First Day in Adelaide!

We woke up bright and early today to make the drive to Adelaide. To help break up the day, we made two stops.

First stop, Nick’s estate! Nick is Flic’s brother and it was very kind of him to show us his property. It was simply beautiful, with a fairy garden and tea room, it seemed picture perfect. Better yet, some of the food they had came straight from their own local garden. They had a small amount of greenhouses where they grew cucumbers, and some lemon trees in the back. It was all powered by solar power too, everything on the property so they had those panels in the back.

The Fairy Garden

The second stop of the day was at a site on the Murray River with aboriginal people. The site was uninhabited and was beautiful by nature. We went on a hike around the area and up a cliff surrounding the river nearby. On the hike we learned from an indegenious man named Sam, who graciously volunteered to tell us a bit more about their culture and history. He told us how the plants and animals in the area were used to survive and the types of resources they had available to them. At the bottom of the cliff, Sam showed us some carvings that the aboriginals used to communicate and record their history. There were somethings that were kept secret between the tribes of the past that weren’t recorded, and those still remain a mystery to the indeginous today.

Photo of the carvings from the aboriginals about 8,000 years ago

View from the middle of the cliff towards the top with the blue sky

Melbourne’s 6 star buildings and more!

Today we have had the opportunity to do so much so I’m going to set it up in a play-by-play model. The main aspects of today’s visit were about green infrastructure buildings and how technology comes into play. Technology advancements go hand in hand with our potential for sustainability in these modern times.

Tour #1 – Melbourne Wholesale Market Tour

This market was different from any market that one would typically see in the USA because it wasn’t open to the public. This market was designed for wholesalers across the state of Victoria and to be able to purchase the locally sourced food from it, permits and licenses are required.

 

Tour #2 –Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Tour

The tour of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre was very interesting and the fact that they had a 6 star energy rating and showed us all of the green infrastructure that it took to build it.

http://mcec.com.au/-an-event/why-choose-mcec/

Tour #3—Public Transport in Melbourne and Yarra Tram Solar Project

Trams in Melbourne have a bright future from what we learned. Their plans to implement solar panels and expand their range of transport while still keeping it free in some zones for the benefits of citizens is both exciting and inspiring.

Tour #4—Agersens -Fenceless Farming

The staff and CEO of Agersens fenceless farming were very gracious towards us and were excited to see our University coming to Australia to see you their ways of sustainability. Agersens has a special kind of farming where they envision using a type of electric collar to herd cows and have a fence similar to an invisible fence for a dog. The fences are to be used to herd the sheep into certain areas but not as a standalone fence. They are currently going through testing trials and hope to have their product on the market within the next two years.

http://agersens.com/

Tour #5—Tour of Council House 2

The city of Melbourne didn’t always used to be the way it is now but with correct implementation of certain strategies involving making the city more economically and environmentally sustainable, the city as grown in a way that allows for more human interaction and connection with the city. They paved ways not for cars but for people, and with strategies such as reforming parks and gardens as well as side walks, the city has become greener and full of life on every corner. With their own city council building, they practice what they preach and have a 6 star rating on their building.