Author: Sierra Cates | Major: Biological and Agricultural Engineering | Semester: May 2024
My Arrival in Ghent!
In just two short weeks, my time in Belgium has irrevocably changed my perspective as an upcoming biological and agricultural engineer. I chose to attend this course because of my deep passion for protecting our environment and fostering a healthier planet for generations to come. I knew that I would gain invaluable experience during this course, but I was wholly unprepared to face such moving and inspiring efforts towards a sustainable future.
Learning How to Milk Dairy Cows!
Throughout the course, we discussed many definitions of sustainability within the Belgian food system. Though the specifics change depending on whether you are observing the industries of food, water, or energy, all systems seem to ultimately strive for circular mechanisms. While my pre-departure meetings before the course began helped me build a foundational understanding of what it means for a system to be economically circular, it was only after completing our lectures and destination visits that the concept fully sunk in for me. Every day, students were given the opportunity to attend two, sometimes three, lectures from leading experts within their fields. These lectures exposed students to an unimaginably wide range of how various fields have come to prioritize sustainability: food packaging, wastewater wetlands, GMO technology, hydroponic farming, nitrogen fixation-based breeding, and much, much more. After the lectures, students were hauled off to destination visits where they would gain first-hand experiences that related back to the previous lectures of that day. Here, students were able to witness the impact of such practices and meaningfully engage with the business owner, researcher, lab technician, or whoever else was our host for that day. From breweries to dairy farms to the leading technological institute of Belgium, we were all left in awe at the absolute breadth and depth of what it means to be sustainable.
Sustainable Food Production Through Greenhouse Utilization
I have also come to terms with the fact that I alone cannot solve the sustainability issue of the U.S.. As a young engineer, it is easy to fall into the ambitious idea that you’ll be the one to save the world. However, this is simply not true. To have a working and successful sustainable system, each and every facet of a country’s social, economic, and environmental reach must harmoniously exist. This is a difficult task to achieve, and even Belgium has yet to perfect it. Though it is daunting, I believe that every individual has the capability to effect change: a singular person cannot save the world, but the combined, continuous effort of individuals striving towards a common goal can help immensely. As an engineer, I believe that it is my individual duty to do my utmost to make the world a better place for generations to come, and it is my hope that those around me may feel the same.
I believe that my time in Belgium has truly been a transformative experience. I have had many deep thoughts about what it means to be sustainable in the United States, as well as what it means to be an aspiring engineer who hopes to help the world. Overall, this course has given me a lot of hope about the future. I also walk away from this experience with ideas about how I can be more sustainable on an individual level. I would like to be more mindful of what and how much I am consuming, how much waste I am producing, and how I could become more active within the sustainable spheres of my community. I have also found a new appreciation for wastewater treatment now that I have learned about alternative practices. I believe that engineers have the responsibility to improve the world around them, and I would be more than happy to work to help bring this technology to the United States. I must also admit that I will thoroughly miss Belgium once the course is over. I mean it when I say that it felt like my dream city – walkable infrastructure, amazing coffee, biking as a pillar of transportation, the widest variety of food options, a lively creative culture, and an environmentally conscious government and community. I am so grateful for all of the experiences that Belgium has granted me.