Blog post from Danish Students

Description of our stay at UC Davis

Hi guys! We are Sara, Simone, Thao, and Marie from Denmark. We are in our final year of our master’s program Sustainable Cities at Aalborg University in Copenhagen. For two weeks, we have been visiting UC Davis as a part of a collaboration between our university and UC Davis. We are doing a project on local climate action planning and what we can do on campus to tackle hidden CO2-emissions by changing our consumption patterns and everyday life practices – e.g. how we move around, what kind of food we eat and how we take care of our things and products etc. 

During our stay, we gained a wide range of knowledge, insights, and experiences. While we initially came to UC Davis to host a student climate workshop, the experience turned out to be far more enriching than we had expected. The students were really engaged, and our climate panel provided thoughtful and valuable feedback to the participants. During the workshops, the students worked with the key question: How does a good and climate-friendly future on campus look like?

Beyond the workshop, we had the opportunity to present our project to graduate students in the Environmental Policy Planning class and explore our personal carbon footprints. The graduate students were very welcoming and we appreciated the opportunity to share thoughts, ideas and dilemmas first-hand with students.

One of the highlights was touring the campus utility facilities, where we got to see the behind-the-scenes operations. Significant efforts are underway to reduce the university’s energy usage and carbon footprint by transitioning the heating system from steam to hot water. We met enthusiastic professors and staff who work every day to bring people together, ensure a data-based approach, and continue to push for climate action.

While the university is making great steps in reducing its carbon footprint through energy initiatives, what truly stood out to us was how students are at the heart of sustainability and climate efforts. They aren't just following along - they're actively leading, organizing clubs, and driving projects aimed at real-world solutions. We quickly realized the campus has so much more to offer in terms of sustainability and student involvement. From the Aggie Reuse Store to the Food Recovery Pantry and student clubs like The Zero Waste Club. It’s very inspiring and we’re very impressed to see how students are driving and actively participating in various clubs and use their valuable time to make a difference.

Now, we will return to Aalborg University in Copenhagen, Denmark, where we will continue exploring how to tackle indirect emissions from our consumption and how to make it the new normal to live more climate-friendly lives.

Thank you, UC Davis, for an unforgettable experience!