Copenhagen – Global & Experiential Education

Reflecting on Denmark

greenupemilyAugust 27, 2024August 26, 2024

By Federico Patino

Spring 2024

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.

Arriving in Scandinavia

greenupemilyAugust 26, 2024August 26, 2024

By Federico Patino

Spring 2024

As soon as one sets foot outside the airport Scandinavia says hello with a freezing wind that goes straight into the bones. Locals welcomed me as I walked through the streets with my luggage waiting for it to be time to do the check-in at the Airbnb. Danish people are extremely happy to have foreign students in their country, everybody is happy to give directions or translate things for students. On the very first day, I could feel I was in a very different, but very welcoming country.

Immediately I could tell I was in the right place to learn about sustainability. Big wind farms are visible from the air before landing, plastic bags are nowhere to be seen, plastic bottles are very expensive, and the bicycle is the preferred method of transportation. Danes environmental consciousness is evident everywhere you look. Supermarkets, pharmacies, and stores display prices on small digital screens to minimize the use of paper.

The professor is probably the highest caliber professor I've ever had during my college career. Christian has extensive real-world experience, he is actively working with the major companies in the world to address the issues we discussed in class. When I introduced myself to the professor and mentioned I was from Miami, he started talking about how global warming will affect the city and how insurance companies are responding to it. Every conversation we had was regarding ESG, it truly was an immersive experience.

On the cultural side, I was not expecting interior design to be such a big thing in Denmark. On every comer, there is a homeware, furniture, ceramic, or some sort of interior design store. This caught me by surprise and I wanted to know more about why interior design is such a big thing for the Danes. After researching online and asking people in the streets, I came up with two answers. First of all, Ikea's HQ is right across the bay in Malmo, Sweden. So there are a lot of people in the area who work in interior design. Secondly, Denmark doesn't have many, or any, natural resources. The lack of natural resources prompted Danish people to want to improve, with design, the resources they import from abroad.

Copenhagen is an eclectic city that has something to offer to everybody. The city receives tourists with joy and enthusiasm and rewards them with a plethora of hidden secrets in every corner.

Looking Forward to Copenhagen

greenupemilyAugust 2, 2024

By Federico Patino

Spring 2024

Climate change will have a big impact on Denmark, and how the Danish people adapt to those changes will impact the rest of the world. Surrounded by the North Sea, Sweden, Norway, and Germany, Denmark's geographical importance can not be overstated. It sits at the gate from Europe to the Nordic countries and the Arctic. The country’s proximity to the sea and the melting ice caps make it extremely susceptible to rising sea levels.

I chose this program because it will allow me to learn from experts in a region of the world that is already suffering the severe effects of climate change. Given that I am an MBA student I tend to believe that every problem can be solved with the right investment and business plan. Hearing from the likes of Eric Pedersen, Patrick Moloney, and Kamil Raad, among others, will expose me to different approaches to sustainable investment. I hope to learn about investment solutions that may be applicable in the United States and bring back knowledge that can be acted upon.

Furthermore, I am fascinated by Denmark’s rich culture from which so many different societies derive. Copenhagen was the capital of several Viking kingdoms; the city has been an eclectic trading hub for centuries. From here the original Vikings went on to conquer all the Nordic territories. While in Copenhagen I intend to visit the The National Museum of Denmark to immerse myself in Viking history. The city’s proximity to Sweden will allow me to visit Malmo by crossing the Øresund Bridge, so I can visit two countries in one trip. In the 21st century, Copenhagen is known for being a friendly, clean, and very amicable city which is always happy to receive tourists.

The opportunity to learn from experts in a changing region combined with Denmark's dense history and the diverse multicultural scene made the ESG, Sustainable and Impact Investments Short-Term Study Abroad Program very appealing to me. It is my firm belief that this experience will allow me to expand my thinking on how to respond to global warming.

Oresund Bridge

Hochgesang, Julian. Oresund Bridge. 2021. Unsplash. Accessed 2024.

Potapenko, Maksym. Nyhavn. 2018. Unsplash. Accessed 2024.