Sustainability Abroad

For this week’s blog entry for GEO’s Sustainability Column, we will be highlighting an initiative recently created by Global Education Oregon and the Office of Sustainability at the University of Oregon to promote environmentally friendly practices through personal lifestyle changes! GEO’s Carbon Offset Challenge aims to involve UO students that are interested in studying abroad or have already studied abroad in a week-long challenge where you can adopt new sustainable habits to offset the harmful greenhouse gas emissions generated from flying!

GEO believes in the transformative process of studying abroad; studying abroad enables students to learn socially, emotionally, culturally, and academically while having a deeply transformative experience. GEO also believes in increasing access to study abroad opportunities through scholarships and affordable programming so that every student that wants to study abroad can have the opportunity. Unfortunately, through the promotion of these life-changing experiences, we also increase air travel which in turn produces harmful greenhouse gases that directly contribute to the climate crisis. The biggest challenge is that there is no simple way to decrease air travel emissions without decreasing travel itself. We are challenged to find ways to continue to expand access and opportunity for these life-changing experiences while still being mindful of the impacts of the carbon emissions such activities incur.

Considering this, GEO’s Carbon Offset Challenge will host a friendly competition during week 9 of this term challenging students to reduce their carbon footprints and offset some of the carbon emitted from our travels through various activities and lifestyle changes. Challenge yourself and your friends to eat plant-based for a week, to use a reusable water bottle, to not drive for a week, to call your senators and demand climate action, and much, much more! Participants will log their sustainable actions in the Google sheet linked here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Dnx0FYbi-88NKdW0Nx983CHgwdIkD3p6frXXwssUoE/edit#gid=729102995

Although personal actions over a week will not be enough to offset the entire carbon impacts of flying, completing these challenges will nevertheless reduce your personal carbon footprint and teach you ways to lead a more sustainable life. By participating in this week-long challenge, you can test out what living more sustainably is like and how to incorporate sustainable practices into your life after the challenge is over! As sustainability is a constant work in-progress both within ourselves and the systems that we live in, GEO’s Carbon Offset Challenge provides you a platform and guide to living a better life and start this transformative process. On Friday of week 8, you will receive instructions and a link to a Google spreadsheet where you can see the different challenges to complete during week 9, and the students with the most overall points will receive a gift card to the Duck Store! We look forward to seeing student involvement with sustainability; good luck!

The Digital Age has brought both positive and negative changes, and utilizing new digital tools and technologies has become a part of many peoples’ daily lives. To make the most of these possibilities, exploring the intersection between sustainable travel and some of these new technologies is greatly beneficial. In this entry for GEO’s Sustainability Column, we will be focusing on some different apps and websites that help make more environmentally friendly travel possible!

• Locavore

Locavore is a free iOS app that shows you what fruits and vegetables are in season wherever you are in the world! It also finds nearby farmers’ markets, farms open to the public, and other venues. So, the next time you’re abroad and want to truly eat local, open up this app!

• Green Globe

Green Globe is a free app that helps you find sustainable hotels, cruise ships, tours, and all sorts of other travel-related amenities. You can directly book experiences and lodging through the app itself, and Green Globe only displays sustainable options that have been certified under a rigorous sustainability criteria.

• GoodGuide

GoodGuide is an app enables you to easily find safe, ethical, and environmentally friendly products on the go. GoodGuide provides sustainability ratings for over 75,000 products, and app users can filter products to focus on different distinctions such as the environmental certification, animal welfare certification, and organic certification.

• Green Travel Choice

Green Travel Choice is an app that tracks your individual CO₂ emissions generated through your transportation. Whether driving, taking the bus, flying, or using any other mode of transportation, Green Travel Choice logs these travels over time and helps you make wiser decisions. If you want to get a more holistic view of the impacts of your travels, this app is for you!

• Glooby

Glooby is a website that enables travelers to compare flights, hotels, and other travel-related activities to each other to determine which options are the most sustainable and eco-friendly. Glooby also allows users to refine the results of their searches to only display the lowest carbon impact options.

• In Bloom: The Eco App

In Bloom is an app similar to Locavore that allows users to search for green businesses, farmers’ markets, restaurants, hotels, charging stations, and other environmentally friendly services near you. In Bloom even shows you what businesses are powered by renewable energy!

• TripZero

TripZero is an app that helps offset the carbon emissions of your travel at no cost to you! TripZero offers access to low-cost hotels around the world that pay a commission to TripZero for attracting customers. That money then goes to buying carbon offsets or funding sustainable development projects. So, the next time you need to book a hotel, use TripZero!

• Green Genie

Green Genie is an educational app that has a green glossary, information on different plastics and their recyclability, ecological and economic tips, a list of certified green products, and more! Use Green Genie to get informed and stay informed.

• offCents

offCents is an app similar to others on this list that enables you to calculate your personal carbon footprint from transportation and offset your carbon footprint through carbon offsets and carbon reduction projects around the world. What’s more, every time you pay to offset your emissions, you earn points which can be used to receive rewards!

In this week’s blog post for Global Education Oregon’s sustainability column, we will be highlighting the importance of sustainably dealing with waste while abroad. As proper waste disposal is integral to building and maintaining sustainable societies, being mindful of your consumption and disposal is very important both in your home country and abroad.

One of the first things you should do after you have accepted your position in a study abroad program is research the waste disposal guidelines in the country you will be studying in. Depending on the country you are headed to, waste disposal options may be more or less advanced than the ones you are familiar with in your home country. Some countries have very detailed and organized recycling systems while others do not recycle at all. Being aware and knowledgable about the way waste disposal is conducted in the country you will be studying in will help you know what to expect and how to begin consuming and disposing in the most sustainable way once you arrive.

Although following the waste disposal guidelines in the country you are studying abroad in is essential, it is still incredibly important to reduce your initial consumption so that the amount of waste you generate is as minimal as possible. As the most detrimental impacts (including carbon emissions) of products are made in the initial extraction and manufacturing stages of their lifecycles, recycling—although necessary—is a relatively small part of a product’s lifecycle and overall impact. By reducing the amount that you consume in the first place, you avoid contributing to systems that are unsustainable. This is especially important in areas of the world that do not have robust recycling and waste disposal systems.

Concerning more concrete steps you can take to be mindful of waste is to always avoid single-use plastics and disposable items if possible. Bringing your own utensils, mugs, and even bowls to restaurants can eliminate unnecessary personal waste, and choosing to make your own food can also help you avoid waste. Be aware that some businesses will not allow you to use your own reusable wares. Additionally, when buying food, avoid items with a lot of packaging if possible and always bring your own bags. In terms of other ways to be mindful of waste, eliminating overconsumption with what you eat as well as other products you buy (such as clothes, souvenirs, etc.) is critical. Focus on buying what you need to live and stay healthy and avoid products that do not add value to your study abroad experience and life in general. Although it may be tempting to over-consume while abroad (especially if all your friends are), keep the health of the planet in mind and choose to partake in activities that are not based on consumption.

Overall, being aware of the ways waste disposal and consumption works in the country you will be studying abroad in should be your first step in becoming mindful of waste while abroad. Once you have identified how to properly dispose of your waste, work to reduce your overall consumption so you can dispose of products as little as possible. While abroad, you may even learn new ways of being sustainable that you can incorporate into your life back in your home country, so always keep an eye out for opportunities to reduce waste and properly dispose of the waste you do generate. Go abroad, and go sustainable.

In this week’s blog post for Global Education Oregon’s sustainability column, we will be focusing on an integral aspect of sustainability while studying abroad: method of travel. With even occasionally taking a flight having enormous carbon impacts and negating much of the other things we do to be sustainable, choosing to transport oneself to and from places in the most sustainable ways while studying abroad is incredibly important.

When thinking about sustainable travel, first consider if you would be able to reach your study abroad location through another transportation method (for example, by train). For those studying abroad in Canada, choosing to travel by train instead of plane to your study abroad location might be possible and a great way to lower carbon emissions! Unfortunately, as many students going abroad will inevitably have to fly, focusing on utilizing sustainable transportation methods once you have reached your study abroad location is essential.

Depending on where you are studying abroad, the public transportation system you have access to may be better or worse than the one from where you are originally from. Taking full advantage of what you have while on your program is critical, and some main ways to sustainably travel in your study abroad location are through walking and using buses. For longer trips or trips out of the country, don’t be so quick to book a flight! Check out trains in your area and see if they offer trips to and from where you are interested in going (they probably do!), and if traveling by train is feasible, take advantage of that opportunity!

While traveling by train may be slower and more expensive than flying (though not necessarily), there are certainly advantages to this method of transportation. Not only is one able to lower carbon emissions substantially through traveling by train, but you are also able to take in beautiful scenery and sit more comfortably than on a plane. Quiet moments while on trains gazing out over the landscapes of countries you are new to can be some of the best experiences during your time studying abroad.

What is more, going against the predominant way of traveling (trying to shove as many different countries as possible into one trip, only staying in locations for brief periods of time, having a very defined itinerary with only main sights, etc.) can be very rewarding. Using the “slow travel” mantra instead will provide richer, more absorbing experiences than current dominant travel methods. Plus, you won’t have to deal with the annoyances of going to the airport! Furthermore, reducing the amount you travel overall in the first place and focusing on one or two absorbing, intimate travel experiences instead will enable you to greatly reduce your carbon footprint and save money.

 Overall, incorporating sustainability into our thought processes when deciding how to travel while abroad is simple and necessary, and the alternative paths such thoughtful decisions will take you on can be particularly rewarding in and of themselves. Utilizing public transportation systems and always putting consideration of the planet above everything else when making decisions whether at home or abroad is incredibly important. So, when you’re abroad and all your friends are discussing which country they want to go to for a weekend excursion, take a train instead of a plane and be a friend to Earth! Go abroad, and go sustainable.

In this first blog post for the “Sustainability Abroad” column for Global Education Oregon, we will be discussing the first potential step of sustainability in the study abroad process: choice of study abroad location! As one of the biggest ways to learn and contribute to sustainable development is by studying and experiencing life in countries on the forefront of progress within sustainability, this blog post will highlight the resources essential to identifying what countries may have the most to offer in this regard.

Although sustainability may seem like an abstract or disparate concept in relation to studying abroad, sustainability and studying abroad can indeed go hand in hand. Moreover, as the climate crisis unfolds, incorporating sustainability into everything we do on both individual and systemic levels becomes critical. When considering how to best incorporate sustainability into your study abroad experience, the first thing you should think about is where you would like to study abroad. Choosing to study abroad in a country that is developing in a sustainable way enables you to experience firsthand what it is like to live in a sustainable system, study sustainable development under experts, and more easily contribute to sustainability projects in your community!

By living in more sustainable societies, you can directly see the ways in which such societies are different from the society you come from. Living in a sustainably developing society allows you to notice both the big and small changes in daily life that contribute to a wider sustainability agenda. These differences may surprise and confound you, and being aware of the ways different societies operate can give you insight into what to attempt to incorporate into your own society and what to fight for! Becoming involved in local sustainability projects (or even making your own!) will give you direct experience in working with sustainability in a progressive climate and connect you to your community in a deeper way. Further, through enrolling in programs or courses at universities Global Education Oregon sponsors exchanges with that focus on sustainability, you are able to learn about this field through another perspective and gain invaluable knowledge.

In terms of the countries you should consider if interested in involving yourself with sustainability abroad, there are a few that particularly stand out. According to the World Economic Forum, Sweden is the country that is the most sustainable in the world, achieving the most progress over any other nation towards the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The next three runner ups—Denmark, Norway, and Finland—are all Nordic nations. The rest of the countries in the top ten include Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. Global Education Oregon sponsors 60 different study abroad programs in these locations, so there are plenty of options available for students interested in living and studying in more sustainable countries! If you would like to learn more about what Global Education Oregon has to offer, check out geo.uoregon.edu. Also, don’t forget to look out for Sustainable Development Goal “stickers” on program webpages to see more specifically how certain programs contribute to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals! Go abroad, and go sustainable.

Works Cited

 Willige, Andrea. “Which Countries Are Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fastest?” World Economic Forum, World Economic Forum, 20 Mar. 2017, www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/03/countries-achieving-un-sustainable-development-goals-fastest/.