The People Side of Climate Change

I found this lecture engaging and interesting, as it dispelled a lot of myths about climate change and gave us practical and realistic solutions.
The Thermometer Survey regarding community opinion as it evolves in response to climate change is an interesting project. I had not considered before that opinion could change significantly through different times of the year. It was explained to us that during extreme periods of weather, for instance in summer with the onset of drought, people tend to register greater interest in the topic of climate change. The lecturer explained that drought is the physical manifestation of climate change and helps drive awareness towards the issue in general.
I was also surprised to learn that Australia is one of the few developed countries that 'believe' in climate change. This makes sense however, considering that almost all Australians have lived through a drought.
The lecturer was able to suggest viable solutions that we can all implement in our daily lives. He stressed that there needs to be a great shift towards ethical shopping and recycling clothes, insisting that in 5 years most sustainable products will be a lot cheaper than they are now.
Overall I found it encouraging that 60% of Australians think acting on climate change is very important, however only 24% think it is at the responsibility of each individual to act on climate change.
This lecture showed me that there are many things each individual can do to reduce the effects of climate change and to pave the way in a shift towards ethical and sustainable consumption.

Plastiki

This week we took a little Field Trip down to the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour to check out the Plastiki boat, made entirely from recycled or recyclable plastic! We had the chance to hear all about the construction of the boat from Plastiki's designer, who let us on board the boat - much to the disapproval of the security at the Maritime Museum! It was interesting to hear about the ideology behind the creation of Plastiki, as the structure successfully proves that waste can be used as a resource. In this case, 20,000 post-consumer plastic bottles are used to float the boat. The journey of Plastiki from San Fransisco to Australia aimed to bring awareness to the way in which we live and discard waste is killing the ocean.

Week 02

On Tuesday we had our first lecture for our lab 'Waste and The City' from Kath McLaughlin, Waste Education Officer from the City of Sydney.
I found the lecture insightful and engaging, as Kath was able to provide us with statistical information regarding waste management in the Sydney area and offer possible solutions. I was surprised to discover Australia is the 2nd highest producer of waste in the world, with Sydney-siders spending 2.5 billion dollars a year on things we never use. Kath was also able to show us the impact of waste on not just environmental but also social and economic aspects of our society. While slightly 'kitsch', as Kath did warn us, the educational 'Ian Thorpe Recycling Video' was highly informative, teaching me about the process of recycling and useful facts I was previously unaware of, such as why it is important to remove lids of plastic bottles before recycling.
A highlight of the lecture was when I won a 'Keep Cup' for correctly identifying a use for recycled plastic bottles: fleecy jackets!
Although I have only been engaging with this subject for two weeks I already feel more aware of how I deal with my own waste, ensuring reusing and recycling is a top priority, even more so than before.
As far as our individual projects go, this week will be used to spend more time on King Street, conducting interviews and identifying issues. I have contacted the council to find out specifics including rubbish collection days and problem areas. By next week's class I aim to have a reasonable grasp on the waste issues of my particular street so I am able to discuss my findings with my group.

Day One

Hey kids,
welcome to 'Talkin' Trash', a online documentation of my research regarding waste on King Street, Newtown! To get a feel for what we will be dealing with, I took a trip to Newtown after our tute this week with group partner Keenan. We walked up and down King Street, noting and taking photos of the types of businesses present in the area. We noticed many restaurants and take away food joints - it will be interesting to find out how these business deal with their waste. We also noted a variety of op shops, including Charity clothes store 'Vinnies'. How do Vinnies get rid of their waste? Are clothes unsold eventually thrown out?