The nature-loving students at the helm of the University of Otago’s Sustainability Office have announced a range of projects to keep campus clean and green. Critic Te Ārohi sat down with tētēkura (student leads) for a fantastic yap about waste management (subverting the rubbish press students often get) and swapping plane emissions for backyard “staycations” this Easter break. Word on the street there’s even prize incentives involved.
Fourth-years Abigail (Law and Global Studies) and Jess (Environmental Management and Marketing) are both tētēkura at the Susty Office, tasked with Waste Minimisation in Shared Spaces and Sustainable Transport, respectively. You’ll be familiar with some of their mahi alongside other student leads. They run Te Oraka (basically a $20-capped second-hand store) and act as a middleman for the susty student voice within the Uni.
The first initiative the duo told Critic about was a new Tetra Pak recycling plant in the Link set up by the Uni Café staff (one of only five in Dunedin). Tetra Paks are that plastic-like cardboard material used for Up&Go and plant-based milks. Despite being a fan favourite of environmentally conscious folk who’ve boycotted Big Dairy, Tetra Pak are tricky to dispose of ethically – surprisingly not belonging in your yellow recycling bin.
Now, students can conveniently dispose of Tetra Pak (rinsed and flattened) en route to lectures or a $4.50 Miga Hako rice ball. Local coffee joints will also benefit from the location of the bin, who Abigail noted seem to be the biggest users judging by the large, cleaned-out and cut-up stacks left next to the bins. Once done and disposed of, Tetra Pak will make its way to saveBOARD in Hamilton, where they’re recycled into building materials.
Also on the sustainability cards is a waste management plan for the Otago Uni Open Days in May, an event that tends to generate a shocking amount of rubbish. “I’m sure you’ve seen it, there’s like a million free somethings,” Abigail joked. It's also the only day of the year that the Uni seems to scrap the requirement for reusable alternatives to single-use, meaning takeaway coffee cups make an unwelcome return to campus. Tētēkura urge students to be mindful over this period and consider if you actually need that “free something” that, chances are, will be chucked by the end of the day.
The second project the girls proudly announced was an Easter break collaboration with the DCC. Name a more iconic duo. “It’s been one of the DCC’s goals to figure out how to keep students in Dunedin over the breaks,” Jess told Critic. The brain child born out of this partnership is the ‘Seven Wonders of Dunedin’ – a list of backyard adventures that’s basically your Easter break itinerary sorted. “We spoke to students on campus to find out their favorite things to do and see in Ōtepoti,” Jess explained.
The travel home for the mid sem break comes at a cost “not just for our wallets, with the offensive price of flights at the moment, but also for the planet,” Jess told Critic. “For someone based in Auckland, the trip home and back emits approximately 0.41 tonnes of CO₂ – the equivalent of driving the whole length of the country 1.5 times.”
For students looking for a way to save money and emissions this Easter (while still making the most of your time off uni), Dunedin’s own backyard has plenty to offer. Even better, the Sustainability Office and DCC have teamed up to offer prize pack incentives for sticking around over the break worth between $250-300 each. There’s one centered around biking, bussing, walking, and a ‘staycation’ pack to get people to stick around – provided students submit proof of completing the challenge.
“The idea for the competition is we want people to record footage over the break of them exploring somewhere in Dunedin, or filming themselves using the buses to get to places, or using any sort of sustainable travel over the break.” Easy as – film a TikTok or cute vlog for the Sustainability Office to review, and you’re in. Entries can be posted on social media tagging the Sustainability Office (@sustainability_at_otago) – provided you have a public account – or DMed to the Sustainability Office team through Instagram. Keep an eye on their socials for the full details!