Sunshine Coast TAFE (SCT) is the first educational institution in Australia to be certified carbon neutral under Low Carbon Australia's Carbon Neutral Program.

Carbon neutral certification is performed on behalf of the Australian Government by Low Carbon Australia under its Carbon Neutral Program. To gain accreditation Sunshine Coast TAFE has made changes to all four of its state-of-the-art campuses in Nambour, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and Noosa including:

• reducing the amount of waste it sends to landfill by one quarter,
• adapting its air-conditioning operation and maintenance,
• installing energy efficient lighting
• adding two new hybrid vehicles to the institute's fleet.

Low Carbon Australia's CEO Meg McDonald congratulated all staff and several local students attending the event, who had helped TAFE take the lead in sustainability by achieving carbon neutral status.

"While this places the Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE as an educational leader, it also directly benefits the institute through a reduction in energy costs of about 23 per cent and a twenty per cent fall in overall energy consumption," she said.

"Congratulations to all who helped achieve this result," Ms McDonald said.

Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE Director Ross Hepworth said the commitment of the institute's 600 staff had been critical to the success of its environmental initiatives.

"I am incredibly proud that our staff and students backed this initiative completely. They worked to identify more sustainable ways of operating and the results are irrefutable," he said.

"We're very proud of our new status, which will help us build on our commitment to being a leader in sustainable operations and education for sustainability and further the Sunshine Coast's vision of becoming Australia's most sustainable region."

For more information about the Carbon Neutral Program visit www.lowcarbonaustralia.com.au

View the news coverage of Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer, Wayne Swan recognising Sunshine Coast TAFE's achievement

TAFE Queensland wants your feedback in it's annual student satisfaction Survey. Tell TAFE what you really think for your chance to win one of these great prizes.

1st prize - choice of Apple iPad 32gb with Wi-Fi or $789*
2nd prize - $400*
3rd prize - $300*

* Australia Post Money Order redeemable for cash

Entries open 17 April and close 8 May 2012

Click here to complete the survey!

Plates for Mates is a national fundraising event being held during April & May 2012 and conceived by a group of Australia's leading chefs as a way to express their care, concern and support for friend, Matt Golinski. Plates for Mates is facilitating fundraising for the Matthew Golinski Recovery Fund and to the McComb Foundation

Sunshine Coast TAFE Eco Blue Restaurant, Mooloolaba
The total proceeds from our Roast night in Eco Blue will be donated to Plates for Mates.
Date: May 22nd 2012
Cost: $14 per person

Sunshine Coast TAFE Eco Blue Restaurant, Mooloolaba
The total proceeds from our Pizza and Pasta night in Eco Blue will be donated to Plates for Mates.
Date: May 29th 2012
Cost: $14 per person

To make a booking phone 5457 1000

Click here to find out more about Plates for Mates

The Sustainability Discovery Centre is open to the public these school holidays!
It's free, and suitable for all ages!

What is the Sustainability Discovery Centre?

The Sustainability Discovery Centre provokes visitors to discover where they are in terms of their own personal sustainability awareness and behaviour.

The 'take home' message is about achieving the balance between society, culture, environment and economy to transition the region towards sustainability for future generations.

The experience is suitable for all ages . Exhibits include interactive cutting edge multimedia and hands-on discovery stations that facilitate exploration of sustainability in the past, present and future.

"I can't wait to bring my son back, even at the age of three he has an absolute ball and interacts with the displays. What's even better is he can learn about the environment in a really fun way." - Tahnya Morgan

Click on here to find out more!

Sunshine Coast TAFE Refrigeration and Split System Air Conditioning students are now able to use mobile technology in the workplace to carry out refrigeration calculations. This project has been a collaboration between Sunshine Coast TAFE and Scott and Associates and has been funded by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework as an innovation project.

The HTML5 version is available online via the link below, an iPhone version will shortly be released to the Appstore, and an Android version will be released later in the year.

This version below can also be accessed using the latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome web browsers.

Launch Fresh or Freezing Air Conditioner Heat Load Calculator

Kick start your career in Business Administration with Sunshine Coast TAFE new Certificate III in Business Administration (Training Office / Work Environment). This interactive course utilises a simulated work environment as part of your studies, providing practical, hands-on experience to get you in the workforce sooner.

New regulations for working within the gaming industry are coming soon, requiring an update of existing qualifications. Sunshine Coast TAFE is offering RSG - Responsible Service of Gaming as a 1 day workshop, which is compliant with the new regulations. Get updated now!

Is your future as sustainable as it could be? Sunshine Coast TAFE offers a variety of programs and courses with a focus on sustainability including the Dual Diploma of Sustainability, Certificate IV in Electrical Photovoltaic Systems and Certificate III in Tourism, focus on Eco Tourism / Sustainability.