New Zealand's Environmental Policies

The lab was busy today, as the masters' students had to finish up last exams and the Phds worked furiously to polish their presentations for the upcoming Evolution conference. I got a good chunk of work done, too :)

I also got registered in the computer system of the university. Now I have a student ID and a library card *haha*. I also filled out the paperwork for the swipe card that will give me access to the lab 24/7. For now, I always have to find someone to let me into the lab rooms. I think they need the security because there are some labs that use hazardous chemicals in the building as well.

Otherwise, nothing much happened. When cooking dinner, I heard random German phrases floating around me. As it turned out, there were four German students cooking next to me! I talked to two of them. They seemed really nice, but they are leaving in two weeks.

After I smelled "the city" yesterday, when coming from the clean mountains, I decided to investigate a little bit. For some reason, New Zealand is portrayed as a very environmentally-conscious nation that is very concerned about nature. When I asked some people at the lab, however, they told me that New Zealand has no regulations for things like car exhaust disposing of chemical waste.
The many cars that drive into Auckland everyday (it's cheaper to take the car than the bus for many students at the lab) create a cloud of smog that hangs over the city. The farmers, on the other hand, just bury their "left-over" DDT and other insecticides.
Finally, New Zealanders are so terrified of any pests trying to overrun their country, that they spray any kinds of imported plants and food. My friend Mel is particularly unhappy about these rules because she likes to eat organic foods. Of course, all imported organic food is sprayed as well...