Sustainability in Europe
Objectives
- Examine the European approach to sustainability
- Gain important insight into the various interest groups involved in the development of sustainable systems and technology
- Understand the role of government and communities in sustainability
Previous Activities Have Included
- Visit to various energy plants (e.g. biomass plants, wind farms, etc.)
- Hearing from government officials about how Swedish cities are reducing their needs for fossil fuels
Description
Sweden is a leading region for research in the development of systems and technology in regards to sustainability. As part of its environmental initiative, the Swedish Government created the Stockholm Environment Institute that serves as an international research institute on environmental issues. Sweden was also the first country to require all state-owned companies to submit sustainability reports. This program is designed to give a greater understanding of sustainability from a European context through a mixture of visits to research centers, companies and NGOs. Students should be able to identify the different interest groups and gain a greater insight into the role of communities, governments, and businesses in creating and implementing technology and standards for greater sustainability.
