Sandra Murray

Sandra has over 30 years' experience as an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and is currently a University of Tasmania (UTAS) educator in food, nutrition and public health who champions many sustainability issues. She has extensive experience working in a range of settings, including food industry, private practice and public health nutrition.

She leads the UTAS Sustainability Committee’s Sustainable Food Systems Working Group advocating for food gardens into the new campus developments, operations, and developing a solutions-based Sustainable Food Strategy to address campus food insecurity (42% of our students experienced food insecurity in the past year). For her efforts she won the 2020 Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) Green Gowns Award of Excellence for her commitment to food systems transformation. Sandy has been instrumental in the establishment and continuity of the university’s award-winning Education for Sustainability (EfS) Community of Practice (CoP) (2011-present) through a formal facilitation role and EfS Tasmania (2015-present) which is a UN-recognised Regional Centre Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development, with education and community organisational membership. Most recently, in her community Sandy has been integral in Launceston being designated as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy which provides a platform for food systems transformation.

Sandy’s priorities include environmental and social sustainability and therefore back in the UTAS classroom Sandy is engaging her students in advocacy and activism to address food insecurity issues on-campus and in community and the need for more equitable, sustainable and just food systems with over 38% of UTAS students experiencing food insecurity in the past 12 months. Sandy is also undertaking a PHD exploring food justice in Tasmania as a lever for change and social mobilization for planetary and public good.