were provided with dedicated training and practical work experience 100% of surveyed GI participants reported that the program helped them feel connected to others while experiencing COVID-19 restrictions 100% of surveyed participants reported a better understanding of how sustainability relates to them and how their actions impact on sustainability related issues Participants rated the GI program 4.4 out of 5 stars (up from 4.1 in 2019) Some examples of GI initiatives in 2020 include: 11 teams committed to buying locally 7 teams created their own sustainability posters 12 teams were active in national tree week or organised their own planting day 7 teams went plalking (picked up litter while walking) 8 teams participated in plastic free July 13 teams actively reduced their packaging consumption
Increase staff/student personal undertaking of sustainability initiatives	Exceeded or met	While the COVID-19 pandemic meant a reduction in people actively participating in Green Impact, it did enable participants to further personalise their sustainability commitment by transferring their sustainability skills and knowledge into their home and family environment. The 2020 SSSS results showed that personal undertakings for most sustainable activities remained constant from 2018 to 2020, despite the pandemic. There was an increase in people recycling organic waste and choosing ethical products such as FairTrade, while the percentage of participants disposing of waste correctly and switching off lights and appliances was slightly reduced from 2018.
Increase staff/student sustainability satisfaction with University efforts	Exceeded or met	In the 2020 SSSS, participants were asked for the first time to rate their satisfaction with the University’s efforts to increase awareness, participation and personal undertaking of sustainability activities. The results (shown in the case study) were: 41% satisfied with the University’s efforts to increase personal undertakings in action on sustainability 37% satisfied with the level of University community awareness of sustainability issues 35% satisfied with the level of University community participation in sustainability initiatives The SSSS also polled satisfaction in some specific areas of institutional action on sustainability which can also be seen in the case study and the SSSS report.

Target	Status	Comment
Ensure the University’s convening power is used to bring together policy leaders, industry and academic experts to advance issues of sustainability	Partially met	The University regularly convenes conversations with policy leaders, industry and academic leaders in a range of forums that address issues of social cohesion, international diplomacy, economic, cultural and environmental sustainability. The University’ academic community contributes widely to the shaping of national and international public policy. In addition to research output, academics take on a wide range of public appointments to support high quality public policy application and review. In 2020: The University ran two web series that tackled some of the major coronavirus issues facing the world. Both series were moderated by Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Health) and Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Dean Professor Shitij Kapur. The series convened multidisciplinary discussions to inform, educate and contribute to the global conversation, and drew on questions from University students and staff, as well as the general public. The University, in collaboration with King’s College London, the University of Chicago and Nous Group, published the Advancing University Engagement Report in July 2020. The report recommends that the societal impact of universities should be measured, resourced and recognised through prominent channels such as global university rankings. Two of the proposed engagement indicators had a sustainability focus: socially-responsible purchasing and carbon footprint. In April 2020, the University of Melbourne and the Group of Eight (Go8) presented the Federal Government with a national COVID-19 Roadmap to Recovery report to help guide Australia out of the pandemic. The report, produced by a special Go8 taskforce co-chaired by University of Melbourne’s Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Health) Professor Shitij Kapur, identified pathways forward for the nation to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Convening a multidisciplinary group of over one hundred researchers from across Australia, the report identified and discussed two options for how Australia could respond to the COVID-19 pandemic – an Elimination Strategy and a Controlled Adaptation Strategy. The University of Melbourne supported the project with 21 of our experts and provided the Hunt Laboratory for Intelligence Research SWARM’s team and Collaborative Reasoning platform to facilitate the online collaboration reasoning process to generate the Roadmap.
Deeply embed sustainability considerations within the six University-wide Keystone Engagement Programs of the Engagement Strategy	Partially met	The University embedded sustainability into a number of initiatives related to the Keystone Engagement Programs, including: The Pathways to Politics Program for Women, which continues to strengthen the presence of women in elected office. In 2020, 17 Pathways to Politics for Women Program alumnae ran in the Victorian council elections. Six were successful, a success rate of 35%. This brings the number of Program alumnae elected across State, Federal and Local Government to 13 in five years. The University’s Community Partnerships and Business Services team collaborated with local community agencies in Carlton to donate the University’s ‘end of life’ computers (with several years of good service) to the Carlton Housing Estate. Over 90 computers were delivered to families from Carlton Primary School. This included fast tracking when it looked likely that the Carlton Housing estate would go into a ‘hard lockdown’ due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The Community Partnerships Team developed a Goulburn Valley Action plan. The five priorities that were identified in collaboration with the region include Sustainable Agriculture (which includes being a ‘driver of sustainable agricultural innovation through education, research and leadership’), Water (‘Establish Water research, education and thought leadership to address critical climate and water challenges’) and Health and Wellbeing (which includes ‘convene and collaborate for innovation, leadership and sustained outcomes and impact in the region’). The University launched the Cultural Commons initiative in 2020 to provide access to a unique group of museums, galleries, theatres, collections and knowledge to the general public. A 2019 assessment of the University’s commitment to reconciliation showed 21 of 25 target measures in the University’s Reconciliation Action Plan, with a target timeline of 2018 or that require annual reporting, had been met or exceeded. The remainder are in progress. However, the University notes that more work is required to deeply embed to deeply embed sustainability considerations into the keystone engagement

Target

Status

Comment

Ensure the University’s convening power is used to bring together policy leaders, industry and academic experts to advance issues of sustainability

Partially met

The University regularly convenes conversations with policy leaders, industry and academic leaders in a range of forums that address issues of social cohesion, international diplomacy, economic, cultural and environmental sustainability. The University’ academic community contributes widely to the shaping of national and international public policy. In addition to research output, academics take on a wide range of public appointments to support high quality public policy application and review. In 2020:

The University ran two web series that tackled some of the major coronavirus issues facing the world. Both series were moderated by Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Health) and Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Dean Professor Shitij Kapur. The series convened multidisciplinary discussions to inform, educate and contribute to the global conversation, and drew on questions from University students and staff, as well as the general public.
The University, in collaboration with King’s College London, the University of Chicago and Nous Group, published the Advancing University Engagement Report in July 2020. The report recommends that the societal impact of universities should be measured, resourced and recognised through prominent channels such as global university rankings. Two of the proposed engagement indicators had a sustainability focus: socially-responsible purchasing and carbon footprint.
In April 2020, the University of Melbourne and the Group of Eight (Go8) presented the Federal Government with a national COVID-19 Roadmap to Recovery report to help guide Australia out of the pandemic. The report, produced by a special Go8 taskforce co-chaired by University of Melbourne’s Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Health) Professor Shitij Kapur, identified pathways forward for the nation to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Convening a multidisciplinary group of over one hundred researchers from across Australia, the report identified and discussed two options for how Australia could respond to the COVID-19 pandemic – an Elimination Strategy and a Controlled Adaptation Strategy. The University of Melbourne supported the project with 21 of our experts and provided the Hunt Laboratory for Intelligence Research SWARM’s team and Collaborative Reasoning platform to facilitate the online collaboration reasoning process to generate the Roadmap.

Deeply embed sustainability considerations within the six University-wide Keystone Engagement Programs of the Engagement Strategy

Partially met

The University embedded sustainability into a number of initiatives related to the Keystone Engagement Programs, including:

The Pathways to Politics Program for Women, which continues to strengthen the presence of women in elected office. In 2020, 17 Pathways to Politics for Women Program alumnae ran in the Victorian council elections. Six were successful, a success rate of 35%. This brings the number of Program alumnae elected across State, Federal and Local Government to 13 in five years.
The University’s Community Partnerships and Business Services team collaborated with local community agencies in Carlton to donate the University’s ‘end of life’ computers (with several years of good service) to the Carlton Housing Estate. Over 90 computers were delivered to families from Carlton Primary School. This included fast tracking when it looked likely that the Carlton Housing estate would go into a ‘hard lockdown’ due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
The Community Partnerships Team developed a Goulburn Valley Action plan. The five priorities that were identified in collaboration with the region include Sustainable Agriculture (which includes being a ‘driver of sustainable agricultural innovation through education, research and leadership’), Water (‘Establish Water research, education and thought leadership to address critical climate and water challenges’) and Health and Wellbeing (which includes ‘convene and collaborate for innovation, leadership and sustained outcomes and impact in the region’).
The University launched the Cultural Commons initiative in 2020 to provide access to a unique group of museums, galleries, theatres, collections and knowledge to the general public.
A 2019 assessment of the University’s commitment to reconciliation showed 21 of 25 target measures in the University’s Reconciliation Action Plan, with a target timeline of 2018 or that require annual reporting, had been met or exceeded. The remainder are in progress.

However, the University notes that more work is required to deeply embed to deeply embed sustainability considerations into the keystone engagement

Sustainability Plan Targets (2017-2020)

Governance

Teaching & Learning

Research Impact

Buildings

Climate mitigation and resilience

Biodiversity

Energy, carbon, waste and water

Supply chain and procurement

Travel and transport

Engagement and awareness

External relationships