Joost Bakker clocks up quite a few kilometres in his daily pursuit of demonstrating the path to a zero-waste future.

The florist, designer and sustainability advocate has made it his life’s work to uncover innovative solutions to the very big problem of waste, and establish a realistic blueprint for a circular economy.

“When we build something, we occupy land that was able to be habitat,” he says. “My philosophy is, ‘why build houses, when you can build ecosystems?’”

It all starts with rethinking waste: a mission that takes us all over Melbourne when we join Joost for a day behind the wheel of the all-electric EQA.

Our day begins at EcoGroup, a sustainable demolition company in the south-eastern suburbs, where founder Toby Sail is working to maximise salvageable building materials so they can be reused or recycled.

“[Toby] comes across a huge amount of material that he feels should be recovered, and his ultimate goal is to recover 100 per cent of the building,” Joost says.

“He often will ring and say, ‘look, what can I do with this?’ and then I’ll try and find a solution for the stuff that he’s stuck with.”

Joost’s next stop for the day is Spacecraft Studio, a contemporary art studio in the inner west, where artist and curator Stuart Russell shows us how the salvaged bricks are turned into a richly pigmented paint for printmaking. 

Then we head into the heart of the city, where Joost’s self-sustaining house Future Food Systems in Federation Square is a living, breathing prototype of his vision for a world without waste.

“I build examples of what I believe,” he says. “There’s no reason why a city like Melbourne can’t grow enough food to feed itself, and that’s what Future Food System is about.

“I love the idea of a zero-waste system and a circular economy and anything that makes that a reality is what I believe in.”

By the time we return home to Joost’s tulip farm in the Yarra Valley, we’ve clocked a total of 133km in the EQA. Encouragingly, the commute barely makes a dent in the battery life, which has a range of up to 400 kilometres on a single charge. 

Aerodynamic design efficiencies, faster charging options, battery innovation and navigation with electric intelligence all play an integral role in extending the range of vehicles from Mercedes-EQ as we look towards an electric future on our roads. It’s a good thing, too, because Joost is just getting started.

“We’ve got a rare combination where there are solutions that already exist, and we’ve got a community that is desperate and seeking a solution.”

“I think the next 10 years are going to be one of the most exciting times in human history.”

EVeryday is our new series offering a window into a day in the life of Australia and New Zealand’s changemakers. Stay tuned for more stories powered by electric intelligence.

Discover the all-electric EQA and book a test drive today.

By Jo Davy