Green Steps

Green Steps - postponed for 2026

Please note that Green Steps will no longer be proceeding in 2026. Please direct any queries to

sde@monash.edu

.

Green Steps is an award-winning sustainability leadership program that offers innovative and practical sustainability training and consultancy projects for ambitious emerging leaders.

Green Steps training style is unlike any university course. We encourage engagement, collaboration and above all, a fun approach to learning new skills. The training combines critical inquiry and pragmatic tools with insights from sustainability experts and entrepreneurial practice. It’s highly interactive and is focused on teamwork and group discussion. You’ll be learning from our highly experienced trainers, guest speakers and other participants from a range of study areas.

Run by Monash University's Sustainable Development Education team, this transformational sustainability leadership program equips Monash students with the skills, tools and knowledge needed to become effective leaders and sustainability change agents.

Yi Senior Project Officer, Dept of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Tom Bachelor of Engineering

Joanna Double Bachelor of Arts and Science

Our program has been recognised with several prestigious awards, including the Premier's Sustainability Award, the United Nations Association Education Award and the Banksia Environmental Award.

Over the past 24 years, the extracurricular program has transformed lives, launched careers and most importantly, created a network of leaders who are now working in organisations to make the world a more sustainable place to live.

The program will help you to

Gain an understanding of global sustainability challenges through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Develop new skills to transform attitudes and drive change for a more equitable, sustainable and resilient world.

Explore how sustainability is applied within organisations and develop your personal leadership capabilities.

Engage in interactive, group-based learning.

Apply your knowledge and develop solutions to real-world sustainability problems.

Be part of a select cohort of emerging sustainability leaders.

What's involved in the program

If you're accepted into Green Steps, you'll be completing training and have the option to be involved in an consultancy project.

Training

Selected students will participate in a total of seven days of hands-on sustainability training (in person).

The training is spread over two weeks and draws on teaching expertise and guest speakers from across Monash University, including from Climateworks Centre and BehaviourWorks Australia. The training component also includes a visit to the site of Monash’s Net Zero Initiative.

Consultancy project

Following the training, you have the option to apply for a 25-hour team-based consultancy role undertaking a sustainability-related project with Monash's Campus Sustainability or Potentia Energy.

What you'll learn

In the program, we'll explore explore change from three perspectives: Global, organisational and individual.

• Sustainability issues and responses – climate change and net zero emissions, poverty and social inequality, consumption and waste, and organisational responses to these issues.
• Systems thinking and planning interventions – problem mapping, strategic prioritisation and action planning for sustainability in an organisation.
• Behavioural change and designing interventions – understanding your role as a change agent and personal and organisational drivers, and behavioural change theory and program design.
• Communication for change – effective communication to foster change within organisations, including constructing coherent arguments, presenting recommendations, stakeholder engagement and presentation skills.
• Leadership for sustainability – developing interpersonal skills, collaborating across multi-disciplinary teams, building networks and envisioning bold futures

How to apply

STEP ONE: Post a challenge to Take One Step and commit to an action or pledge to live more sustainably – and make a difference in issues like climate change, consumption, and equality.

STEP TWO: Prepare a 60–90 second video presenting three ways you’ll roll out your Take One Step pledge across the University.

STEP THREE: Upload your application, complete with resume and video, via the application form before midnight on the application deadline date.

Details

Who should apply

Green Steps is open to all current Monash University students, however preference is given to students in their final years of study. Students who have a passion for the environment, social justice and sustainability, are committed to furthering their skills in sustainability and leadership or would like to gain hands-on experience by working on a real consultancy project are encouraged to apply.

Due to the introductory nature of Green Steps, the program is best suited to students who have little or no knowledge of sustainability. We select students with a diversity of skills and career aspirations because we know that for the world to be truly sustainable, we need leaders working in all types of organisations and industries.

Availability

To apply for Green Steps, you must be available to attend training on all days specified in the listed training dates. It is your responsibility to cancel, swap, or take leave from any lectures, tutorials, interviews, work, and extracurricular commitments during this time. Some preparation is also required between training blocks. Depending on your availability and interest, you may also apply for a sustainability consultancy role with Monash University or Potentia Energy.

Commitment

Repeatedly we hear from alumni that Green Steps is one of the most valuable things they did while they were at university. However it's worth keeping in mind that Green Steps is a challenging program.

Firstly, training is intensive, with lots of small group activities and group discussions where you’ll be expected to stretch yourself and contribute as much as possible.

Secondly, and most importantly, Green Steps is demanding of your outlook, requiring goodwill and openness to the content, trainers and fellow participants.