collaborate in professional development initiatives, e-learning and new information and communications technology, income generation, and industrial issues. From the outset, the first Nathan campus master plan prioritized preserving environmental integrity, including retaining trees and limiting building height. Griffith is a national centre for climate adaptation research. The current strategic plan makes a commitment to ensuring that "environmental sustainability will be reflected in its building design, as well as its energy, water and waste management practices”. Griffith University has received funding from the Federal Government’s Education Investment Fund (Sustainability Round) assist in the building of Australia’s first zero-emission and self-powering teaching and research building driven by solar-powered hydrogen energy. The building will generate its own power supply. It is intended that it will be a model for remote communities that are 'off-grid' and cannot access power and will also be a pilot for applying this safe, sustainable power supply in urban settings. The Gold Coast campus of the university hosts the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility. Part of the School of Environment and Planning is the Griffith University EcoCentre which is located within the bushland of the Toohey Forest. The Toohey Forest Environmental Education Centre operates from within the EcoCentre and provides environmental education programs and activities for schools and students as well as exhibitions, conferences, meetings and training seminars. The construction and operation of the EcoCentre follows strict 'ecodesign' principles, and features solar energy, ambient ventilation and lighting, rammed earth walls for temperature regulation, rainwater collection for 'greywater' use, and wet composting toilets. All features reflect domestic scale environmental technologies that can be used in the family home. Its stated aim is sustainable development, environmental education, research, community partnership. Opened in 2001 the Toohey Forest Environmental Education Centre is a collaborative venture between Griffith University and Education Queensland designed to promote environmental literacy and values through community engagement. The university has instituted a set of sustainability standards and green guide (available online) and states that “Every Griffith employee has a commitment to support and promote environmental sustainability practices in the workplace”. These cover the areas of leadership, energy, green purchasing, transport, recycling and waste and are coordinated by the Griffith Green Workspace. Griffith University has also had an Environmental Loan Fund since 2009. This aims to target sustainability under the direction of a corporate agenda by providing upfront loans and/or matching contributions to projects that reduce the environmental impact of the university and save future expenditure on utilities, consumables or operating costs. This is planned to be a self-sustaining initiative. Projects may fund new infrastructure to reduce consumption or waste, to make operations more efficient, or to change staff, students’ or community behavior.
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The Functional Dynamics of Green Universities