A Charles Sturt University (CSU) environmental student has taken sustainability initiatives learned in Albury-Wodonga to the United States Embassy in Canberra.

Mr Lewis Tinley is a third-year student in the four-year Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management at the School of Environmental Sciences at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. He undertook a Foreign National Student Internship Program placement at the US Embassy for three weeks from the start of December 2014.

"My main objective was to set up the Canberra Greening Initiative for 2015 and review the sustainability of the Embassy," he said. "I began by researching and summarising practical approaches to personal, social and structural change in the workplace. Then I initiated a Green Poster Awareness campaign designed to advertise the use of appropriate bins, water usage, and paper. As part of this all printers were changed to duplex (double-sided) to save paper; this was inspired by Charles Sturt University's own sustainability efforts.

"I created a Green Awareness Calender for all offices with local events and Embassy action dates. Household sustainability facts were compiled for distribution in local newsletters and message boards. Also, I organised an energy audit and wrote a report on the gas usage of the Embassy's warehouse storage facility. All of these efforts contributed to the Greening Initiative outcomes, and hopefully will facilitate more sustainable practices in the workplace.

"I felt a great sense of achievement writing reports on programs I had designed, and look forward to further communication with the Embassy as they begin to implement the programs."

Mr Tinley drew several take-home messages from participating in the program.

"This program was an opportunity to put what I had been studying into practice in a real workplace with real people," he said. "Practical experience is a preferred long-term learning technique, and for me it is vital. This program was an excellent way to make connections, make a difference and learn from others.

"If other students can organise a similar internship, they should definitely go for it. This Internship was a long time in the making, and was worth every minute. I wish I could go back. Not everyone can say they have worked at an Embassy, and even had it not been as wonderful as it was, it sure looks good on a CV and would help with any future environmental job applications.

"The experience exceeded my expectations, and I found the challenges of engaging with staff members, reducing energy consumption, and retrofitting facilities to be relevant problems for me to sink my teeth into. As for my post-graduate ambitions, I intend to use my passion for facilitation, politics, and people to lead the way on sustainability in the workplace of my choosing. I believe that luck favours the prepared, and as such I am taking every step necessary to prepare myself for the challenges of the future."