Sustainability at ASPIRE 

Te Ao Māori principles articulated in Taumata Teitei (kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga and whanaungatanga) are aligned with sustainability, as is the concept of whakapapa. Sustainability is about relationships, honouring life and the planet, ensuring continuity into the future, and practical outcomes such as tangible reductions in our institution’s waste and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Click for more information about sustainability at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland 

The ASPIRE Team has come together with our Event Services colleagues, our caterers (Flame Tree), the Sustainability Hub and the University Environment and Sustainability Office to implement sustainability initiatives across all areas of the conference for 2024 (and beyond!). 

We are working our way towards a more sustainable event, including an ambition to make it waste-free in future, but we need your help to make this happen. Leading up to the conference you will see posts in Campus Kōrero and emails about what you can do (or not do) to make a difference. At the conference we will be asking our MCs to give reminders and will have messages on our big screens. 

What can you do as kaitiaki? 

• We are providing free barista coffee at registration (and at morning tea/lunch), so no need to buy a takeaway en-route. 
• BYO refillable water bottle and keep cup – please bring a keep cup with a lid if you want to take your coffee into the auditorium! 
• Use public transport/ walk/ bike to the conference. 
• Use the conference app to take notes – you can send to yourself afterwards. 
• Take any waste you may bring away with you (e.g. any food wrappers) and follow all instructions on the different bins around the venue. 
• BYO lanyard or hand the one we give you back at the end of the day (or save it for next year!) 
• Give your name tag back to us to recycle or take it home and display it as a reminder of our purpose (our guiding whakataukī is on the back).  

So, what are we doing? 

Working with our caterers on:  

• • reducing food waste – leftover food will be offered to non-conference staff and students before it reaches the end of its food-safety period. Any food waste will be composted, 
  • providing only reusable crockery and cutlery and reusable or unbleached, compostable napkins, 
  • having no red meat options in our main menu (red meat has a higher carbon footprint),
  • providing ceramic cups at all 4 barista coffee stations – no disposables.  

• Raising the profile of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by identifying which goals are relevant to each workshop – you can find this information on the conference programme. We even have a workshop about SDGs at Work! 

• Aiming to source primarily sustainable prizes and gifts (experiences, consumables, locally produced items). 
• Not producing single-use ASPIRE-branded items. A new ASPIRE design will enable us to reuse items (e.g. photo wall, lanyards) over multiple conference years. Our signage is electronic or reusable.  
• Not providing any paper printouts in main sessions – a few workshops may have some, so please recycle responsibly. 

The Environment and Sustainability Office will be monitoring waste production and disposal at the conference and will have a stand where you can drop in and ask questions.