Before Nottingham transformed into a bustling city of lecture halls, tramlines and student flats, it was a sprawling woodland famously intertwined with the Robin Hood legend. Robin Hood itself is underpinned by the lesson that the resources around us ought to be shared. Accordingly, from a sustainability perspective, taking from the world creates a responsibility to give something back.
International study delivers an extraordinary privilege; however, it carries an environmental cost. My flights to the UK undoubtedly will be the highest environmental cost of my exchange, so I want to acknowledge this honestly rather than pretend otherwise. Reducing this impact is important to me: I will compare routes before booking to minimise and offset carbon emissions. Once I have arrived in the UK, I will prioritise travelling on the lowest-carbon-emitting options available, namely trains, bikes, and coaches, rather than short-haul flights for any European sightseeing I may undertake. I will utilise this opportunity to take ‘the scenic route’, travelling slowly and staying longer in any given location to take in its natural beauty. Apps such as Trainline and Rome2Rio are highly useful here.
While in Nottingham, my approach to sustainability will be less about isolated dramatic gestures and more about the small, consistent habits I repeat daily. I plan to live as close to campus as possible, walk when I can, use public transport, and utilise the University of Nottingham’s cycling options where practical. All these options support SDG 11 by relying on more eco-friendly urban transport and by treating Nottingham as a community I belong to rather than a mere pass-through destination.
I also want my ordinary student life to be defined by SDG 12, responsible consumption. I will maximise reusability by avoiding single-use coffee cups, bottles, and cutlery; buying second-hand clothing on Depop; cooking with housemates; and using apps such as Olio to minimise food waste. As a keen rower, I understand that high performance depends on consistency. Sustainability is similar in that it is the small choices that accumulate over time that have the greatest positive impact.
SDG 13, climate action, will not only shape how I travel, but also how I influence others. While abroad, I want to make lower-carbon choices visible and normal by suggesting trains over flights, minimising fast purchases, joining sustainability initiatives, and sharing useful tips with other exchange students. I’ll also continue to use GikiZero to reduce my carbon footprint.
While Robin Hood was known for taking from the rich and giving to the poor, my spin on this is grounded in sustainability: take less from the planet, and give more care to the places that host me, leaving them in a better position than when I arrived. I want my exchange to be adventurous but not careless. If I can return from Nottingham with fresh knowledge, friendships and a lighter ecological footprint, then my exchange will have matched opportunity with responsibility.
