Author: Maci Brouillette | Major: Biological Engineering | Semester: Summer 2024

Petting a dairy cow after touring a cheese factory

In the two weeks I spent in Ghent, Belgium in May as part of the Sustainability in the European Food System program, my outlook on how to implement sustainable practices has changed drastically. Belgium is known for its history, chocolate, beer, and rich culture. It’s also quickly rising in the ranks of being one of the most sustainable countries. I got to see this firsthand when touring Tomato Masters, Huyghe Brewery for Delirium beer, and Ravenstein Vineyard. I also got to hear lectures from professors at University of Ghent about how their departments are implementing changes to become more sustainable. Companies across Belgium are fast-tracking their sustainability goals. This is in-part due to the new European Green Deal, which aims to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050, but also because the company employees care that their workplace isn’t harming the environment. One of my favorite companies I toured, Huyghe Brewery, has the catchphrase “probably the most sustainable Belgian brewery” on their billboard. This brewery uses wind and solar as power, can reuse and purify wastewater and storm water to the point of being drinkable, has new environmentally friendly trucks, a new bottling plant, and switched from an oil boiler to a natural gas steam boiler. We were also able to see their on-site carbon sequestration machine. These enhancements combine to dramatically reduced waste and environmental impact.
I was able to immerse myself in the culture of Belgium by talking to locals, living in a hostel, and walking almost everywhere. The public transportation is amazing; it’s very easy to myself in the culture of Belgium by talking to locals, living in a hostel, and walking almost everywhere. The public transportation is amazing; it’s very easy to use and very clean. There are trams, busses, and trains everywhere. If I had the power to immediately implement one thing in the United States that Belgium has, it would be the transportation. This component of day-to-day life for the Belgian people is significantly more sustainable than driving everywhere like in the US. It’s also much safer and more reliable.
Taking classes at the University of Ghent helped us immerse in the Belgian culture further because we walked or biked to class, ate in the school cafeteria, and listened to lectures taught by professors from the University of Ghent. We also got to see Ghent students on or around campus and had two interns with us who had attended University of Ghent previously. One of the small but significant things that I noticed is different from the University of Arkansas was that the cafeteria has a trash can specifically for food waste. This waste would then be used as compost or biofuel. Separating food waste is a very easy thing to implement, but not something I see around the University of Arkansas campus.
My favorite lecture was about constructed wetlands. We got to hear how they provide a way to clean sewage and provide a habitat for wildlife. After the lecture, we saw a constructed wetland that is used to recycle wastewater on one of the University of Ghent campuses. The water that goes through the wetland is then used to flush toilets in the school. We also saw one used for the same purpose in a nearby neighborhood.
Beyond the sustainability practices our group experienced, there was a lot to learn about historically significant events and locations. One day, we took a trip to Ypres. This is where a significant number of lives were lost in World War I, and where the Flanders Fields Museum is located. This day trip was very eye-opening and helped give me better insight into the Belgian culture. We saw Last Post that night, a tradition to honor and remember the lives lost in WWI that began in 1928 and has continued every day since. We also visited nearby graveyards and memorials, old bunkers, and trenches. One of the German gravesites/memorials we visited, Langemark, had a photo of Hitler standing in the same spot we were standing 84 years later. We learn history in school in the United States, but it feels so distant and far away. This made everything feel real to me.
Of course, this is an area of the world with substantive history that dates back even further than World War I. Some of the Belgian architecture dates to the middle-ages. Walking in the streets you would pass by castles and churches that look like they’re straight out of a movie. We would joke about how none of it felt real because of how different it looked from the US, but how similar it looked to history books or movies. I would say that this was the most surprising thing for me, and something I’ll never be able to fully comprehend.
Belgium has kept their precious history intact but, in many ways, is years ahead of the United States in terms of environmentally friendly upgrades. They have figured out a balance between old and new that everyone I spoke to is happy with. My hope for the United States is that we can accelerate our progress in sustainable practices that provide a desirable balance between environmental benefit and enhanced quality of life… even if that starts with just having compost bins in cafeterias.