It is the National Broadband Network (NBN) that will be under the spotlight when Sustainable Living Armidale meets for its next monthly Forum on June 5th.
Alun Davies, former New England Infrastructure Manager of Telstra Country Wide, NBN advocate, and telecommunications expert will give the history and implications of the Armidale NBN roll out.
It seems only reasonable to expect that when it comes to living sustainably on the planet, lightening the human footprint and making more intelligent use of scarce resources, the embracing of new technologies will have an important role to play.
So what has it meant to Armidale to be the very first mainland city to be connected to the NBN? What does the NBN have to offer, both now and in the future, and does it have any implications for environmental sustainability?
These are just some of the questions to be delved into at SLA’s next monthly Forum on Thursday 5th June at 7pm at Kent House in Faulkner St (opposite Central Park).
All are welcome to attend SLA’s Forums, and light refreshments are provided. There is no charge for entry, but a gold coin donation would be appreciated.
It is about time that the city started to take hold of all the amazing opportunities that the NBN has brought to them.
We have the fastest broadband in Australia here, something that Tamworth is fighting for. What business, educational and social opportunities does this allow us? From the local mechanic who is able to process an extra rego check a day because he has a stable connection to the RTA, through to the dozen or so new web developers who have set up shop here, Armidale is leading the way.
It would be great to have you there Jack please come along
Technology indeed brings profound possibilities for communication, knowledgemanagement, smart monitoring and management systems and much more.
From a sustainability point of view though, the achilles heels for the tech sector are their energy and supply chain footprint. The interweb has a carbon footprint from energy use which outstripped the global airline industry several years ago. The fast-moving life-cycle of electronic goods is creating waste issues as much as their are serious issues of mining and labour practices at the front of the pipe.
The technology sector need to move on from selling us their up-side benefits only, and start taking responsibility for the whole footprint and lifecyle of their sector.