• This year Charles Sturt invests one millionth dollar in the annual sustainability grant program
• Program in its 10^th year provided its latest four grant winners with up to $10,000 towards sustainability projects
• The million-dollar milestone comes shortly after Charles Sturt’s formal commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

A Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) sustainability grants program in its 10^th year of operation has received its millionth dollar of funding from the University and announced this year’s four grant winners.

The Charles Sturt Sustainability Research Seed Grants, which is funded and managed by CSU Green, provides funds for the University’s staff to undertake environmental sustainability-related projects to further the University’s commitments towards sustainability.

The four projects chosen from the latest round of applications have each been awarded a grant of up to $10,000.

CSU Green Manager Mr Ed Maher said there are many milestones to celebrate alongside this year’s grant program.

“We are celebrating the 10^th year of the program and the one millionth dollar funded this year, which has been a great reminder for the University to look back on the beneficial work of the projects that have been funded over years,” Mr Maher said.

“This year’s grant winners are all undertaking unique projects in a number of different locations, including regional NSW, Victoria, Cambodia and Thailand, all of which stand to have many positive impacts for the environment and the wider community.

“We are particularly looking forward to following the work of this year’s grant winners as all of the projects align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which Charles Sturt University made a formal commitment to in September this year.”

The University Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which Charles Sturt has become a signatory to, signals the University’s intent to undertake research, provide relevant educational opportunities and operate its campuses in a manner that will make a positive contribution to the SDG.

“The grants program is just one example of how the University will continue to spearhead programs and initiatives and improve practices to demonstrate our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and being an industry leader in sustainability practices,” Mr Maher said.

The successful grant winners include two project teams from Charles Sturt’s Albury-Wodonga campus, one joint project team from the Orange and Wagga Wagga campuses, and one project team from the Bathurst campus.

One Albury-Wodonga team will work in north central Victoria, in Dja Dja Wurrung country with the area’s local communities, to investigate biodiversity responses to the re-introduction of Indigenous cultural burning in long unburnt grasslands.

The second winning team from Albury-Wodonga will investigate whether Australian native birds can recognise the odours of invasive mammalian predators and change their behaviour to avoid these predators. The team hopes the project will assist with innovative, sustainable and cost-effective management approaches to ensure the long-term survival of native Australian birds.

The joint Orange and Wagga Wagga team will investigate how production waste from Australian and Thai mangoes can be used to extract valuable resources which could result in economic opportunities and potential health benefits.

The Bathurst team will use a case study from Cambodia to investigate how environmentally sustainable tourism practices can blend the needs of multiple stakeholders in order to reach sustainable tourism goals.

CSU Green is Charles Sturt’s program and business area dedicated to driving forward the University’s commitment to creating a sustainable future for all.

Charles Sturt’s Sustainability Statement, which was launched by the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann earlier in this year, was formed in alignment to UN’s SDG.

The UN’s 17 SDG establish a global framework and agenda for the achievement of sustainable development priorities by 2030. The SDG “aim to bring an end to extreme poverty, promote prosperity and well-being for all, protect the environment and address climate change, and encourage good governance and peace and security.”