Author: Gwen Keith-Powell | Major: Environmental, Social, and Water Science | Semester: May 2024

Visiting a historic cathedral in the coastal city of Oostende

Sustainability has always been something I knew I would go into, as I have been passionate about climate issues and environmental activism since middle school. However, I also work with the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry and will be serving as pantry chair starting next fall. Over the course of my years working with the pantry, I have developed a strong interest in sustainable food systems that are able to reduce food waste and increase food security, so the Sustainability in the European Food System study abroad course naturally caught my eye. Deciding to spend the first two weeks of my summer in Belgium through the University of Ghent was a huge leap for me both personally and academically, as I had never even been out of the United States before, much less across the Atlantic, but one that I was excited to make nonetheless.

When I woke up on the plane while landing in the city of Brussels, the first sight that I was greeted with was gently turning windmills and the two distinct columns of a nuclear power plant. I immediately knew that the views on sustainability in Belgium would be dramatically different to those in America. Our course lectures covered many food-related topics and how they can be made more sustainable. One of my favorite discussions was over weighing the benefits and drawbacks between increased food packaging or increased food waste. Food packaging is commonly overlooked in favor of focusing on sustainable approaches at the production level, but the lecture highlighted how packaging decisions can have just as large of an impact as farming can. Other topics included agriculture and engineering related fields such as biofuels, GMOs, food-chain economics, and aquaculture. Before this course, I did not realize how much went into the food supply chain and how every factor, down to global politics, an aging demographic, climate change, and consumer trends, all influence how viable different solutions are to increase circularity. Every lecture that we had brought a unique perspective to the table and broadened my understanding of how robust the field of sustainability is.

Other than lectures, many of our afternoons were spent touring advanced food facilities within Belgium such as the Tomato Masters industrial greenhouse, a cheese factory, and even small farms and dairies. What struck me the most was that at every facility we toured, there were innovative techniques being put into place to reuse as many resources as possible and make their system circular, especially with wastewater treatment and heat conservation. For resources that could not be recycled, agricultural companies were partnered with biogas companies to turn their waste into energy—something that stands out compared to the U.S. where bioenergy and food systems are often competitors. The attitude towards food system sustainability in Europe and Belgium is more accepting, and there is emphasis on improving circularity in every level of the food system rather than just at production level. This approach could be massively beneficial to apply in the Unites States, as it takes the burden of sustainable solutions off of solely the backs of farmers and is a more realistic way to integrate circular processes into the economy.

Cultural views on sustainability are also different compared to the U.S., especially in regard to consumer behavior. Policies that would be pushed against in America, such as having low-emissions city zones, are followed in Belgium without complaint. It took me a while to adjust to other cultural differences like moving through the city while it was bustling with bikes and public transit or even not having access to things that I am used to such as supermarkets, air conditioning, and public restrooms, but by the end of the trip I was confident in my ability to navigate daily life in Ghent. My impression of Belgium is that the country itself is, in a way, an introvert. It can seem unwelcoming at first and the people keep to themselves, but after a while the region warms up to you; the locals I talked with were all remarkably genuine and kind, and the true beauty of the city is best seen in the calm of the evening and while exploring the nooks and crannies of the historical architecture and discovering local shops.

Enjoying the view of Ghent from the top of Gravensteen castle

If I had to choose a single moment to encapsulate my experience in Belgium, it would be when I climbed the Gravensteen castle and got to see the city skyline from its roof. Ghent is a remarkably flat region, which makes it ideal for biking, but also meant that I had been stuck at ground level for over a week. When I stepped onto the ledge of Gravensteen, I was struck by the fact that this was the first time I had looked down at the city the entire trip. As I sat there, craning my neck over the edge to watch the throngs of people and flow of traffic, I was struck by the realization that everything Belgium stood for was right there below me, on ground level. Belgium’s political system is, to put it kindly, clunky and slow to act. The progressive changes and practices that I had seen during my time there were not because the government was forcing the companies or cities to do them, they were because the people were pushing for them. The facilities we toured all had sustainability goals set far more ambitious than any EU regulation required because they respond to public pressure to do so. The lack of plastic bags in shops wasn’t from any sort of ban, the citizens just don’t approve of them and bring reusable ones. The Belgian population is living, breathing proof that change is possible on an individual level. My time in Ghent showed me that we do not have to sit around and feel defeated when those above us refuse to act, because we all have the power to push for a better world—from the ground up.