This week’s episode features Australia, where the Eco-Trek crew meet former Minister for the Environment, ex-rock star Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil to check out the world’s fastest solar car. You can also read about Koonwarra, Australia’s first “Eco-Wise” village and see a boat made from thousands of reclaimed plastic bottles (video below).
Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett is one of Australia’s most important environmental activists! For 25 years, Garrett was the lead singer of Midnight Oil, the Sydney rock band as famous for their award-winning music as their outspoken environmental and social activism. Garrett was President of the Australian Conservation Foundation, sat on the board of Greenpeace and received the Australian Humanitarian Foundation Award for his environmental work. He left music to enter politics and was Australia’s Minister for the Environment for four years and continues to champion environmental sustainability!Australia’s First “Eco-Wise” Village
Koonwarra. It’s just a tiny little village, but it’s officially regarded as Australia’s first “Eco-Wise” town. This is because Koonwarra is doing a maximum towards recycling and energy saving policies. In the shops here, you find only local products like home-made chutney and jams, cheese and wine.Plastiki
The Plastiki boat was designed by environmental crusader David de Rothschild and is made from approx. 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles. It features the latest in sustainable design technology and began its journey in San Francisco traveling 125 days and over 8,000 nautical miles to Sydney late last summer. The boat was on public display at the Australian National Maritime Museum just a few months ago.The Fastest Solar Car in the World
The University of New South Wales holds the official record for being the fastest solar car in the world! The IVY IV Racer made 88 km/h with only 1 kw, – which is the same energy as a toaster! And the whole system was invented, built and serviced by only students.
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