It seems crazy, but this is our final blog of an amazing three month experience! Nevertheless, these last two weeks have been just as meaningful and fun as the previous ten.
After a free day in Cairns to relax after our SCUBA adventure we drove two hours into North Queensland to work in the Daintree Rainforest. In Port Douglas we met John Rumney and Damien Settle who are working on an incredible project. Damien is concerned about the world’s current carbon emission, and came up with a new carbon sequestering idea. Fig trees are a type of strangler tree, the they are also the only type of tree that can fuse together to help each other grow. After a certain period of time the trees will capture a significant amount of carbon from the atmosphere to offset previous carbon emission and help reduce global warming. John, who has been working to preserve the Great Barrier Reef for over 30 years is supporting Damien’s new business venture because coral reefs have been greatly effected by the rising ocean temperatures. We helped to start the project by building the bamboo structures where the fig trees will grow as the first example of this idea. The business is call Tropical Carbon- check it out!
John is also working on the start of his new non profit, the Great Barrier Reef Legacy. Using private funding, he is going to provide a boat that will offer cheap, meaningful, and important research options for marine biologists and documentarists who are working to save the reef. This is the newest example of another fantastic preservation endeavour headed by him.
We also worked with Alan and Susie Carle, the founders and owners of Botanical Arc. It is a unique sanctuary for tropical rainforest plants from all over the world that they protect and nurture in their own backyard (which happens to be 20 acres). We helped them clean up a nursery that they are going to transform into a research facility for university students to use in order to student the huge variety of plants and their potential uses. They are also avid protectors of the rainforest, as they explained when we got a tour of their beautiful property. the rainforest is an essential ecosystem for the entire planet and deserves to be protected. #savechocolate
After our week doing conservation work, we headed to our final destination after stopping for some delicious local ice cream (well, Tara says delicious, Kevin says interesting)! We arrived at Prema Shanti, a secluded yoga and meditation retreat run by Mara and Janardhan. We did yoga and meditation every day and learned about various aspects of the yogi lifestyle. One of these practices is called sea, or selfless serious, so we did a couple hours of cleaning or yard work each morning. We got to visit some beautiful beaches and overall, we got to reflect on an amazing experience. Some of us even went into noble silence for 12 or 24 hours! For me (Tara), it was a great way to wrap my mind around these last few moths. We’ve done some incredible things with incredible people, and I know the wold group is going to take what we’ve learned to wherever we head off to next.
Tara, Melanie, Hannah, and Zach are off to participate in Carpe Diem’s next semester, the Focused Volunteer Placement. Kate, Abigail, and Kevin are starting or heading back to college. Teddy is going to an internship in Colorado. Stevie, Giovanna, and Bronson are going to be working, and our OEs Jacky and Michelle will continue to travel. Though we are all spreading out to different parts of the globe, we will stay in touch and carry the Hong South Pacific group with us. It’s been a fantastic three months!
-Kevin and Tara