Covid-19 couldn’t curb enthusiasm for sustainability
Covid-19 disruptions during 2021 did not stop University of Canterbury student sustainability champions from contributing their enthusiasm and energy to sustainability issues and activities.
Learning about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the Bead to Proceed initiative as part of the SDG Summit Series in 2021.
60 students were recognised as Eco Volunteers through UC’s Co-Curricular Record, which recognises skills developed in activities outside of students’ formal study.
Despite some Covid-19 disruption, UC’s sustainability-minded students participated in:
Students are already generally living more sustainably than many people, UC’s first Pro-Vice-Chancellor Sustainability Professor Evans-Freeman says, due to better awareness of the younger generation and practical budget constraints. They may not own a car or buy new clothes for example. “We could all learn a lot from our students,” she says.
Professor Jan Evans-Freeman’s appointment as the most senior sustainability appointment in a New Zealand university was another highlight of 2021. She is enthusiastic about UC preparing students for the challenges of the future by embedding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the curriculum and creating capable problem-solvers.