By Greens Rep Florrie Torney
The Greens committee has had a strong start to the year, focusing on building community and promoting sustainability around Burgmann. From relaxed events in the Botanic Gardens to initiatives such as Market Days and a campus clean-up, we’ve worked to make sustainability accessible and engaging. This article recaps what we have been up to throughout the semester and outlines some projects we look forward to in the upcoming months!
The Early Weeks
At the beginning of the year, we had some great N-week and O-week events, starting with a picnic in the beautiful Botanic Gardens. We shared some snacks and enjoyed the beautiful landscape so close to Burgmann. During O-week, Greens hosted a Paint, Plant and Sip as students painted pots to plant succulents for their room; a great way to promote outdoor activities while enjoying the new courtyard and Le Chat’s lively atmosphere!
Market Days
A huge aspect of Greens this year has been our secondhand markets. We held our first in Term 1, with students donating clothes to be sold and a free BBQ provided by the Greens Committee to promote participation. We held a floor competition to reward floors that donated clothing, with a small portion of the funds from the market's profits going towards their floor budgets. Overall, we raised $150, with the other half of the proceeds going towards Thread Together, an organisation that redirects unsold clothing from landfill to people and families experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, and other hardships.
In Term 2, we hosted a second-hand clothing and bookstore at the Family Weekend Village Market, to much success, selling a record amount of donations to students and their lovely families. The market organised by the Village raised money for Burgmann College's 2025 appeal to Grow The Harriet Nixon Scholarship Fund, and gave families a perfect end to the weekend.
Australia is the second highest consumer of textiles worldwide, and each person disposes an average of 23 kilograms of clothing to landfill each year. These markets intended to promote and normalise sustainable shopping whilst raising money for great causes.
Clean-Up Australia Day
An exciting addition to the ANU calendar was the Clean-Up Australia Day event run by Wright Hall, an interhall competition to determine who could clean up the most rubbish around campus. A team of 15 Burgmann students collected over 16 rubbish bags, landing us in first place. This was eye-opening as we realised the extent of pollution around campus, and served as a reminder of our impact.
Future for Greens
Now we look to the future and initiatives we plan to implement over the next semester. This includes restoring the Village garden, a space to grow our own vegetables. The garden has been an awesome aspect of the College over the years; however, it struggles to stay alive over the long breaks. We intend to ensure it lives on this year!
We also plan on continuing our termly market by promoting sustainable ways to source new clothing and finding new charities that contribute towards the protection and restoration of our beautiful environment.
We are excited about the future of Greens and the possibilities the next semester brings!
