Otago Polytechnic (OP) is a tertiary education institution that aims to engage with the wider Dunedin and New Zealand community. The Polytechnic is involved in a number of community projects and volunteer work supporting students and the wider community such as Food Share, Fair Trade Breakfast and providing resources for Aleipata College in Samoa. The Dunedin campus developed a program which aims to raise awareness and change attitudes around the way land and buildings are typically used.

OP ‘s Centre for Sustainable Practice is building a hub for businesses, industry groups and government agencies to allow knowledge sharing and collaboration. The aim of this program is for sustainable practices to become more commonplace. Elements in the campus’ landscaping include urban agriculture, biodiversity, sustainable building materials, energy efficiency, water, waste/recycling and plant materials for cultural, artistic and therapeutic purposes. OP’s campus and Centre for Sustainable Practice has a community garden and is a sustainable model of urban agriculture that is used to educate staff, students and the wider community through tours and workshops.

Photo courtesy of Otago Polytechnic