Reflecting on Denmark

As I settle back into life in the U.S., I feel extremely grateful for having had this opportunity which completely changed my perspective on sustainability and opened my eyes to new horizons. The program gave me the opportunity to learn from top professionals in the sustainability field and to go on a field trip to a wind farm.

Denmark is a great country for a study abroad program. Copenhagen is a safe city, it's easy to get around, everybody speaks English and the culture is similar to the United States, so settling in is easy. The Copenhagen Business School has a series of campuses throughout the city. Dalvas Have, the campus where our program took place, combines modem classrooms with contemporary architecture that comes across as very Nordic. The school feels similar to a U.S. school, but yet also very different. CBS lives up to its reputation of being one of the best business schools in Europe.

My biggest takeaway from this experience is how different the European perspective on sustainability is to the American perspective. Here in the United States, sustainability is almost an after thought with very few regulations in place to force companies to be more successful. Europeans have a big sense of urgency when it comes to global warming, in part because Europe is a net importer of energy, while the United States is self-reliable. However, the effects of global warming will harm all of us, regardless of whether we live in a country that produces its own energy or not.

Taking the class made me aware of the importance of pushing U.S. lawmakers to implement more regulations so that companies become more sustainable. If the United States does not implement regulations, it might soon be too late to actually do anything about global warming. The United States should follow Europe's example and push forward regulations that promote sustainable practices.