Denmark Summer Abroad

Itinerary Activities and Time in Denmark

This was one of the most eventful and impactful trips that I’ve ever experienced!   From traveling in Copenhagen for the first few days and enjoying (daily) delicious kardemommebulle, to driving up to Odense and getting immersed with Danish students in our 2-week summer program, I learned so much about the tacit differences in culture. The emphasis on urban-greening reflects the mindset of sustainability that is seamlessly incorporated into daily life. Elevated bike lanes, hefty tolls, and low emission zones all disincentivize GHG-emitting vehicles. With ocean-side docks and inner-city canals sparkling blue as the backdrop of the rolling green fields and swaying willow trees, it is no wonder that people prefer to spend their time outdoors in the walkable city centers. The last stop of our trip was to Lemvig, where we stayed in a lovely AirBnb with goats, chickens, and their own windmill! This was for the Klimatorium climate conference where we got to learn from company leaders and their efforts in energy efficiency, agricultural systems, and policy-making to combat climate change. No trip to Denmark is complete without Skål, and we were lucky enough to experience how Danes unwind at local bars with many cheers and drinks to play just as hard as they work.

SDU Summer Project: Building an Equitable and Resilient Rio

After learning about nature-based solutions and policies in different municipalities, our group chose to focus on fighting climate change in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a coastal city, Rio has a plethora of hazards, and being the 2nd most populous city in Brazil only exacerbates these problems. They face a housing crisis due to urban sprawl where many citizens live in informal settlements, constructed without government regulation, resulting in vulnerable homes which are disproportionately impacted by trends such as floods, heatwaves, and storm surges. By conducting risk analyses and literature reviews, we proposed stakeholder analyses and spatial mapping actions in a timeline from now to 2050. The finding that stood out to me the most was the simplicity yet impactfulness of rooftop gardens, which provide aesthetic features in community spaces while also moderating the heat island effect.

Quotes

 It was really special to learn more about the Danish lifestyle by talking to our classmates at SDU. My project group taught us some of the simple daily pleasures and activities that embody Danish culture, and this became apparent throughout our trip. Meal times were unrushed and sacred, a shared time of enjoying each other's company, and new friends invited us into their lives for after-school bar or park hangouts. At the climate conference I felt equally as welcomed, with company leaders being so open to teaching us about their companies, one in particular going into detail regarding their efforts in soil science and localizing agricultural efforts against pests. 

During our bike rides and sunset walks into the city, we saw whimsical features that transported us back to our childhood: trampolines built into sidewalks and elevated benches so high that we needed to climb up onto them. The popularity of the trampolines amongst children and adults alike highlight the importance of community-centric design, but the benches in particular were especially impactful to me. Placed along park paths and canals, they function as an unassuming yet harrowing campaign to make climate change tangible, each bench elevated by 85 cm: the UN’s estimate for sea-level rise by 2100.

Our last morning together at the Dalum breakfast. We would eat here every morning, indulging in the Dalum delicacy featuring fresh baked bread, cheese, ham and salami, jam, yogurt, skyr, and granola.

Having a drink with Dr. Nicola Tollin at the local brewery, Anarkist, after the last day of Summer School.

The White House at Dalum and our daily bike ride to school through a beautiful beautiful park path lined by ponds and green fields.

Freya, Kara and I visited the sustainable city that we learned about at SDU in Malmö, Sweden. We saw the Turning Torso: the tallest residential skyscraper in Sweden!