Visiting Brussels. The building in the back is the old, 15th-century town hall.

Author: Owen Collins | Major: Environmental, Soil, and Water Science | Semester: May 2023 Intersession

My study abroad program in Belgium was focused on topics of sustainability, particularly in Europe’s food system. I decided to apply for this program because as an environmental science major, sustainability is extremely important to me. I want to learn as much as I can about how to protect our planet to sustain it for many years to come, so this program was a perfect match. Learning about sustainability on a different continent sounded like an amazing way to have fun traveling while learning about concepts relevant to my major and future career. In Belgium, the structure of our program was to have one or two lectures about a certain topic related to sustainability from a professor at the University of Ghent or another Belgian institution. Then, in the afternoons, we usually had a field visit to places like food production facilities, plant research labs, and pilot plants, where the concepts we learned about in the lectures were actually being put into use. The lectures were on a wide range of topics from food packaging and marine aquaculture to sustainable agriculture and GMOs. This large variety of topics conveyed one of the key lessons I came away with: that sustainability is a much broader topic than you’d think. Improving food packaging to be more easily recycled is a facet of sustainability, as is using crop residues to produce biofuels. Sustainability can be practiced by everyone in every industry. Our instructors were all amazing. They were mostly professors from the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at the University of Ghent, but there were some that came from other institutions. They were all highly knowledgeable about their topics, so they could answer all of our questions and go into great amounts of detail. The lectures were all one-offs – a single lecture, lasting about 90 minutes, so we only really got a short introduction to each concept, but there was a lot of information packed into those short periods. Probably my favorite part about being in Belgium was simply the fact that I was in a different country, experiencing a different culture.

The thing I loved the most about the city we stayed in for most of the trip, Ghent, was how walkable and bikeable it was. There were bike lanes and bike paths everywhere, and drivers respected cyclists, so it always felt safe. Closer to the city center, there were almost no cars in sight. They had extensive bus and tram systems so that you could get anywhere you wanted by walking, biking, or taking public transportation. I also loved their rail system. It was so easy to hop on a train and go to another city for just a few Euro. Finally, and probably most importantly, I was blown away by how progressive Belgium is. The points about public transportation and walkability go into it, but aside from that, Belgium is extremely supportive of LGBTQIA+ rights. I saw more pride flags than Belgian flags, in fact, and the people back up that outward show of support. Healthcare is free, and college is extremely cheap if not free. Belgium is essentially everything I wish the US was. Needless to say, I had a great time in my program, and I would absolutely recommend anyone who is even slightly interested in sustainability to consider it.

One thing I would have done differently on the trip would be to wear different shoes, or at least pack an extra pair. I had no idea how much walking we were going to be doing, and by the time we got home, I had worn two big holes in the insoles of my shoes. If you go on this trip, be prepared to walk a lot. I loved being in Belgium, but it is pretty nice to be back at home in Arkansas eating unhealthy, but tasty food, and having air conditioning even though it’s not very sustainable.