A passion for sustainability drives two of our residents, Alicia and Emily

Alicia Heywood, a resident of our Burwood campus, and Emily Ellis, a resident at Geelong Waurn Ponds, are part of an emerging group of residents passionate about sustainability.   

Originally from Warragul, south-east of Melbourne, Alicia completed high school at Drouin Secondary College, and initially made the decision to live at our Melbourne Burwood campus for the convenience of being in close proximity to her lectures and tutorials. She notes however, that it has been the activities on offer and friendships formed which have led her to return this year.   

Alicia is in her third year of completing a Bachelor of Commerce/Arts and a Diploma of Chinese, and if her studies weren’t enough to keep her busy, she’s also the Secretary of the Deakin Sustainable Food Movement. “We’re a laid-back group focused on sustainable living. We host events like pot-luck lunches, composting workshops, and barbeques in the community garden.”  Alicia notes that these events are a great way to meet people who share similar goals and values. 

She first discovered the group during Market Day as part of Orientation in her first year. “The stall drew me in with the abundance of fruits and vegetables, and it looked like a lot of fun! Everyone was really welcoming from the get-go.” Her passion for sustainability led to her getting involved and ultimately stepping up in the role of Secretary, taking responsibility for organising meetings and writing minutes.  

“After having all of our events online in 2020 [due to COVID], we hope to have some on-campus events this year especially in our Deakin Community Garden. We also want to expand to other sustainable issues, so stay tuned.” Alicia is particularly keen to see more of Deakin’s residents join the cause. “If any ressies love to grow veggies or care about sustainability they should definitely join. We may be small but if you want to be part of a close community, get in touch and join our movement.”   

Like Alicia, sustainability has been a passion for Emily, since a young age. “My mum and dad always encouraged my family to be more sustainable, from owning chickens to shopping at a local market.” She notes however that it wasn’t until the end of her time at Mentone Girls Grammar that she started to fully understand the importance of sustainability. “Throughout year 12, I attended seminars, watched countless documentaries and read many articles to learn more about sustainability. My passion for sustainability even led me to choose my current course of study, a Bachelor of Marine Science, as I believe the ocean plays a massive role towards society becoming more sustainable.” 

  Emily’s decision to live on campus was partly driven by Deakin’s proactive approach to sustainability.

She notes that she’s particularly passionate about supporting Deakin Res’ new and ongoing sustainability initiatives. Providing separate landfill, recycling and organic bins in each apartment or unit, having a secure place to store bikes, allowing and encouraging us to bring our own plates and cutlery to events, providing buses to off-campus events, keeping students updated about sustainability initiatives and actively trying to improve and find new ways to become more sustainable have been some of the key initiatives within the residences. Emily highlights that Deakin Res has also importantly provided “…a safe place where I feel confident in sharing my ideas, opinions and passion for the environment.” 

Emily has big plans in 2021 to continue the work that has already started. “My sustainability goals for this year are to reduce the amount of waste I personally produce, to shop at greengrocers or markets over supermarkets, to buy a bike, continue to learn more about sustainability and encourage others to be more sustainable as part of ‘meatless Monday’ and by using the correct bins.”  

Learn more about Deakin Res’ efforts towards sustainability. To learn more about the Deakin Food Sustainability Movement, you can email  them or check them out on Instagram @deakinsustainablefoodmovement or Facebook @DSFM.