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Studying Sustainability Abroad from A European Perspective

Presented by:
Beth Mercer-Taylor, University of Minnesota
Christopher Bull, Brown University
Anette Birck, Danish Institute for Study Abroad
AASHE2011 / Monday, October 10, 2011 / 1:30 PM / Room 406

Why study abroad?
• Another perspective
• Hands on expeience and real-life case studies

Why choose Europe?
• An option that can supplement or prepare for doing a community service learning project in a developing country
• Environmental policy is one of the most important, far-reaching areas of EU legislation
• Continent-wide goal
• Europe 2020 strategy

Specifics:
• Renewable energy
• Waste management
• District heating
• Corporate Social responsibility
• Legliation and taxation
• Public transport
• Bike culture

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Beth

Short-Term Faculty-Led Abroad Studies
Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Context:
• Campus has a population of 80,000, with multiple colleges
• Located in downtown Minneapolis, 10 miles from St Paul
• A comprehensive university

Sustainability Studies Minor:
300 undergrads
3 elective courses
2 core courses
• Sustainable people, planet
• Sustainable communities, capstone project

Elective
3 electives from 4 categories:
• Economics and policy
• Social science and humanities
• Biophysical sciences
• Internship course option

Sustainable communities
Systems approach to addressing community

Aspirations for students
Principles and ethics, interdisciplinary.

Learning outcomes guide study experience

"We have to define ourselves, our own problems and our own way of doing it. Be your own center first." Soren Hermansen, Director of the Energy Academy

"Think local. Act local."

Samso Island, part of Denmark but 2 miles from land. Made transition from fuel oil to wind and solar, net neutral. Community of 5000 people.

Visits to farm that is also a wind farm.

Malmo, Sweden
Green roof, city across bridge from Copenhagen.

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Chris

Independent Research Abroad
Christopher Bull, Brown University

International experience builds local sustainability.

You wind up with something tangible, some action.

Right people, right institutions and programs, right ideas to work on, and the right actions.

Right Idea
Extended producer responsibility
"A strategy designed to promote the integration of environmental costs associated with goods throughout their life cycles into the market price of products."

Right People
Connecting a student with an activist and the right professor in the study abroad program.

Institutions and Programs
Brown University:
• Global independent study project
• Brown Environmental Fellows
Danish Insitiute for Study Abroad
• Sustainability in Europe
Clean Water Action (Rhode Island)
• extended producer
• responsibility framework

The student "breathes in" the sustainability culture in Europe and returns to put what they've learned into practice.

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Anette

About DIS
Founded in 1959
High quality English programs
Works with 170 US universities
Unique, cutting-edge European based programs
Guides students tovbecome global leaders
Faculty are professionals and experts in their field
Programs include experiential learning
• hands on
• field study

Two sustainability and environment programs:
• Sustainability in Europe
• Science and the environment
Inspire students
Attract interdisciplinary students as well as environmental studies students

Core courses and 3-4 electives.

Denmark: strongly committed to Sustainable development

Experiential learning
• link class theory with outside world
• field studies

Study Tours
3-day tour towestern Denmark, southern Sweden or Northern Germany
6-day tour later to UK, Germany, etc. or to ...
Greenland

Experiential learning also offers time for reflection

Case study:
• Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy
• Hamburg, European Green Capital 2011
• Berlin, Urban Gardening and Ufa Fabrik
• Totnes, Transition Town. Becoming independent of fossil fuels.
• Greenland. Climate change from a historic perspective.

Extracurriculars and campus life:
Interdisciplinary seminars each week
Sustainability task force
DIScover Sustainability Blog: discoversustainability.foursquarespace.com
DIS Living and Learning Community
Host family immersion

Q & A:
• Finances. Denmark can be a little more expensive than some countries. Customization options can save money. Some universities have set up special scholarship programs. U Minn has a goal of 50% of their students studying abroad. $5000 for a 24-day trip. Short-term trips can make it difficult to arrange host families.
• Behavior change. Are there quantifiable indicators that these trips are leading to positive behavior change? There has been no more study, but certainly it is true anecdotally, though it is a complex issue.
• Frustration. Students can be frustrated coming back to the different context in the US. There isn't any formal support system, but it could be implemented at the institutional level.
• Intercultural learning. The UMinn does do some advance intercultural learning.