Last Day of Lectures #HogsAbroad in Belgium

So, if you are reading this you might be noticing a theme. Belgium is amazing. I know I’m in a sustainability-oriented class, and that we are being taught all the great things Belgium is doing to reduce their impact on the environment, but it really seems like they’ve got it figured out… or at least they are way ahead of the United States in terms of sustainability.

One aspect of Belgian society that helps them be more sustainable than the United States is Belgians’ general attitude towards the environment. The typical Belgian consumes less in terms of water, energy, plastics, etc. Sometimes this is a conscious decision i.e. increased amounts of recycling and a dedication to the valorization of waste streams and sometimes this is caused by societal and governmental regulations. You might be thinking that the United States also recycles, but Belgium has a much more intense system. Almost every single trashcan is coupled with a recycling bin (I would say around 90% of them) and many of their bins are designated for plastics and paper (per usual) and bins for organic materials which are used in compost or biofuel. Probably the most interesting part of Belgian society is their dedication to forming a circular economy which, in a nutshell, is to repurpose or process all waste streams into new products that can be reincorporated into society. One such plant that I found interesting was a pilot plant designed to sort through most all types of municipal waste then convert each type of waste into a new product that can be used by society. Many plastics can be converted into biogas or biodiesel while some can be converted into different chemicals that society can reuse. Organic waste is sorted to be composted or turned into biofuel. There are many other processes within this waste valorization plant, but those were the ones I found most interesting. In terms of societal pressures, water is never free when at restaurants or when in any public setting, and there are rarely free refills, which encourages people to regulate their eating. All of their toilets, most of their sinks, and even some of their showers work by pushing a button, receiving water for a short amount of time, then stopping till you press the button again. Also, their government has a multitude of subsidies and programs in place that make being sustainable more favorable.

Besides their views on sustainability and environmental protection, culturally they do not seem very different. The biggest differences I’ve noticed between Belgians and Americans are clothing choices and alcohol consumption… also, they seem a little sarcastic when you first meet them, but you get a lot of that in the United States as well. In terms of clothing, they dress nicely literally all the time. Even their “comfortable” clothes look nicer than most of what Americans wear. In terms of alcohol consumption, Belgian’s tend to have a culture of sipping while Americans tend to have a culture of chugging (at least in college.)

Overall, I have really liked Belgium so far, and I am sad to say that this program is almost over. Someday I hope to incorporate what I’ve learned so far into my future career as a chemical engineer.

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Chemical Engineering major Harrison Dawson spent the May intersession 2018 in Belgium with our U of A Faculty-Led: Sustainability in the Euro Food System.

Read more from Harrison at https://sites.uark.edu/hdawson/blog/

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