Winter Break 2024 Participant
I found it so rewarding to get to hear the differences between New Zealand and America. It was so interesting and neat to see just how vastly different the two countries are. Such as in New Zealand they drive on the left side of the road instead of the right. They also have different sports such as cricket and rugby they are really popular instead of football and basketball like America. They also have different names and pronunciations for things compared to what we say here and so it was really fun to talk to the locals and see what things we say differently. For example, we found out that in America we pronounce apricot completely differently than they do in New Zealand, they also say rubbish instead of trash and take away instead of carry out. With regards to sustainability one thing my group pointed out was that people in New Zealand care about the environment and becoming more sustainable because they are concerned for the wellbeing of their land and the plants and animals that occupy it. They care about sustainability simply because they want to make the environment around them healthy again. For example, they are worried about the water quality of their rives and the pollution in the harbor because of the impact that it has on local ecosystems and populations. However in contrast people in America are interested in sustainability in a more selfish way. For example many people in America aren't worried about poor water quality because of their concern for the animal populations, their first thought is often concern for themselves due to the fact that their drinking water comes from polluted looking rivers. Another example is food. People in New Zealand are working towards organic farming practices in order to reduced the environmental impact of pesticides and chemicals running off and getting into the water systems and affecting wildlife. However, in America people are attracted to organic options because of the fear that pesticides cause cancer, and so they choose the more sustainable option incidentally because it is the one that benefits them most. And while there isn't anything wrong with the different viewpoints, it was really interesting to compare what I see most often in America to what the people we spoke to in New Zealand were saying. And while this doesn't account for the whole population, some people in New Zealand may not think like this just like how some Americans might think differently from this as well. But either way, it was really rewarding and interesting to see all the differences between the two countries.
Winter Break 2024 Participant
My favorite part of this program was getting to engage with local people and hear their stories and learn about what work they are doing. One of my favorites was the lecture from the CEO of Destination Queenstown. He shared with us his ambitious goals to hit carbon zero in Queenstown by 2023. It was really interesting to hear about how he planned on hitting this goal and the new technology that they are implementing such as hydrogen power and electric motorboats. Also their plans to help make the tourism industry better for the local population. Many of the locals make their living off of the tourism industry in Queenstown, however the large number of people that come to visit can be overwhelming and damaging, and so Destination Queenstown is trying to help solve these issues by making tourism more sustainable for both the environment and for the locals. One example was building an electric or hydrogen powered overhead cable car from the airport to the center of Queenstown, that way the locals would be benefiting from reduced traffic from shuttles bringing people to and from the airport and the environment would benefit due to less carbon emissions from vehicles on the roads. Going with this, learned about regenerative tourism where tourists give something back to the local community and leave things better than they found it. We actually got to engage in this with WAI Wanaka where we helped them with their project of growing native vegetation on the lake front by weeding out the invasive plants and watering and placing mulch around the native plants they are trying to grow. It felt really great to help out and to give something back to the community while we were there visiting. Overall, it was so amazing getting to meet and connect with all these people and see the work that they are doing to not only improve New Zealand as a country, but to improve the environment for the plants and animals that are living there as well.
Winter Break 2025 Participant
I loved getting to explore the culture in New Zealand as they prioritize sustainable living in all aspects of their day to day lives. The wildlife and the hikes were also beautiful. It was the most amazing travel experience i've had so far.
