SDG 15: Protect ecosystems, forests and biodiversity loss

Indigenous knowledges continue to be marginalised in the broader Australian community. In a time of grave ecological crisis with threatening mega wildfires and other environmental disasters, we should be engaging in knowledges that have been an integral part of the Australian landscape for at least 65,000 years. I pledge to increase my engagement with local Indigenous knowledges by attending local Indigenous led workshops and getting to know Indigenous plant and animal species that are native to my local area.

Once covid is over, I'd love to get out into the world to lend a helping hand in wildlife protection and conservation efforts. I hope to contribute in whatever way I can and gain valuable insight from these experiences.

I love art, and I am keenly aware of the need to get the world on a path towards sustainability. I intend to hold an online art exhibition atleast by the end of the year. I have some ideas...will be exploring more in the summer break! The point being..we need to show and help everyone understand the unsustainability of life as "usual". In fact our lifestyles are highly unusual from even 40 years ago! Where did we go wrong, how can we wake up everyone from the state of what I would call a zombiefied existence of consumption? How do we "educate, agitate and organise" people in engaging and a relevant manner? Those are the thoughts that constantly drive me. [Photo by James Garman on Unsplash]

People are often ignorant of how much we rely on the life and resources of the natural world to sustain our lifestyles. And even worse is how people overlook the long term impacts of their negligent actions on the world. If I wish to inspire others or hold them accountable, I must work on my actions first. For this, I will pick up trash I see when I go on walks as well as selecting more ethically and fairly sourced products to ensure no people or creatures are unnecessarily harmed or put at risk.

How many times have you disposed heaps and heaps of "used" paper while clearing off your work desk? Some are completely bare except for the stick figure doodle you did on the edge in the middle of your zoom lecture,wondering when you will be back on campus.What about those papers which are drowning in ink because you "had" to take notes during another recorded lecture yet can never find them before a revision session for your upcoming test and they magically only reappear when you clean your room,you half heartedly dumping them in the bin with all your pretty cursives wasted! Well ,if this is the case then welcome to my "take one step" initiative where I will be introducing you to the wondrous world of online note taking a.k.a e-notes so you don't have to dispose of any paper nor kill the lovely trees that do the planet so much good.Every week I will be introducing a new note taking app/website/method/theory you name it in order to persuade you all and even myself(we all slip sometimes) to dump the traditional way of note-taking with pen and paper and hop on to the digital world of electronic notes with me :)

Due to COVID, 1-use masks littering have polluted our oceans and communities. Therefore my initiative is to educate people on proper disposal of masks.

With the current pandemic meaning more time spent at home, I have become increasingly aware of the overconsumptive behaviours that myself and my friends engage in. In our share house of four there is an excess of food wastes, rubbish and goods. This has caused me to reflect on our actions and encourage myself and friends to do better together. This has included introducing a compost/food waste bin which will be used for our food scraps. I have also encouraged group meals 1-2 times a week so that we can get through our food together and ensure that there is less waste. In addition, we have begun collaborating when doing our shoppping to ensure that we are buying in bulk what we all use - this directly reduces plastic/wrapping waste. Furthermore, I have been actively trying to educate myself, and others on the impacts that our consumption is having and how small changes can be very beneficial. I aim to introduce more sustainable food wraps and containers. As well as ensuring we are educated on the recycling practices and procedures.

All organic kitchen scraps are going in the compost bin! With the increased cooking done at home, I noticed that there has been more and more food scraps going into the rubbish bin rather than to be composted to be used for our garden. I hope to promote the benefits of composting for growing your own delicious veggies and fruits in your backyard and supporting our local ecosystem!

Menstruation is a normal aspect of most women's monthly routine. However most women buy sanitary pads or tampons constantly as it is the norm in western societies is to use single use items. This creates a huge amount of waste, roughly 200 000 tonnes each year as well as putting strain on women who are homeless or in poverty who cannot afford these items every month. I have recently discovered businesses that offer more sustainable options such as reusable sanitary pads and menstruation cups that can last for years as well as being biodegradable. I have taken the step to invest in some of these products in order to reduce the amount of waste that I produce as a result of my bodily functions.

Every semester (even terms) we consume a lot papers to support our study's needs. These paper can be in the shape of block notes, notebooks, post-its, stick notes, paperwork used in the tutorials and lectures and even readings printing. After each semester, year or after the graduation we just through it at the bin, hopping that the government can recycle for us. However, we can just guarantee the end of all these papers if we know the destiny we are giving to them. That's why I am keen to start to delivery my papers to recycle companies by myself. Also, I am keen to create a campaign ( If Monash does so) that incentives all the students and staffs to delivery their paper stuffs in collection spots through the campuses and Monash could transfer them to a recycling partner. If we wanna change the world, we must start in our yard!. However if this initiative be successful, Monash Uni can even to expand it to schools, encouraging secondary students to do the same. I am totally keen to take this idea 'out the paper'!