What’s Happening on Campus: July 2026
FUSA’s Environmental Officer Madeline King talks all things sustainability on campus.
Words by Madeline King
Sustainable Transport Tips
Many students rely on public transport to commute to university. For new students who are studying full-time, you can claim a Concession Card for public transport. This will make travel cheaper.
To claim a Concession Card, students must be enrolled to study full time (3+ topics per semester). Unfortunately, students who are part time (1-2 topics per semester) and online do not qualify to receive the discount.
For those who catch the train to Bedford Park, use the shuttle station bus to get off at the bus stop right next to the hub, then take a lift back to the train station when you’re done for the day. For those travelling from Tonsley to Bedford Park and don’t want to use the train, use the Tonsley shuttle bus to get a lift to Bedford Park and back.
To those who do not use public transport and live nearby, use a bike or walk to university to do your bit in saving the environment! If you bike, Flinders has multiple bike stations around campus for you to lock up your bike in a secure location.
If you prefer or need to drive to university, carpool to campus! Whether that’s sharing a ride with your roommate, family, or even dropping someone off at work on the way, do your best to carpool. This means less cars on the road, and the comfort of being with a friend or family on your way to university.
To students being the passenger princess, or taking public transport to university, do your best to complete some assignments on the ride there. Read papers; write a to do list for the day; scribble down some ideas on assignment, anything that can give you the slightest head start will do!
Reducing Waste in Housing
Timesare tough and groceries are expensive! Take some time to plan before grocery shopping, whether this is before heading to OASIS Market (Thursdays 11am-1pm), or the upcoming FUSA Food/Hygiene Pantry or the regular supermarkets.
Write a list of what is already in your fridge and pantry before heading out. This will help you save money from buying duplicate items and will assist in meal prepping. Try to plan meals a week in advance, this makes shopping quicker, easier and more affordable as you have a list of what you need!
Try to cook meals that use the same ingredients or buy ingredients that can be used across multiple meals. This way, you’re saving money and making your meal planning simple.
Always label your leftovers with a date so you know when to use them by, this will mean less wastage and more lunches for you to pack and bring to university. Setting up an ‘eat this first’ shelf is useful if you have multiple leftovers. If you think you will not get to a leftover in time, or perhaps you did not enjoy that meal as much as you thought, give it to a friend, roommate, family or perhaps the homeless. Do not let it go to waste, do not throw it out. Perhaps you could create a compost.
Creating compost can assist in less wastage and is very beneficial to the environment. Scraps can also be used for broth. Keep a bag in the freezer to collect vegetable peels, carrot greens, onion scraps, etc. When it’s full, boil them down to make a vegetable stock.
FUSEC
FUSEC has been very busy since the semester started!
We currently run Working Bees at the Community Garden near the Science Innovation and Learning Centre (SILC). Come join us every second Sunday from 1pm-5pm to help us weed, plant, and water the garden! We aim to make this garden more accessible to students and eventually allow students to take the vegetables that are growing (patience is required).
We recently collaborated with TOUR3115 in their BLOOM event, which allowed students to create their own bouquet of flowers using off cuts and non-bought flowers left over from Mother’s Day!
If you missed this opportunity, do not stress! FUSEC aims to re-run the event during Sustainability Week, so keep an eye on our social media page for more information!
Finally, I aim to implement a Mug in the Hub initiative, allowing students to borrow, clean (required) and return (also required) keep cups and mugs. This will reduce the number of takeaway cups seen across campus. So, if you have any mugs or keep cups that you do not use, think about donating them and see them be used across campus! You will be contributing to protecting the environment and increasing student wellness.
Get Involved
If you are interested in donating mugs or keep cups, or have an environmental enquiry, send me an email at environment.officer@flinders.edu.au
If you want to join FUSEC, head over to our Instagram (@flinders_sustainability) and click the link in our bio!
If you have any inquiries, send us an email at infofusec@gmail.com