Eight months ago I landed in Stockholm, wide-eyed and eager to explore,
a Bristol student at Handelshögskolan, on the adventure I’d been waiting for.
I knew that travel and sustainability don’t always go hand-in-hand,
so here are some of the measures I’ve taken to protect the Swedish land.
I bought a bike and rode Stockholm’s nine hundred miles of trails,
Facebook Marketplace providing the platform for second-hand sales.
Weaving through the bike lanes with my helmet strapped tight,
I quickly remembered that in Sweden they drive on the right!
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I took the metro and admired the underground art on display,
travelling solely on green energy, it runs both night and day.
Each of the hundred stations boasting a unique platform,
to public transport norms it most certainly did not conform.
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I used Too Good To Go to stop food going to waste,
ensuring my new-found love for fika was never misplaced.
I bought kanelbullar and semlor to sweeten my trips,
“I’m supporting local bakeries!” I’d say, with sugar on my lips.
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I ate what was local, seasonal, and caught near the coast,
enjoying fresh seafood from waters that Sweden proudly boasts.
By choosing line-caught, organic, and plant-based where I could,
I reduced carbon emissions and ate better than I ever thought I would.
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For my weekend ski trips to Åre, I boarded the night train,
departing Stockholm Central, then waking to snow on the windowpane.
Spending my days on the slopes, I left no physical trace,
just the tracks of my skis as I glided down with pace.
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I visited the Fritidsbanken to rent my skis, boots, and poles,
full of second-hand equipment with stories embedded in their soles.
Supporting Sweden’s circular economy, making adventure affordable to all,
it embodied the lagom way of life and I was completely enthralled.
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I took the ferry to Helsinki for a weekend trip away,
choosing sea over sky to keep my emissions at bay.
I stood out on deck as we crossed the open Baltic Sea,
scanning the waves for a whale — I spotted not one, but three!
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I checked Naturkartan for swim spots, both clean and serene,
although in the depths of winter, I was considerably less keen.
Come summer, I searched on Ecosia to help forecast the heat,
each search plants a tree, and that’s hard for Google to beat!
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From bikes to bakeries, across the land and the sea,
my year in Stockholm has been everything I hoped it would be.
Sweden proved that travel and sustainability can go hand-in-hand,
and I’ve come to adore this beautiful Scandinavian land.
1. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/
2. https://smartcitysweden.com/best-practice/368/sustainable-public-transport-in-stockholm/
3. https://www.toogoodtogo.com
4. https://www.fritidsbanken.se/en/
5. https://www.naturkartan.se/en
6. https://www.ecosia.org
