Australian beer brand Great Northern Brewing Co. has launched an initiative to protect remote pockets of the great outdoors from mobile data coverage, so the feel-good benefits of nature can always be experienced at their purest.
Australians are being called on to sign the petition to protect ‘The Zero G Network’ – a selection of tech-free sanctuaries in the great outdoors. These pristine, remote spots are currently out of range and free of emails, notifications and hashtags. The intention is to preserve these tech-free sanctuaries for future generations so that people will always have places to experience the benefits of being outdoors and offline.
And the time to do so is now. 5G is expected to reach 95 per cent of the Australian population by 2025, meaning very soon it will be hard to escape our phones.
Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just switching off your mobile, with recent research demonstrating that Australians are addicted to their devices, with 68 per cent of Australians admitting they haven’t left the house without their phone since the start of the pandemic.
On average, Australians spend 5.5 hours a day on their phone. That’s almost 17 years of our lives spent looking at our phones.
Half (49%) of Australians admit they spend too much time on their phone, while half (49%) have tried to limit the amount of time they spend on their mobile phone.
This number is higher again for younger Aussies, with 69 per cent of Gen Z, and nearly three quarters (73%) of Millennials saying they know they spend too much time on their phones.
Great Northern Brewing Co. Ambassador Matt Wright said that while technology is essential in the modern world, we need time away from our phones and devices to reset.
“There are studies that prove being outdoors, and away from technology is good for us, and I see that change happen when people from the city visit us up north and don’t have the connection they are used to. It’s important to switch off and be present. That’s why I find the Top End the most beautiful place in the world,” he said.
“We aren’t always good at doing what’s best for ourselves, and as mobile coverage extends into more remote areas, it won’t be long before every corner of the great outdoors is online, all the time. If we don’t do something about it soon, future generations will never get to experience these areas of Australia as nature intended.”
Great Northern Brewing Co. is asking Aussies to sign a petition for official protection of these pockets of nature, as well as submissions for spots that should be protected under The Zero G Network.
To find out where the Zero G areas are, nominate locations and sign the petition, visit https://greatnorthern.com.au/zerog
Note: The Zero G Network is not intended to limit coverage in any regional or rural towns. All spots will be remote, untouched places in the great outdoors.
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