2022 events coming soon
Sustainability Week 2022 will showcase our research, our teaching and our operational activities with a focus on environmental sustainability.
But don’t wait until August to get involved in sustainability at QUT - keep an eye out for sustainability events, repair cafes, maker days, interviews with our amazingly talented researchers and educators, webinars, and new sustainability programs.
Events may be subject to change due to COVID restrictions.
Keynote address:
Prof Tim Flannery
Date: Wednesday 25 AugustTime: 12pm-1pm
Where: Online lecture
Professor Tim Flannery is a scientist, an explorer, a conservationist, and a leading writer on climate change. His keynote address is a free online lecture titled 'The Climate Cure. What the COVID Pandemic teaches us about dealing with climate change'.
Samford tour and discussion with Uncle Cheg and Leeton Lee
Date: Thursday 26 AugustTime: 11am-1pm
Where: SERF, 148 Camp Mountain Road, Camp Mountain
Take a walk around Samford Ecological Research Facility (SERF) and hear about the research being undertaken on site, then join a discussion with QUT’s Elder in Residence Uncle Cheg and Leeton Lee from Firesticks as they talk about the importance of connection to country, custodianship of the land and working together to ensure that our environment is protected for future generations.
Conversations at The Cube
Dates: Monday 23 - Thursday 26 AugustTime: 10am-11am
Where: P Block, Gardens Point campus
Hear from QUT researchers as they provide short talks on research projects being displayed at The Cube.
Download the Conversations at the Cube speaker schedule (PDF file, 375.4 KB)
Art installation: Bin Chicken
Dates: 23-27 AugustWhere: Kidney Lawn, Gardens Point campus
Built out of reclaimed rubbish as a reminder of the impacts of habitat destruction and as an ode to the ibis, this art installation by QUT academic Kirsten Baade will be on display for Sustainability Week.
Boost your sustainability literacy with Sulitest
Would you like to learn more about global sustainability problems and solutions? Try Sulitest, a United Nations-backed tool for raising awareness about all aspects of sustainable development. It is used by hundreds of academic and non-academic institutions in more than 60 countries. Consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions, it takes around 30 minutes and is followed by an optional 5-minute survey.
How to take the test
- QUT staff: Sign up to Sulitest.org. Once registered you will reach your personal account, where you can start the test using the session code E0B7-7EE2-9273
- QUT students: Sign up to Sulitest.org. Once registered, you will reach your personal account, where you can start the test using the session code 5020-27A3-F9AD
For technical problems contact tim.campbell@qut.edu.au
QuestaGame
When: throughout AugustLife is full of hidden treasures just waiting to be found. But it is also under threat - now is your chance to save it.
Join the university bioQuest and compete against other universities globally during August and:
- experience nature and have fun
- play and compete with friends in a clan
- learn about life
- help protect biodiversity.
Download the QuestaGame app from iTunes or Google, and join QUT Team 1 using the password dolphin.
Monday 23 August
- Time
- 10am-11.30am
- Where
- The Cube, P Block, Gardens Point campus
QUT researchers from creative industries, science, engineering, business and law, the Centre for a Waste Free World and the Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research take us for a dive into waste management and the circular economy, capturing and storing CO2 and securing Antarctica’s future. Our researchers have worked hard to bring together their work to showcase to the QUT community. Come and support them and learn how research for sustainability is happening right across QUT.
- Time:
- 12pm-1pm
- Where:
- Garden's Theatre Auditorium and via live stream (see registration page)
The Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Meaghan Scanlon opens Sustainability Week at this event and talks about Queensland's plastic reduction strategy.
Find out how entrepreneur Yasmin Grigaliunas created the World’s Biggest Garage Sale – a movement that’s revolutionising how we activate our dormant goods. Yasmin will be joined by fashion lecturer and researcher Associate Professor Alice Payne, and the director of QUT’s Centre for a Waste-Free World, Professor Leonie Barner. The event is hosted by QUT Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability Strategy) Professor Kerrie Wilson.
- Time
- 2pm
- Where
- QUT Instagram
Tune in to our Instagram Live session with Dr Alice Payne, an Associate Professor in Fashion in the School of Design. Her research focuses on environmental and social sustainability issues throughout the life cycle of clothing. She is author of the book Designing Fashion’s Future and is an award-winning designer and teacher.
Tuesday 24 August
- Time
- 10am-11am
- Where
- The Cube, P Block, Gardens Point campus
Brought to you by undergraduates, researchers and academics from creative industries, these presentations provide a snapshot of interaction design for sustainability. If you ever wondered how creative industries intersects with sustainability, come and get a real-world perspective as well as a glimpse of what the future might look like.
- Time:
- 12pm-1pm
Join us as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Entrepreneurship), Professor Rowena Barrett chats to Darcy Witherspoon, Michael Pattemore, Gideon Caturla and Daniel Duskovic, QUT student entrepreneurs who are making an impact in the community using waste to fund their entrepreneurial venture.
Down2Earth is a student-led organisation that is entirely funded through the return of 10 cent cans and bottles to help the homeless and those in need from Ipswich to the Gold Coast through daily food services, mobile aid and our direct assistance programs. The founding team have been working with QUT Enactus (now QUT Impact) and recently came runner up in the national Enactus Australia Awards.
- Time
- 1pm-2.30pm
- Where
- Meet at Level 4, P Block, Gardens Point campus
Take a tour of QUT’s solar array at P Block and hear about QUT’s pathway to carbon neutrality with energy manager Adrian Rowe.
Wednesday 25 August
- Time
- 10am-11am
- Where
- The Cube, P Block, Gardens Point campus
The School of Biology and Environmental Science brings to you research that addresses global challenges, ranging from food security to climate change-related environmental concerns. Learn about how the school is bringing together technology, society, and environment to build sustainable solutions for the future.
There will be no researcher talks but posters will be on screen all day.
- Time
- 12pm-1pm
- Where
- Online lecture
Professor Tim Flannery is a scientist, an explorer, a conservationist, and a leading writer on climate change.
He has held various academic positions including visiting Professor in Evolutionary and Organismic Biology at Harvard University, Director of the South Australian Museum, Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum.
In his latest book, The Climate Cure, Professor Flannery demands a new approach to our relationship with climate change, one that is based on Australia’s response to COVID-19, and that would lead to effective government policies.
The free online lecture is titled ‘The Climate Cure. What the COVID Pandemic teaches us about dealing with climate change’.
Thursday 26 August
- Time
- 9.30am-10.15am
- Where
- Cnr Sports Lane and Services Lane, Green Space, Kelvin Grove campus
Help enhance biodiversity and come and plant some trees at the Kelvin Grove campus.
- Time
- 10am-11am
- Where
- The Cube, P Block, Gardens Point campus
The Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy provides a glimpse of the work that they are doing to enable farmers to grow more food with less resources, to develop crops that are more nutritious and resistant to drought and pests, and how they are discovering innovative ways to make renewable fuels, chemicals and other products from agricultural wastes. The centre is addressing real world global issues that are relevant for all of us.
- Time
- 11am-1pm
- Where
- SERF, 148 Camp Mountain Road, Camp Mountain
Take a walk around SERF and hear about the research being undertaken on site, then join a discussion with QUT’s Elder in Residence Uncle Cheg and Leeton Lee from Firesticks as they talk about the importance of connection to country, custodianship of the land and working together to ensure that our environment is protected for future generations. The discussion will be facilitated by Kerrie Wilson, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability Strategy).
Spaces are limited and bookings for this event are essential. A bus will transport participants from the Kelvin Grove campus to and from this activity.
- Time:
- 12pm-1pm
- Where:
- Online
‘How what you buy can change people’s lives.’ Hear from sustainability experts and get some invaluable tips and advice on how sustainable outcomes through procurement can make a significant difference to the world around us.
- Time
- 12pm-1.30pm
- Where
- Online
The inaugural Esports Sustainability Cup will be broadcast as part of QUT Sustainability Week.
The final two QUT Esports Overwatch community teams will compete in a best of five map series.
Overwatch is a fast-paced action game and contains a diverse range of heroes including Mei whose goal as a climatologist is to preserve the environment and ecosystem.
The trophy is a repurposed trophy made from recyclable material – steel, wood and brass.
- Time
- 4pm
- Where
- Grove Bar, Kelvin Grove campus
Relaxed documentary viewing with drinks at the Grove Bar. We have chosen a short documentary with a topic that viewers may not have considered in their environmental impact, which we hope will spark fruitful discussions afterwards. We are hoping the main focus of the night is not on the documentary but the inspiration in conversational topic that it provides, and the chance to meet some of the other interesting club members.
Documentary: Unbroken Ground | A New Old Way to Grow Food by Patagonia
Friday 27 August
- Time
- 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm
- Where
- Kelvin Grove campus, meet at H Block EV charger
Come and test drive QUT’s Electric Vehicle and learn how to use a fast charger.
Register your interest by contacting transport@qut.edu.au
- Time
- 12pm-1pm
- Where
- Kelvin Grove campus, meet outside KG library
Enjoy a tour of the Kelvin Grove campus and learn about our local flora and fauna and the story behind the campus tree sculptures.
- Time
- 3pm
- Where
- QUT Instagram
Tune in to our Instagram Live session with Dr Liz Brogden, Lecturer in Transdisciplinary Design in the School of Architecture and Built Environment. She takes an optimistic approach to research and teaching that focuses on disaster resilience and climate action through architecture and design, and also sits on the national Climate Action and Sustainability Taskforce (CAST) and the Queensland Chapter Sustainability Committee for the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA).
- Time
- 4pm-5.30pm
- Brought to you by QUT Student Guild
Learn how to live ‘The Waste Free Way’ with Asher Bowen-Saunders.
Asher offers sage advice on where to invest our focus when considering how to reduce waste.
Let’s get real about living waste free during a time of drastic change. Where do we invest our focus? What efforts give the most “bang” for our “buck”? Where does one begin? Let’s acknowledge the importance and potency of this single lifestyle change that feeds into so many branches of conscious, guilt-free, compassionate living. Incorporating waste free principles into your every day must be a gradual and uplifting practice so let's remove the blocks, the labels and the hesitations and dive in together without the pressure and enjoy the transition.
Contact us
For more information about the events, contact QUT Sustainability.
Facilities Management Y1 Block
Victoria Park Rd
Kelvin Grove QLD 4059