Green Programs 2019: Spotlight on Representatives - Stephane Guillou

Stephane Guillou has been in the Green Office program since 2012. With an interest and background in sustainability, Stephane was motivated to join the Green Office Program when he started working in UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences.

Before joining the program, Stephane’s primary interest was in biodiversity and pollution. Now, climate change’s urgency is what captures his attention. Born in France, he says it is interesting to see the different environmental challenges and actions between Australia and in his birth country.

When Stephane moved positions to UQ’s Library, he immediately started more waste collection streams. “We can now compost food scraps, use e-waste and battery bins, and I assist with soft plastics collections. It always feels "real" to divert waste from landfill to a stream that will most likely give it a more sustainable second life.” Stephane says these changes were fairly easy to implement, but as with any new sustainable practice, the challenge is to communicate the new initiative and encourage people to use the correct bins. In 2019, Stephane also created the Riot chatroom, which allows Green Labs and Green Office representatives to connect and share ideas online. 

Since becoming a Green Office rep, Stephane says “I am definitely more aware of how the university operates in sustainability matters, thanks to events and trips organised by the Sustainability Office, and to some work I have done on the impact of waste streams at the Gatton campus”.

For any staff member thinking of becoming a Green Programs’ representative, Stephane says it is important to keep working at sustainability initiatives. “It takes time to change a culture… If there are too many barriers, you can try focusing on another project – there are so many potential improvements to implement around us, and if you run out of ideas, other reps can help you out!”