It Takes a Village

Communicating a campus compost project as a local case study of sustainability education

Abstract

Our relationship with waste has been tumultuous and at times dysfunctional, but it has come a long way. This paper outlines a project involving staff and students at Otago Polytechnic (in Dunedin, New Zealand) and traces the development of communication design systems and strategies aimed at on-campus behaviour change. Targeting the campus community, these communication strategies imply that people take personal responsibility for personal waste. The project was an opportunity for students to align their practices with the UN Sustainable Development Goals #12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and #15 (Life on Land). This paper considers how a project that engages these goals, can also contribute to SDG #4 (Quality Education). In the New Zealand context, this paper also outlines a consideration of bicultural thinking to inform outcomes.