Anna Lovell, the Baylor University Sustainability in North Queensland student blogger, writes:
Needless to say, I am loving every second I have been in Australia. It is hard to believe I have been in Australia for only one week so far; it seems like I have been here for weeks! It has been interesting and fun to see what things you learn firsthand in the country. For example, one day we learned about sustainability and how farms need to be careful about their waste running into the ocean because it could affect the Great Barrier Reef. The next day, we visited a farm exactly like the one we had learned about, to hear from them how they have little-to-no runoff, and also what other environmentally friendly practices they carry out.
Even though environmental science is not my field of study, the ways it has related to business has been helpful so far. If, within my major, I create a business or even work in a business, I will be able to implement ways that are sustainable yet efficient. During our stay at the Reef HQ Aquarium, we learned that everyone has an impact on this planet, and that everyone can make a positive difference in helping to clean up our planet. Even a small change has an impact. Using this knowledge, I will be able to make a difference that has a positive impact on the environment.
Aside from what we have been learning, every place we have stayed in Australia has been so different and beautiful. The first few days, we stayed at Magnetic Island, and would hike to a beach after our morning lectures, while our guide told us about the various things we saw on the hike. Our next stop was at the Reef HQ Aquarium, where we snorkeled in the aquarium tank and learned more about the Great Barrier Reef along with invasive species and weeds. The aquarium we snorkeled in was the biggest coral reef aquarium in the world! It was such an amazing experience being able to snorkel in an aquarium (and also see the visitors walking through the underwater tunnel as I waved at them underwater).
This past week, we stayed at Hidden Valley. Hidden Valley was where we stayed at night, and we often drove to different places, such as farms, waterfalls, or gorges during the day. The gorge hike we did on our second day at Hidden Valley was, to make a pun, gorgeous! Many people in the group said it looked like the Grand Canyon, only in Australia. I am looking forward to the the next places we will be visiting, to see more of the beautiful scenery Australia has to offer.
My takeaway from my first week in Australia (education-wise) is that every action we take can impact the earth either positively or negatively. We need to remember that some of our actions can have consequences, but also that we can make a difference by changing some of the excessive habits we carry out day by day, such as taking long showers, not recycling, or littering. Overall, I am loving my time in Australia and experiencing a different culture that I can learn from while I am here.
