Learning from our Neighbours: Sustainability in Korea

I recently made a trip to Busan, South Korea during which I did my fair share of research into local sustainability actions.  At first thought I imagined that of all places South Korea would not have a high level of sustainable action, it is not the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Korea, or Asia as a whole for that matter.  But I was surprised to see that South Korea, like most countries in the Asia Pacific region are light years ahead of us in New Zealand in terms of sustainability.

The first thing I noticed, immediately after exiting a 36hour flight that transited across Sydney, Shanghai and Beijing before arriving at my destination was the toilets in the airport (odd, I know, but bare with me).  I opened the toilet door to find that the light was off, thinking this would be a problem I tried the next cubicle to find the same.  By the third I just gave up and went in.  To my surprise the light came on when I closed the door.  I then noticed that all the water fittings were using water restricting technology as well.  Finally as I washed my hands I saw that there was a poster on the wall detailing who designed the toilet, what their green credentials were, a photo of them and contact details of how to get in touch with there office.  There was someone that was willing to say this is what I have done to ensure this is environmentally sustainable and I am here to take responsibility for it.

The rest of my time in Korea was spent investigating the use of various green technologies used by companies and developing an understanding of how Korea has implemented a ‘green culture’ into its organisations and society.  It was interesting to see what this once emerging economy has done to slow the negative environmental impacts of its massive growth.  So much so that in the capitol, Seoul, transport infrastructure is being torn down to give make way for sustainable projects that look to be financially, environmentally and socially beneficial to the country.  We in New Zealand could learn a lot from our neighbours in the Asia Pacific region in terms of what we should be doing to plan the future of our growing economy.

 

Seoul - Reversing Urban Impacts