Howdy SuperForesters,
I’d like to introduce you to Dr Andrew Harris – a man who’s doing lots of great stuff to make the world a greener place. He’s currently the head of Sydney University’s Laboratory for Sustainable Technolgies and his preferred method of transportation is the humble bicycle. Enjoy the interview!
SuperForest: What event/s inspired you to become passionate about sustainability?
Dr Andrew Harris: “After graduating from university with degrees in chemical engineering and environmental science, I joined a multi-national mining company, who promptly sent me to the middle of Western Australia. It was here, for the first time, that I was able to observe the environmental legacy left by the process industries. This experience shaped much of what my colleagues and I have tried to do since then, related to the development of sustainable technologies.”
SF: You’ve said that the mine of the future should be indistinguishable from a forest. How so?
AH: “We’re working on a project called a ‘phytomine’ where the mining is done using plants. The idea works because all plants need trace elements (eg metals) to survive. We have extended this to make plants accumulate much more than they need. Essentially, they have become metal harvesters. So, in the future, when we mine with trees, some of our mines might look like a forest or perhaps a wheat farm.”
SF: Describe, in your ideal world, what the future planet earth looks like …
AH: “This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on how far into the future we’re talking about and where we are. To simplify, let’s say 30 years from now in Australia.
By then, we have adopted the notion of sustainability as a central tenant of our lives and lifestyles. We have long been aware that discarding our wastes (solid, liquid or gas) into the environment is not particularly clever, and have embraced new ways to make the things we need. We have discovered that sustainable technologies are much more cost-effective because they use energy and resources much more efficiently and create no waste.
For example, hydrogen-powered vehicles are widely available (and much cheaper than fossil-fuel alternatives); hydrogen is well on the way to being the energy carrier of choice and is sourced from renewable resources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and biomass); the development of our cities has become particularly enlightened, with enhanced public transport infrastructure and building design (because with fuel-cell powered cars, there’s no noise or air pollution, so you can use natural ventilation). We will use the surfaces of buildings to absorb solar energy to power our cities and provide clean water from our fuel cells. We will have much better quality public spaces, parks and the like.”
SF: How vital is it for us to truly absorb a “sustainable” mindset?
AH: “I think, in the long term, that Mother Nature (or Gaia, if you prefer) is perfectly capable of repairing any damage that we cause, but the way that this might occur will mean that our lives, as we know it, will change irrevocably. So, unless we adopt practices which are truly sustainable, then I suspect we are in for a big shock at some stage in the future. Perhaps not in my lifetime but eventually … ”
SF: What have been some of the most groundbreaking “eco-technologies” you’ve come across in your work?
AH: “My favourite at the moment is a ‘treehouse’, but it’s not what you might think. Trees are extraordinary things. By comparing your house with a tree (any tree will do), you can quickly see that trees: a) sequester carbon dioxide and create oxygen, b) create a micro-climate around them, c) adapt to the elements (think of a palm tree in cyclonic winds), and d) at best, your house does only one or two of these things and requires significant energy to achieve this. So, the idea of a ‘treehouse’ is to develop a dwelling which mimics the basic functions of a tree. We are currently working on this using a range of biomimetic nanotechnologies.”
SF: Aside from your work developing “eco-technologies”, what do you do on a day-today basis to make your life a little greener?
AH: “I really enjoy riding my bike to work, as well as all the little things which help (recycling, using public transport whenever possible, use renewable energy etc).”
SF: How would you suggest SuperForesters get involved in the transition to a more sustainable world?
AH: “All the little things help, so whenever you can ride a bike, or walk, use public transport, reduce, reuse, recycle, insulate your house and so on.”
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