About JCU Sustainability at JCU Commitments

Commitments

What is Sustainability?

The United Nations defines sustainability as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

Sustainable development incorporates three pillars: environment, social and economic sustainability. Sustainability occurs at the intersection of these three pillars.

Figure 1.1: Sustainable development spheres from Elkington, 2004

James Cook University’s efforts towards sustainability is actively making a liveable, viable, fair, and sustainable difference to life in the Tropics.

Environment

Social

Economic

  • Protect biodiversity and environmental health
  • Reduce the use of water, energy and resources in its operations
  • Reduce waste and pollution.
  • Create a campus environment free of discrimination of all kinds
  • A fair and equitable university
  • Improve the lives of people in the Tropics through its outreach and research activities
  • Create an economically viable university that supports the local community
  • Create fair and rewarding employment for its staff
  • Support sustainable investment; respecting human rights and avoiding carbon intensive industries.

Sustainability Commitments

JCU's sustainability statement is an expression of the University's intention to contribute to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of people in northern Queensland and the Tropics. It formalises the University's commitment to weave sustainability into its research, teaching and operational efforts, along with the many aspects of university life and in the broader community.

This Statement applies to all members of the JCU community. JCU commits to working towards the achievement of sustainable development as follows:

  • Foster a university wide culture of sustainability by embedding sustainability principles into governance policies, strategies and procedures
  • Demonstrate leadership in sustainable practices and behaviour
  • Promote equity, diversity, inclusivity and social justice within University operations
  • Ignite and support a passion for learning about sustainability through the embedding of sustainability into curriculum and learning and teaching practices
  • Build and apply research excellence to meet economic, environmental, social and cultural challenges of sustainability
  • Engage and support students and staff in sustainability practices and strive for continual improvement
  • Pursue opportunities to improve organisational sustainability and embed sustainability principles into University procurement and investment
  • Develop strategic industry, community, government and non-government partnerships to innovatively address sustainability challenges
  • Communicate the University’s sustainability values, activities and performance
  • Monitor, evaluate and report annually on the University’s sustainability activities and performance

Wallaman falls Ashley

Commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

As a University with commitment to Sustainability, JCU aligns its vision, mission, values, and strategies with the UN SDGs and embeds them across all aspects of JCU’s operations, teaching, research and engagement. The University provides quality education that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and values to contribute to the SDGs in their personal and professional lives. It conducts interdisciplinary and collaborative research that addresses the complex challenges and opportunities related to the SDGs and generates evidence-based solutions.

SDG-blocks-A

JCU engages with local and global communities, partners, and stakeholders to share knowledge, raise awareness, and foster actions for the SDGs. It monitors and reports on their progress and impact on the SDGs using relevant indicators and frameworks. By doing so, JCU demonstrates its commitment to social justice, environmental stewardship, and economic viability, and inspires others in the community to join JCU in creating a more sustainable world for present and future generations.

Learn more about JCU’s actions towards the achievement of the UN SDGs

  • Student financial assistance and scholarships
    We offer over fifty scholarships, covering different study areas, support for regional, rural and remote studies, students with disabilities or students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
  • Places to eat
    We have a range of food and drink options available on campus – whether you want a sit down meal at a café, something on the go, or just a cup of coffee!
  • Community gardens
    Become a member of the Community of Gardeners, which is supported by the JCU Student Association
  • Smarter, Sustainable Farming Solutions
    The Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre (AgTAC) takes a data-tech and human-centred approach to producing more food with a smaller environmental footprint in challenging climates, whilst minimising the threat of pests and disease outbreak.
  • Open Education
    Open Education empowers the creation, adaptation, and distribution of educational materials across various media formats. By fostering a culture of openness, collaboration, and accessibility, Open Education not only supports individual learning journeys, but also cultivates a pathway towards a brighter global future.
  • JCU The Learning Centre
    The centre offers personalised support in Academic Writing, English Language, Academic Skills, Math, Statistics, and the Sciences to create enriching learning experiences for all JCU students.
  • Peer Assisted Study Sessions(PASS)
    PASS is a FREE academic support program for students. PASS provides a casual, friendly and active learning environment where students can work together to better understand the content and learning objectives for a subject. The study sessions focus on integrating course content (what to learn) with academic reasoning and study skills (how to learn).
  • Free online tutoring for students
    Studiosity provides personalised, live, online feedback on academic writing from a trained network of Studiosity advisors and is available 24/7.
  • Pathways to JCU Explore options for preparation and entry to university.
  • Gender Equity Action and Research (GEAR)
    JCU’s Gender Equity Advocacy and Reference (GEAR) team provides advice to the Vice Chancellor and University on issues such as the higher rates of loss for women across career pipelines and the lower numbers of women in senior academic positions, particularly in STEMM disciplines where these trends are deeply entrenched across the higher education and research sector.
  • Inclusion at JCU
    JCU has programs which support diversity and inclusion, including the JCU Pride Network and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff Network.
  • JCU Respect Now Always
    JCU has a comprehensive suite of activities involving staff and student communities designed to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and sexual assault.
  • Rainwater tanks – JCU has rainwater tanks for irrigation on Townsville and cairns campuses, and research stations.
  • Sustainable land management
    Across the Townsville (Bebegu Yumba) and Cairns (Nguma-bada) campuses, TropEco and Estate teams have created water-wise xerophytic gardens, installed efficient irrigationsystems, established large-scale composting and revegetation programs, and introduced biological pest control.
  • Energy management – JCU has invested in energy management for many decades, with initiatives including the Campus District Cooling system, a progressive Energy Management System and several solar power installations. Energy use is closely monitored using energy management system software, which matches air conditioning and lighting around typical hours of building use, adjusted for weather conditions and efficiency.
  • JCU Employee Enterprise Agreement
    Working at James Cook University means enjoying a tropical lifestyle in North-Queensland or Singapore, combined with flexible working arrangements, extensive professional development, salary-packaging options and strong support for staff career progression.
  • Employee Unions - National Tertiary Education Union
    The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) supports staff at James Cook University by representing their employment interests, advocating for secure work and fair conditions, and negotiating enterprise agreements on their behalf.
  • Student Union JCUSA
    The JCU Student Association (JCUSA) supports students across campuses by providing free academic advocacy and welfare services, organising clubs, sport and social events, and offering specialist help (including tax, legal and housing advice) to ensure student wellbeing and inclusion.
  • Connectivity Café – weekly sessions with students, researchers, entrepreneurs, innovators and industry discussing opportunities and new ideas
  • Impact 10X – an intensive program for students, researchers, alumni, industry professionals or community who has a great idea that could be turned into a startup
  • Research Partnerships Team – dedicated to working with researchers and partners to develop collaborative bids for funding
  • Partnership with JourneyTech – working with researchers to identify, protect and manage the commercialisation of intellectual property crated by staff and students
  • AccessAbility at JCU – Support services for students living with a disability.
    JCU is committed to ensuring that all students have equal opportunities to access, engage and participate in all levels of our university. If you live with disability, are neurodivergent, have a temporary or permanent health condition or injury that impacts on your studies, and/or you care for someone with disability, you may be eligible for support.
  • Student Personal Support Services
    JCU has a number of free services to support students when they are experiencing difficulty in their personal life.
  • JCU Winter and Summer School for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
    The Indigenous Education and Research Centre offers numerous support programs to help Indigenous students understand what university is like and prepare for study.
  • Tropical Urbanism and Design Lab
    TUDLab assists the development industry, governments and non-government organisations by providing solutions for improving the sustainability of tropical urban areas. We pull together the capacity and multidisciplinary expertise of James Cook University researchers with strong links to local governments and industry. We bridge academic knowledge and real-world planning and design endeavours.
  • Green Bike Fleet program and workshop
    JCU is the perfect place to ride your bike, with good access to both the Townsville and Cairns campuses from most locations. Our campuses have ample bike parking and shower facilities, a wide network of paths and bike lanes, low cost bike mechanic services and a Bicycle Users Group (Townsville campus) to provide support to cyclists.
  • Sustainable Purchasing
    The Strategic Procurement Group is committed to raising awareness of sustainable purchasing. Our objective is to encourage procurement that offers reduced environmental impacts over the life-cycle of goods or services.
  • TropEco War on Waste campaign
    The War on Waste campaign is a challenge to JCU staff and students to lift our recycling rate to 70%.
  • Carbon emissions tracking
  • Carbon Management Plan
  • Living Collections Strategy
  • Freshwater creeks monitoring - Gonndaloo and Wadda-mooli creeks on the Bebegu Yumba campus have been surveyed biannually since 2018, in January and April each year. Freshwater biodiversity is surveyed, and water quality assessed to monitor pH and nitrites. Fish, reptile, amphibian and crustacea, insect and aquatic plant species are recorded, and invasive species including cane toad eggs are removed.
  • Fish ladder river passages
    JCU has installed fish ladders in its campus creeks to facilitate the upstream migration of native fish.
  • Water Quality: Catchment to reef
    JCU plays a major role in monitoring the condition and tracking long-term trends of pollutants entering the Great Barrier Reef. We also work with growers, graziers and communities to help reduce runoff and improve on-farm practices.
  • Overfishing and Sustainable fisheries
    The Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture specialises in the sustainable exploitation of tropical aquatic species, supporting food security through knowledge.
  • Seagrass restoration project
    We monitor, map, restore and research inshore seagrass meadows, collaborating with Traditional Owners, industries, and governments.
  • Waterways Report Card
    Each year, the Healthy Waters Partnership gathers and evaluates the most reliable environmental data available in our region to present an overview of the most recent condition of local waterway environments.
  • Protecting Biodiversiy
    JCU's campuses each have a unique rich biodiversity which plays a major part in the attraction of JCU to students and staff. JCU takes care to protect native wildlife including in our natural freshwater creeks and using motion sensor cameras to record and monitor campus biodiversity.
  • Supporting Plant Conservation.
    Our native plant nursery also supports ex situ conservation programs for Australian threatened plant species. The Bebegu Yumba plant nursery provides thousands of trees, including plants significant for indigenous food and medicine, to be planted back in revegetation areas on site to keep our native landscapes thriving.
  • Weed and pest control
    JCU actively monitors occurrence of invasive weed species on campus, and regularly eradicates weeds and revegetates damaged areas with native plants.  JCU is also moving away from a reliance on pest insect control using chemical pesticides, towards a more ecologically sustainable method, biological controls. This has been implemented over the Bebegu Yumba campus for three years, in the greenhouses and plant nurseries and continuing in landscape gardens.
  • TropEco Interns
    TropEco Interns make a positive contribution to sustainability and gain skills and knowledge to implement sustainability programs at JCU or in the community.

JCU collaborates with communities, industry partners, government, and research organisations to advance progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Through these partnerships, JCU combines local knowledge and global expertise to deliver solutions that promote social, environmental, and economic sustainability across the tropics and beyond.

Indigenous Engagement

JCU is committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and engagement. The Indigenous Education and Research Centre offers culturally grounded programs, dedicated student-success support and pathway initiatives that empower Indigenous students to thrive academically and pursue their goals. By embedding Indigenous knowledges, perspectives and research across its teaching, learning and community partnerships, JCU works to close educational and employment gaps and strengthen Indigenous self-determination and leadership.

6 people walking towards camera

Study Sustainability at JCU

By integrating sustainability across the curriculum and all campuses, JCU demonstrates its commitment to social justice, environmental stewardship, and economic viability. If you are interested in studying sustainability explore the diverse range of study opportunities at JCU. Browse our available study areas and see how you can be ready today for tomorrow.