B&B: Local Opportunity Areas

Whiteboard filled with problem spaces

Introduction

Sustainability – a word that’s always buzzing around when we talk about taking care of our planet. We first heard about it in school, drawing posters of a green world with trees everywhere, a hand hugging the Earth, and that familiar 3Rs symbol (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Even as kids, we get the basics of keeping things sustainable.

Fast forward to today. As part of the CBI A3 program at CERN, We, Team Boundless and Beyond are turning those childhood doodles into something meaningful. We’ve got a shot at making a real impact with these simple drawings. Join us on this journey where we mix art, science, and a whole lot of heart to make a difference for the future.

Opportunity Areas

In our first few weeks, our team focused on finding topics in relation to SDG12 – Sustainable Consumption and Production. Our aim is to find local issues in Melbourne Australia, and we found examples like:

Fast Furniture

While Australian furniture industries practices sustainable methods, relatively cheap furniture that are purchased overseas are much preferred due to consumer behavior. Australia generates 30,000 tons of commercial furniture waste and 95% ends up in landfill. – Australian Furniture Association

Fast Fashion

Inexpensive clothing and its mass production causes a large quantity of clothing waste in landfills. “Australia is the second highest consumer of textiles per person in the world.” – Clean Up Australia, SBS, ABC

E-waste

There is an increase amount of improper disposal of e-waste every year in Australia. Only a few methods are being done to recover or reuse discarded electronic equipment and one example is called pyrometallurgy process which releases toxic gas and uses a lot of energy consumption. – Deblina Dutta et al, 2023.

Medical PPE waste

PPE waste in medical fields where medical masks, gloves and gowns are only used once and are instantly thrown away because of infection control and hazardous policies which creates more waste in landfills. – Kumar, H. et al., 2021.

Sustainable Construction Materials

Sustainable construction materials in Australia are seen as important but conventional contruction materials are still much preferred due to reasons like higher cost and unwillingness of the industry to change their methods. – Gounder, S. et al., 2023.

OUR FOCUS

Our team has identified two compelling areas for focus. These are the issue of soil degradation in the agriculture industry and the pervasive problem of food waste which is a challenge that extends not just in Australia but also worldwide.

Soil Degradation

In Australia, poor management and over usage of pesticides causes the increase of acidication of agriculture soil. It restricts the water intake and reduces the availability of nutrients uptake for soil growth. – Dadzie F. et al., 2023

Food waste

Food waste is yet another huge problem around the world where in Australia, supermarkets rejects edible fresh fruits and vegetables solely because of their appearance and size. As people choose food because of aesthetic standards, farmers experience financial burdens and substancial resource loss. – The Conversation

Team Snapshot:

Highlight

We’re geared up and eager to dive into the vast opportunities in sustainability. Recognizing the commitment required for the global program, we are ready to invest the necessary effort and time. Our team is determined to grasp the complexities and fuel our endeavors with as much coffee as it takes to produce exceptional outcomes in this program. Let the excitement and innovation flow!

Quote of the week

“For the times we get nervous, we can change our mindset to feel excited.” – Simon Sinek

Next Steps

Our next step is to:

go to Switzerland!
meet new friends!
learn ATTRACT and CERN technology at IdeaSquare!
learn from professionals like physicist and engineers at CERN!
understand the opportunities more and choose a topic that we want to focus on.
enjoy the rest of the trip!