Melbourne has plenty of highly-involved citizens, but the city as a whole can be seen very quickly as a leader in environmental consciousness and sustainable design. Just by strolling through the city, you can see the work that has already marked it as a progressive, forward-thinking community. Having been into Melbourne on multiple occasions now, I have been able to experience the benefits of the city whether I realized it or not.
Mass Transit Everywhere
Although many Melbourne citizens find faults with their systems public transit system, it is a very manageable, lean, and well-run program in my opinion. I believe that after living in Melbourne for a while, I would begin to see issues arise, but overall I find little to cause complain. The system boasts a complex network of trains, buses, and the largest tram (streetcar) system I have ever seen. While some criticize Melbourne's 'wheel and spoke' transit design, I find it to work well for this city, especially with the frequency of buses or trams through each stop. Cincinnati has a very similar design, but the 'wheel and spoke' has a less than desirable impact since the connections are more spread out and less frequent.
Furthermore, Melbourne has a very unique attribute in its mass transit system. They have a free tram loop which circles the majority of the city center. This tram loop has always been free and intends to remain free. There are also city buses which run free 'spoke' routes to help citizens and visitors manage the city in a cheap way. While this is not strictly a sustainable aspect of their system, I do find it to be a very wonderful and helpful tool in navigating a very expensive city, especially as a poor college traveler.
Research and Development
If you did not already know, Melbourne a part of the Victorian state, has experienced harsh droughts for the past several decades. On a large scale, Melbourne has implemented massive efforts to conserve the dwindling supply of available water. Research at universities throughout the city - University of Melbourne, Deakin University, and Swinburne University - all tout a mind toward environmental initiatives. The University of Melbourne itself has a school devoted to the subject area - the Melbourne School of Land and Environment. The other universities house similar programs, and focus on both technical and social aspects of the sustainability.
Commercial Cooperation with Sustainable Initiatives
It seems to permeate much of the Australian culture that recycling and water conservation are second nature. On more than one occasion I have been impressed with the degree of corporate and commercial partnership in being environmental leaders. One example, in particular, sticks in my mind. A major grocery story chain, Coles, has made several sustainable food choice commitments. In all of its chains, Coles carries only free-range pork and only cage-free eggs. While these may seem like insignificant steps, consider that the food industry is concerned the most environmentally damaging commercial sector. Coles has plenty of other initiatives to partner these two major commitments. To check out the rest of their ideas, go here: http://www.coles.com.au/About-Coles/Environment.aspx
While I am sure to be missing many more great things going on in and around Melbourne, I believe this will have to suffice for now. In my final installment next week, I will look into the pros and cons of Australian environmental issues as a whole, paying close attention to the sustainability of their mining operations and energy choices.
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