The Emerging Visionaries Tertiary Learners Sustainability Symposium held at OPAIC on Thursday evening was a big success.
Principal Lecturer and Employability Manager, Dani Mao, welcomed everyone to the event saying she was honoured to be surrounded by people shaping the future of sustainability and innovation.
Group Chief Executive, Sam Alavi, said the world was changing and evolving quickly and education and innovation played an important part in how we adapted as people and citizens of the planet.
He said the event was a platform to share ideas and have a dialogue. It was inspiring to see such a commitment to the very important topic of sustainability and everyone present was contributing to a greener and more equitable future.
Green Party MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, gave the keynote address, saying the solution to the climate crisis sat with communities. It was important to empower communities to come up with their own solutions.
She encouraged those present to take some time to think about why they do what they do and integrate their values into their work and life.
We then heard seven presentations on topics related to sustainability. Topics included machine learning, the gender pay gap, eco-centric urban design, and 3D printing in construction.
The award for the top presentation went to OPAIC student, Ann Cabanero, for her project about the Aureate Reforestation project, a project OPAIC students and staff have been contributing to over the past two years.
Second place went to AIC student, Nenie Tamarisca Petrisia, for her Carbon Footprint Assessment of Otago Polytechnic (AIC) taking Emissions Reduction Action.
Third place went to Unitec – Te Pukenga student, Sione Vaea, for his project about Modelling Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Wastewater Treatment Plants.
After the presentations, we enjoyed dinner and had an opportunity to network.
Thank you to Green Office Toitū coordinator, Patricia Joseph, for leading the symposium organising committee, and ensuring the seamless execution of the event.
Thank you also to all of those who came along and helped make the event a success.
