Australia’s newest university and the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

This paper reports on the first of a three-stage project designed to connect all staff at one university to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in both awareness and practice. This first stage of the project measured the baseline knowledge of both academic staff and support staff. To achieve this, a descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted. All staff were surveyed, including professional, academic and administration staff members at Avondale University in New South Wales, Australia. The data showed that part of our planned education on the SDGs in the next phase of the project needs to broaden staff thinking that sustainability is more than Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12). Current knowledge of staff about sustainability involved recognition of visible icons such as solar panels, overuse of plastics and hybrid fleet vehicles. Future education could help them to extend their understanding of sustainability to include more conceptual issues such as justice, peace, equality, decent work and economic growth.