Led by associate professor of information technology Samuel Mann, co-ordinator of the polytechnic's Sustainability Education programme, the LivingCampus project will be a ‘‘sustainable model of urban agriculture for the ownership and benefit of the Dunedin community''.
Prof Mann offers a grand vision for the future of the campus, as a beautiful and productive community garden, with an interactive sustainability ‘‘museum'' and ongoing educational programmes.
The ‘‘world class'' project was a first for Australasia, and would be a major step in bringing sustainable living into the community, he said.
‘‘It will involve the renovation of the polytechnic's existing city campus into an exciting place where sustainability comes alive,'' he said.
‘‘And it will all be wrapped up with learning opportunities for staff and students, as well as the wider community.''
The project will require a significant financial commitment, and an application for funding has been lodged with the Government's Sustainable Management Fund. Prof Mann declined to reveal the amount of the application, save to say it was ‘‘substantial''.
Whatever the outcome, the LivingCampus project will go ahead, as it has been endorsed by the Otago Polytechnic leadership team, chief executive Phil Ker said.
‘‘This is an exciting project, which fits very well with where we want to go around sustainable practice,'' Mr Ker said.
The project is part of a wider drive throughout the polytechnic to include sustainable practice in its operation and teaching in all departments.
‘‘We are working hard to ensure the polytech is walking the talk on sustainability.''
Government funding would enable the polytechnic to ‘‘break the back'' of the project more quickly, meaning it could be completed in two years. Without the funding, it was likely to take five to seven years to complete, Mr Ker said.
Many of Otago Polytechnic's 450 staff and about 12,000 students, along with community organisations, would be drawn into the project as it moved through its various stages, beginning with the planning and design of the various garden spaces, Prof Mann said.
‘‘The departments will have input into the types of plants that are included near their buildings, as well as into the stories to be told in each section of garden,'' he said.
At this stage, gardens would include permaculture, heritage European plants, kai Maori plants, medicinal herbs, and the student centre would benefit from having a kitchen garden.
The gardens would be developed in spaces that are presently ‘‘green and brown'', and would not encroach on carparks, Prof Mann said.
The polytechnic's environmental team, led by Simon Noble, would be an integral part of the work, but it was hoped that it would be ‘‘owned'' by staff and students.
‘‘One of the most exciting things for me is that the project will evolve in the main campus areas, not hidden in waste space out the back somewhere,'' he said.
Prof Mann's enthusiasm has been infectious for many in the polytechnic community, including students association co-presidents Megan Cloughley and Ryan Ward, who hail the concept as a ‘‘great idea''.
"As co-presidents, we will be encouraging the students to get involved, especially as there is the potential for them to be able to harvest some of the produce for themselves,'' Ms Cloughley said.
The concept would be mutually beneficial for the polytechnic and its students, Mr Ward said.
‘‘It's going to help students to support themselves through some hard times.'' - Brenda Harwood