For the past 6 months I’ve been working on the Global Safety & Environment team for my employer. I’m very grateful for this job because it’s allowed us to travel and have the lifestyle that we never knew we always wanted. Working in this field, though, is bound to influence how you think about the world.
So as not to skip over the safety part, I’ll say that in Melbourne, I’ve felt very safe and comfortable with Evalynn exploring on her own. In a country full of the meanest, pestilent animals that nature could conceive of, fires one minute and floods the next and aim-for-the-head body-demolishing athletes wearing no protection, we’ve yet to feel threatened. Building and transportation safety standards, to the amateur eye, are comparable to US standards. And although the typical schisms exist (as they do everywhere), this city is more progressive and diversified – acknowledging of those differences – than many places in the US.
Onward…
Over the weekend, Eva and I joined an Urban Eco and Sustainability Tour in Melbourne hosted by Liam, an excellent, friendly & knowledgeable guide. I don’t want to spoil his tour, but he showed us clean-up efforts on the Yarra river, urban architecture design meant to reduce energy usage and emissions, urban gardens on the streets, he introduced us to some sustainable businesses and brought us to an urban farm. We were told of wind farms & rooftop gardens, about progress and of course, there was the inevitable “we still have a lot of things we can do to improve”.
When we began this journey, I had a grand vision of using public transportation and discovering if it was possible in these various countries to avoid single-use-plastics. In the US, I always believed having to drive to a butcher, a baker & a fresh market to get what I need without plastics was too much effort. But, I’m glad to say, we have made an effort here and have been living the past week using reusable plastics. We plan on packing our Tupperware in our bags for reuse the rest of our trip. I think this effort has also encouraged us to eat fresh and healthier. Surprisingly little in the M&M aisle comes in biodegradable packaging.
Melbourne has outlawed single use shopping bags, which encourages you to reuse the durable shopping bags they sell at the counter. These bags are thick and tough, which means 20 minutes of arm-curls and bulk transfers on the walk home.
According to Liam (on our Eco tour), the largest source of litter here is cigarette butts. Melbourne has a $300 fine if you’re caught ditching a dead butt and $600 if it’s lit. The second largest source of litter in Melbourne is drinking containers, but the city is preparing to offer deposits which has been proven to curtail that practice or to encourage people to clean it up.
Recycling is also really big here. We didn’t have the infrastructure for it where we lived in the US but having it here… we use it because it’s easy and conscientious.
Overall, we’ve found it pleasurable and challenging and rewarding to be a little more eco-conscious here. It’s become engrained into our routine and reminds us to be thoughtful about how we can continue down this path. And we hope our roads get cleaner as we go.
Tips:
- Check out Earth Overshoot Day
- If you’re location independent, consider packing some of your gear in reusable food containers to reduce the amount of single-use plastics you buy at the market
- When in Melbourne, do this tour
