On August 19th, six University of Auckland PhD students presented sustainability-focused workshops to secondary school students at Auckland Zoo for Green Jam 2024. One session led by Nargiss Taleb, Cindy Yi and Meiliana Meiliana, centered on composting and labelling, helping students understand how to identify compostable materials and their specific conditions required for composting. They also highlighted the importance of being mindful of what we put into our soils.
Other workshops included Cara Andres and Dennis van Hulten’s comparison of sustainability and regeneration; and Dan Kelly’s game-based workshop exploring the role of imagination in building sustainable futures. Student suggestions here included ‘daylighting’ urban streams, incorporating green roofs on buildings and bus stops, increasing the luxury and amenities associated with public transport, and – in one particularly sophisticated analysis of the problems associated with electric vehicles – replacing cars with horses for many trips. Giddy up!
The PhD students had a wonderful time, enhancing their presentation skills and refining the ability to connect with younger audiences. Overall, the event was a resounding success, leaving both the school students and PhD presenters inspired and more deeply committed to fostering a sustainable future.
This blog post was written by Nargiss Taleb, Doctoral Candidate, Faculty of Science, Environment
The student-led sustainability workshops were an offshoot of the Ngā Ara Whetū Advocacy Workshops run by Niki Harre (Psychology) and Margaret Stanley (Biological Sciences) earlier this year.
Recent Comments