SustainABILITY

Upon encountering SustainABILITY's queue, guests are greeted with the iconic Living with the Land soundtrack as they pass through the winding aisles. Quotes from children and adults alike part of the sustainability movement plaster the walls of the queue, including quotes from famous folks like Bill Nye the Science Guy, climate change activist Greta Thunberg, and The Dalai Lama to name a few.

From the quote wall, the queue passes into a "shed" hosting a small collection of farming tools and equipment.  Here, guests can see the evolution of sustainable harvesting procedures over time, including soil tills and pitchforks. A handful of display signs pepper the exhibits for guests to read as they stand by. They then exit the shed, getting a good look at the loading docks and the facade of a large house into which the boats are entering. 

From here, guests board the boats and hear a safety spiel from the cast member loading the boats before entering the home. Here, we are greeted by our narrator, Zac Efron, who has been selected after his pledge to live sustainably with his two-season docuseries on Netflix "Down to Earth." He welcomes guests by saying "Welcome to SustainAbility, a journey through the important and downright surprising nature of our consumption of natural resources. Along this expedition, we’ll be learning about agriculture, energy, and water, as well as how to use the best practices to use our resources sustainably, including what we right here at Epcot are doing to commit to a greener tomorrow."

From the bathroom, we enter into the kitchen where the water is overflowing from the sink full of pots and pans as the dishwasher rumbles, spitting water out. Outside the window atop the sink, a vignette showing off a sprinkler at work also fills the space. Zac's audio queues in as we pass through.

“If we only run the dishwasher when it’s full, it can eliminate a whole load of dishes every week. This can save you up to 320 gallons of water annually. Letting the water run when doing dishes in the sink wastes around 10 gallons of water and enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 18 hours. The average lawn is watered for 20 minutes a day, seven days a week, which is the equivalent of running the shower consecutively for four whole days, or taking over 800 showers! Installing a proper irrigation system in your yard to hold and recycle the water saves around 25,000 gallons of water annually.” 

From here, we exit the house, finishing the water narration with Zac saying "If we all take precautions to limit the amount of water we use every day, we will ensure that we will continue to have plenty of our most important resource going forward into the future."

The boat passes into the ocean where an offshore oil rig is sitting, pumping fumes into the air as the honking of a ship can be heard on repeat as it "approaches" the rig.  Zac's narration is set off as we pass.

"The fossil fuels burned by manufacturing plants, automobiles, and power plants create toxic gasses that are then released into the atmosphere. In many parts of the world, these so-called greenhouse gasses have depleted the ozone layer, leading to more and more UVB and other dangerous rays from the sun seeping in, causing our planet to heat up. These gasses also cause air pollution, making some places increasingly dangerous to breathe in.” 

From here, we see a field full of solar panels and windmills along the banks, collecting energy from sustainable models. A hydroelectric dam sits ahead of us, being a divider between the rooms that we pass through, allowing a look at the inside of the dam's inner workings.

"However, there are eco-friendly alternatives, such as using renewable resources to power our everyday lives. Using water, wind, or even the sun itself to produce electricity and power can actually reduce emissions by upwards of 90%, as well as taking up much less space and being a far smaller danger to wildlife and our natural landscapes. By committing to sustainable and renewable energy, we can help to make sure that our planet still has plenty of resources going forward into the future. In fact, this entire attraction, as well as all of the rest of Epcot, is powered exclusively by green renewable energy."

Passing through the rainforest, it begins to disappear as trees vanish and stumps take their places. Large swaths of land are strip-mined as trucks filled with precious ore line the scene. A truck leaving the scene has a tarp over the back, but a cage can be seen beneath it revealing a parrot in a cage. 

"Unfortunately, due to the bountiful nature of the fertile rainforest, humans have taken to exploiting them for our own gain. Rather than respecting the land and living alongside it. Every single day, 150+ acres of the Amazon Rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world, is cleared for agriculture or industry. The Earth is mined for minerals and metals that we use inside technology while animals are illegally captured and sold as exotic pets all across the world. "

We then enter the "barn" of the attraction, now a log cabin in the forest, where screens showcase some of the successes of living sustainably. Organizations cleaning up trash at the beach, families planting trees in a dead lawn, volunteers cleaning oil off of seabirds, and animals being released back into the wild. Another screen showcases people speaking up and fighting for change, like a protester with a sign that reads "climate action NOW" as faces of Bill Nye, Greta Thunburg, Barack Obama, and other climate advocates show up. Zac's narration continues through this room.

“Despite everything our planet is going through, it’s not all grim. All across the planet, people just like you and me have made it their mission to do their part in protecting our planet. Everyone can do something, even as simple as recycling your metals, paper, and even devices. Just recycling one cell phone can prevent tons of damage in the rainforest for the metals found within. It doesn’t take one person doing everything perfectly, all it takes is everyone doing it imperfectly, and soon, we will be able to make a great difference.” 

The first greenhouse entered is the tropical greenhouse. The greenhouse segments remain very similar, though the greenhouses themselves seem to have expanded larger, growing even more food than before.

"The tropics are home to the greatest diversity of plants on the planet. Many of these—like papaya, bananas, cacao, coffee, and rice—are well-known around the world. These are just a few of the edible plants that have been an important source of nutrition for people living in the tropics. Many are rich in vitamins and minerals, while others are well-adapted to growing in less-than-ideal conditions. Some, like the waterlily, thrive in wet, swampy areas and waterways. All parts of this plant—even the flower petals—are edible. The starchy root of the plant has long been used to make flour for baking. "

From here, we pass by the banana plants growing on both sides of the boat. "One day, many of these lesser-known tropical plants may be as important as the bananas growing on both sides of the boat. More than 28 million tons of bananas are eaten annually, making it the most popular fruit in the world. Sustainably farming and raising bananas and other fruits are the only way to continue to make sure that we can provide that much food all across the globe."

Once out of the fish tunnel, we pass by a laboratory where we see tanks full of crickets, mealworms, and other species of insects being raised. Signs showing items made of insects, including protein powder, plaster the walls. Zac says: 

"In many parts of the world, insects are a staple part of the diet. Providing tons of protein packed in small edible morsels and requiring far less space than traditional meat, many environmentalists and nutritionists are trying to make the idea of “Cricket Parmesan” sound just as good as the poultry counterpart. While this development may take some time to convince the public of, insects may one day become the most widespread, sustainable, and ecologically friendly source of animal protein all across the world."

We then pass by a netted off section of the greenhouse where guests can see large beehives. Beekeepers may be seen inside the room as well, with windows out into the park. A large statue of Spike the Bee sits here as well.

We then continue through the greenhouse, passing by different innovative growing techniques.

"Some of our best ideas have been inspired by nature, like these fruit and vegetable trees. By growing these ground plants vertically, we can increase yield and better control diseases. These crops taste as good as they look—in fact, we serve more than 15 tons of produce from our greenhouses in restaurants here at The Land every year. Plus, there is always enough excess to help fully feed our herbivorous friends at both The Seas with Nemo and Friends here at Epcot, as well as over at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. No piece of produce goes to waste."

Continuing through the greenhouse...

"The future of agriculture may include innovative ideas like this vertical growing system. Plants grown in this way use a fraction of the space required by traditional growing methods. That saves water and increases production. The aquaponics system on your left combines hydroponics with aquaculture. The fish provide a natural source of fertilizer for the plants, and the plants help keep the water clean for the fish. It’s another great way to produce more while using less."