Submitted by Alexis Withers on the 2019 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering…
As I am approaching my final week of class, I’m feeling very anxious and excited! This past weekend, my classmates and I went on a 14 hour Great Ocean Road tour where we got to see the remaining 7 out of 12 Apostles. It was amazing!!!!!!!!! I would highly recommend it to anyone who is traveling to the country. Australia is nice and all, however, my family has been going through some rough patches, so it’s a bit hard for me to be 10,000 miles away and not be able to help out. My sister is done winter break and is now back in Ohio to finish her last semester of college! My Mom is in and out of the hospital with an infection after surgical complications. She has some good days and some bad days. Today, she was in so much pain that she couldn’t get out of bed. For these reasons, I think it is the right time to head home.
This study abroad experience has been life changing. The Introduction to Sustainable Infrastructure course has really taught me a lot about individual/household sustainability as well as sustainable transportation methods and buildings. Australia was the perfect country to study sustainability because they practice sustainability here versus back in the United States where we just “talk” about sustainability. There are hand dryers in EVERY bathroom, an alternative to paper towels which create a large amount of waste. There are scooter and bike racks, promoting exercise and healthy living while also encouraging people to limit driving (cars give off large amounts of CO2 which is bad for the environment). Stores charge people for plastic bags (it forces people to bring their own, reusable bags to places). Restaurants don’t use styrofoam containers; all containers are plastic, reusable containers which are good for the environment. I could go on and on about how sustainable this country is and by no means does it compare to the United States. My goal for this upcoming spring semester is to do research in an area that involves sustainability as it is the way of the future. I, Alexis Withers, could have an impact on sustainability in the United States (really everyone can)! I am beyond grateful for this experience and I would like to thank IGS for providing me with the opportunity (and funding) to do so!