Sixteenth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

In this paper, I show the impact of study abroad when it exposes students to sustainable living options. I created the Freiburg Study Abroad program in 2011 and have been the on-site Director ever since. My goal with this program has been to provide students with the experience of living in a city that has been a model of sustainable urban design for decades. Students experience everyday life in the “Green City” of Freiburg, Germany as they learn German at the Goethe Institute, take public transportation, walk or ride bikes, walk to the local grocery store, separate and recycle trash in their rooms, live without air conditioning in the summer, and so on. Simply this manner of living has had a profound impact on our US American students, because it is vastly different from the automobile-centered life they are used to. We also participate in tours of local sustainable living communities in Freiburg (Rieselfeld and Vauban), so students can see different successful models of sustainable urban design. As a final project, students research and pitch an idea to the local power company for a Sustainable Urban Design project that is sensible and beneficial for Freiburg and worthwhile for investors and the company. By doing this, students are able to show that they not only understand various sustainable urban design technologies, but also how they can benefit a city and its citizens, making it truly sustainable. One student credited this program with her decision to pursue a career in Eco-Finance.

Presenters

Heide Crawford
Senior Lecturer and Director of Freiburg Study Abroad Program, Germanic and Slavic Studies, University of Georgia, Georgia, United States