Alternatives and improvements to refrigerators and freezers

[Saad AlarifiParticipant]

Hello guys,
We have been working on topic 4.1, and we are focusing on finding basic alternatives to current appliances. We have a few points we would like to discuss with you.

Our design solution is a basic underground structure called “root cellars”, it relies on soil and humidity levels to preserve food. It is believed that indigenous people in Australia were the first to implement the concept of it. The duration of time it keeps the food fresh depends on the type of food but can be up to 8 months.

– Have you come across this design, if so is it being used by locals at the moment? are there any challenges you think we might face with regards to local acceptance?

– In order to implement the design we want to rely on local hands, how might we calculate the construction costs?

– Can we have additional information on the type of soil that is on Cape York, and whether we might face obstacles when implementing the design (i.e. big rocks that prevents digging)

We would be happy to hear your thoughts on this.

[Luke BarbagalloKeymaster]

Hey Saad,

I’ve answered your queries in order below:

– Have you come across this design, if so is it being used by locals at the moment? are there any challenges you think we might face with regards to local acceptance?
A: We’re not aware of this method being in place, or in use. You should consider behaviour change and user acceptance of a new method like this, but it seems like an interesting area to explore!

– In order to implement the design we want to rely on local hands, how might we calculate the construction costs?
A: The best way to do this would be to consider the personnel required; how many labourers? How many technical professionals? How many hours does job need to be completed? Then, I’d recommend looking into the minimum award level wages for rangers and construction workers and go from there in terms of estimating labour costs. The largest other cost to consider is the transport of materials.

– Can we have additional information on the type of soil that is on Cape York, and whether we might face obstacles when implementing the design (i.e. big rocks that prevents digging)
A: This varies from site to site, but some general information around soil types on the Cape can be found at the following links. It would be ok to plan around these as a abseline.
https://www.publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/soils-cape-york-cyp
http://www.asris.csiro.au/mapping/hyperdocs/ACLEP/KA12.pdf

Cheers,

Luke

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