VANESSA TAVERAS DALMAU
Environmental Scientist | Researcher | Sustainability Strategist
SUSTAINABILITY
My knowledge of sustainability was developed thanks to my role of Sustainability Officer in Griffith Business School at Griffith University. Prior to this, my understanding of 'environmentalism' came from a background of science. Today, I am able to complement my background in environmental science with hands-on sustainability at an organisational level. This section features the key sustainability projects I have helped implement.
OPERATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
In my role as Sustainability Officer for Griffith Business School, I am responsible for progressing the operational sustainability of the School. This includes overseeing projects in the area of energy, procurement and waste. A key highlight was the installation of a 25 kilowatts (kW) solar array on the Griffith South Bank Graduate Centre (S07), which saves approximately 36 tonnes of carbon emissions per year and offsets the emissions of the School's MBA program.
EVENT MANAGEMENT
Part of my role as Sustainability Officer also includes organising small and large-scale events, including public seminars, workshops, specialised courses and large conferences. Key events include a public seminar with Earth Check, which discussed tourism, climate change and sustainable business practices; a Sustainability Forum at the Gold Coast; and a large conference with over 100 delegates titled pathways to a sustainable economy, where I had the opportunity to meet key partners, such as the former President of Kiribati (pictured). My event management skills have allowed me to run smooth and successful events. For other events that I have helped organise, please click the button below.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
One of my key responsibilities is to engage the university community in sustainability. This has been achieved through a range of activities, including plastic free campaigns, waste and recycling campaigns, collaborating with the university's cleaning team, creation of a sustainability newsletter and chairing the Griffith Business School Sustainability Committee. While seconding the university's Sustainability Officer, I was also directly responsible for progressing other university-wide initiatives relating to sustainability.
WAR ON COFFEE CUPS
Our team led the implementation of a coffee cup recycling project at Griffith, aimed at increase recycling and diverting waste going to landfill. We partnered with Closed Loop and their Simply Cups initiative—Australia’s first dedicated coffee cup recycling program. As of December 2018, we had diverted over 30,000 coffee cups from landfill. This project earned me a Staff Sustainability Award in 2018.
WASTE AND RECYCLING
I have launched several waste projects within Griffith Business School, including a coffee pod recycling program that has resulted in over 15,000 pods being recycled. I also collaborate with other departments across the university to help reduce recycling and improve waste management across the university.