This morning, we walked to the University of Wellington for talks on sustainability and architecture. We heard from a professor talking about reusing plastic bags, which was interesting because we often see plastic bags as very harmful to the environment. While it is, it should not be the primary focus of concern because the groceries bought in the store cause much more pollution than a plastic bag. We then heard from a professor from the School of Architecture, which was really interesting given I had no background on the subject. I learned that robot arms can put together enclosures well and efficiently, much quicker than humans can. However, these robots still need to be developed in order to allow them to see, for example. After walking to Otago University, we had a two hour long presentation about sustainable methods in public housing. We then had a discussion on the differences in environmental impact between the United States and New Zealand. It was interesting to see how far behind in many sustainability categories the United States is compared to New Zealand. It is important to learn about these disparities and ways to implement change as Americans so that we can bring these proven ideas back to our home.
