I heart Kangaroos!!

     Crystal waters has been a really interesting experience so far. I’m definitely not a huge fan of bugs and the first day I got a tick on my neck within ten minutes of our arrival and then had to shower with several big spiders but I think my fear of those bugs is over now. This place is really pretty. Today we went on a hike and you could see all the hills across the property and it was so beautiful and peaceful. We hiked through this massive bamboo forest which was really cool and we walked down to a creek. Luckily it was much cooler outside today which made the hike much more enjoyable!

Today I missed the first half of the lecture, (which was a bummer), because I had to hike up to find some internet for a job interview but on my way up there was a massive kangaroo just chillin on the side of the road that I was walking up. I was a little hesitant to walk past him but I just kept going and I don’t even think he looked at me once even though I was literally two feet away from him. It’s so weird how nonchalant the kangaroos here are but I guess they’re probably used to seeing people a lot around here. This morning I saw a female kangaroo with a little joey hanging out of the pouch, I think it may have been the cutest thing I have ever seen. I don’t know that I would ever want to live here just because it’s a little too quiet and I haven’t seen a ton of people since we’ve been here but there are some really cool things about this place. Today we talked about the infrastructure of one of the buildings we have discussions in and it was pretty interesting. The most interesting fact to me was that even though the building may not have been cheap to build, it will last for probably 200 years while most buildings with start having structural problems after 20 years. I think that one of the main reasons people that are passionate about sustainability are unable to spread their knowledge to the rest of the world successfully is because of the way they present the issue. The fact is, humans are selfish, so if we want people to start being more sustainable we can’t make it all about saving the planet because all people are going to hear is a bunch of hippies preaching about tree hugging to be honest, but if we make it about saving money and long term benefits financially I think a lot more people would be willing to listen. I know this because I’m generally not interested in listening to people preach about the environment, even though I see their point, it just doesn’t get to me. But, being an engineering major, as soon as I hear the words “more energy efficient” or “more cost effective” I’m interesting and willing to listen. The things that have stood out to me most so far have been all about energy efficiency and cost effectiveness such as the building mentioned above. Why build a cheap house that’s going to fall apart in 30 years rather than spending a little more on a house that heats and cools itself from the material its made out of and that is going to live longer than you will. It just makes more sense this way and I think that the fact that our country is in the middle of an economic crisis, if sustainable living were presented more as a cost effective business move, I think a lot more people would listen.