Before I begin, my apologies for using the saying “tots ziens” in probably every one of these blog posts. I realize that it is a little unnecessary, but it was one of the few phrases I really caught on to during my time in this very linguistically diverse country, and I am proud.
Although our summer school program ended on Friday, I will be continuing my experience abroad with some additional family travels, and I found myself back in Ghent today. My sister met me at the airport on Saturday morning, and we are staying in Brussels until Tuesday morning, when we will leave for Amsterdam. Since Ghent left such a big impact on my little self, I had to drag my sister there today and show her the ropes. Officially saying goodbye to the city today was hard, and I cannot thank Hilde, Oliver, and Michelle enough for taking such good care of us there.
Along with the city as a whole, the University of Ghent also left an extremely found impression on me. Even though I may not yet know the particular discipline I will be diving deeper in to, I can now confidently proclaim that sustainability is definitely a concept that I am extremely passionate about and would love to make a difference in this world by following that passion. Sustainability is in greater demand in Belgium than America, particularly in response to the population density of the country (and Europe as a whole). I have noticed in the past two weeks that overall, reusing, reducing, and recycling is a much more prominent mindset in Belgium than in America, and that is what sustainability is centered on. Sustainability is limiting our negative footprint on the Earth in order to preserve the quality for future generations. Even to an uneducated observer, small things such as recycling bins are more prevalent here. However, during this experience I have become more educated on the concept of sustainable practices myself. These practices range from water quality, to genetically modified organisms, and even to bio-based products.
One major component that separates the Belgian perspective on sustainability from America’s is the subsides that provide the research and development needed to further this practice. Another government related separation is due to more efficient regulations regarding environmental practices, even down to product labeling. `For example, in terms of water quality, we learned that the United States has only the Clean Water Act, but across Europe they have four different more precise water regulations: the Water Framework Directive, the Bathing Water Directive, the Urban Stormwater Directive, and the Drinking Water Directive.
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| Bio-based Innovations Garden |
Concerning product labeling, if a bottle has the phrase “bio-based” on it, then most people think they are doing quite a service by purchasing it, in both America and Belgium. Little do they know that the phrase does not always fit a perfect bio-based product that is best for the environment. A bio-based product is one that is not only biologically produced but also biodegradable. Many products with the label bio-based are only biologically produced, and if you look closely, you may read that really only 30% of the bottle is produced from plants. For a more circular economy, the government needs to better monitor these labels and further educate the public on the realistic meanings.
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| Hemp Building material |
During the lecture concerning product labeling, we also learned that less packaging on these products, particularly food, is not always more “green.” While most fruits and vegetables do not require any packaging (such as bananas that come with their own), packaging on meats can induce a much longer shelf life. Not only is this longer shelf life beneficial to the economy of the store, it also reduces the energy used to store the meat. Although more plastic is used, this packaging reduces the impact derived from the life cycle analysis of the product. Life cycle analysis (LCA) is an evaluation on the efficiency of the overall process used to produce a good. For example, even though many people think cars such as Prius’s to “going green,” a LCA will determine that these cars are not as efficient as they are made out to be. Many Prius’s are not beneficial to the environment at all if they are powered by electricity coming straight from a coal-burning power plant.
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| "My heart" |
Another very different topic that was very interesting to me and my possible future career path discussed during the program was the growing of cultured meat. This is defined as the manufacturing of meat products through tissue engineering to minimize the negative effect that livestock such as cows have on the environment. After growing up on my father’s angus beef farm, he was very confused when I told him three years ago that I was no longer eating red meat. For starters, it would upset my stomach every time I ate it, but more importantly, cows are some of the most inefficient animals out there. Not only do they produce more methane than cars do in their digestive tracts, cows need an input of much more energy and water than their output of energy. Although just beginning, cultured meats are a concept that I would love to conduct research on in order to develop more sustainable practices that even my steak-loving father would enjoy.
From these lectures to touring places such as the Cacaolab, I have learned much more about how diverse the concept of sustainability is and my opportunities for future career paths. Since Belgium left such a fond impression on my heart and the general population has more of an overall sustainable mindset, I also learned that a graduate or post-doctoral degree in a European country is not too far-fetched. My mom already mentioned I should get an internship next summer abroad, but I have a gut-feeling that could be due to the fact she wants to come and visit. No one really knows what exactly the future holds, but now I feel like I have a much better idea at least. To the country I probably would never have thought to travel to before this opportunity: I love your general mindset, Speculoos ice cream, gourmet strawberries, and crazy bikers. The only thing I would like to change about you is the inclusion of Mexican food and my dog, but I will be back to both of those things soon enough. Tots zienz!!
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Eleanor, a Biological Engineering major, studied abroad with our
U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System program.
Read more from Eleanor at
https://you.uark.edu/egh001/
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at
http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
