AUT To Represent Australasia At Inaugural Green Impact International Awards

A commitment to improving sustainability practices one staff member and student at a time has seen Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT) Kim Daly named Staff Champion at the 2021 Green Impact Australasian awards.

Green Impact is a United Nations award-winning programme that is recognised as the premier sustainability awards for the tertiary education sector.

The Staff Champion award is presented to an individual that goes above and beyond for sustainability by leading and supporting positive environmental action within an Australasian academic organisation.

Following the win, Kim and BELoved Planet will now represent Australasia in the Staff Impact category at the inaugural Green Impact International Awards later this month.

Through the BELoved Plant initiative, Kim and colleague Andrea Cu have sought to transform the way staff and students approach good sustainability practices in their day-to-day lives.

The impact was immediate, with new initiatives such as the elimination of single-use kitchen items, upskilling colleagues about recycling and composting for collective impact and the introduction of organic bins across campus putting a renewed focus on the importance of practical sustainability.

Kim’s dedication to sustainable living led the judges to note: “(we) loved how you lead by example, as well as the depth and diversity of your efforts to support others to be more sustainable.”

After starting off as way to help colleagues in AUT’s Faculty of Business, Economics and Law embrace practical environmentalism, BELoved Plant has become a prominent feature across the university’s three campuses and is incorporated into all student orientations.

Kim said BELoved planet is as much about changing behaviour as it is about making physical improvements.

“The beauty of Green Impact is that offered our BELoved Planet team a series of simple and practical ways of making a difference in our everyday lives,” says Kim.

“What I have often encountered when it comes to sustainability is a willingness from people to be involved but are often not quite sure where to start. Green Impact and BELoved Planet provide just that little bit of guidance that can help people on the path to make a big impact in their daily lives.

“One of the things I am most proud about at AUT is that we walk the walk and the changes that are happening are far more than a mere box-ticking exercise. We have a Sustainability Roadmap that guides us and we have a commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and we are starting to see that commitment play out through a collective drive to create a better planet.

“My big driver has been to increase awareness and I have been blown away by the way so many people across AUT have embraced positive change.”

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