ABSTRACT
Transitioning to a low carbon economy (LCE) represents one of the most significant and urgent challenges facing the international community. The need for such a transition has gathered momentum since the Paris Agreement in late 2015 where 195 nations agreed to a binding climate change deal aimed at limiting global warming to a 2°C rise. This is a complex challenge, particularly for Universities as the key centres for innovation globally. Mitigation, it is argued here, involves more than campus greening initiatives and education about climate change and reduction of CO2 emissions, it involves instead a complex process of encouraging behavioural change to address consumption patterns and waste while at the same time providing increasing opportunities for participation and innovation. This chapter addressed one small aspect of this challenge highlighting the importance of integrating campus greening strategies with hands-on experiential project-based learning and teaching initiatives for students and staff, as an approach to pursue climate change mitigation and support Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the transition to a LCE. The chapter discusses, through a multistage green roof pilot project delivered at RMIT University, 2017, methods for harnessing opportunities and addressing barriers to green roof uptake. The project resulted in institutional learning and change leading to further 78investment and implementation of permanent green roof projects that will provide research and educational opportunities into the future. Project-based, experiential learning it is argued here can, therefore, lead to multiple benefits for learners, for teachers and for institutions in the transition to a LCE.
