Get Good Done ideas hackathon

The second annual Get Good Done programme challenged participants to solve some of today’s biggest environmental, social, and cultural issues, based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Supported by the University’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), the 48-hour ideas hackathon provided a platform for students and staff to come together to help make a difference in the world. “The 2018 Get Good Done was a high energy, action-orientated weekend, where participants worked incredibly hard to bring to life solutions to some of the world’s most gnarly challenges,” said CIE Programme Manager Jenna Ash.

Over the 48-hour period, nine teams worked hard to develop and start a range of ventures, from mobile applications to measure the amount of food waste students create, a certification system for organisations working towards gender equal employment policies and practices, selling bras where the profit will impact and improve the lives of India’s Dalit women, a platform to connect millennials interested in the restoration of their local stream, to a service to assist charities with obtaining donations of physical goods.

University Sustainability and Environment Manager Lesley Stone said it is exciting to see staff leading the way in socialising SDGs within the student community and consequently students engaging with the SDG framework to solve issues of today.

Get Good Done is not the only way in which CIE is promoting sustainability. The Centre is conscious of the important role it plays in social responsibility, ethical and sustainable practices. This includes management of Unleash Space, including the busy Maker Space, and the many programmes, workshops and events it runs and the key role it plays in allowing what comes in and out of its spaces and the services it connects with.

“We work closely with the Sustainability and Environment team and the Waste Management team under Property Services, both of whom provide a wonderful resource for educating and advising us in areas of sustainability,” said Jenna.

Alongside programmes such as Get Good Done, CIE is looking at the smaller things it can do and practices it can change for the better. A recent example is looking at viable alternatives for convenient and popular catering options for student events and workshops or how to effectively dispose of soiled cardboard pizza boxes. Composting is under consideration as an option because the boxes are not able to be recycled effectively.