Brazil is over 9,000 kilometres from my home. I’m aware that before I arrive in São Paulo, my journey will already have a footprint. That tension sits at the heart of studying abroad. It’s not about pretending travel is impact-free, but being honest about its cost and intentional about what makes it worthwhile.
Working in the House of Lords has shaped how I view the gap between policy and reality. Through writing Parliamentary Questions, I’ve seen how well-designed policy loses impact with poor implementation and accountability. That perspective has made me more interested in how sustainability is delivered in practice, rather than how it is described on paper. This summer at the University of São Paulo, I’m applying this thinking to sustainable development in a new context.
Alongside this, I’ve tried to approach environmental responsibility in practical terms. During my National Citizen Service, I produced a carbon footprint report identifying waste reduction. Volunteering with Citizens Advice during the cost-of-living crisis, I distributed fuel vouchers to households under pressure, which highlighted links between energy systems and inequality. It deepened my understanding of SDG 7 and how “affordable and clean energy” exists beyond policy targets.
Studying at Kanagawa University in Japan taught me that sustainable travel is about mindset. Travelling by rail, staying with a host family, and avoiding the usual “international student bubble” made the experience feel less like passing through. Language changes how we relate to people and shifts us from observer to participant. Learning Brazilian Portuguese, even imperfectly, feels non-negotiable for engaging responsibly with the place I’m going.
I want to carry this approach into my time at the University of São Paulo. Ribeirão Preto, Brazil’s “Capital of Agribusiness,” sits at the centre of sugarcane production, renewable energy, and agricultural innovation. I want to see how these sectors balance economic growth with environmental responsibility, especially in biofuels and land use. I will have the chance to explore these tensions through lectures and company visits, observing how sustainability is framed in Brazil compared with the UK.
More broadly, I am interested in SDG 12, SDG 13 and SDG 4, as frameworks that genuinely benefit people, rather than just existing as abstract goals. On a practical level, I will minimise my impact by staying within walking distance of campus and supporting local businesses and using https://www.happycow.net/ to source local meals at feiras (farmers’ markets). These choices may seem small in isolation, but they reflect the principle of being deliberate about impact.
In Brazil, I plan to document the sustainable practices I encounter and share them with students at the University of Surrey. I will use tools such as https://sdgs.un.org/goals, https://www.rome2rio.com, https://www.ecosia.org and https://www.toogoodtogo.com to inform my decisions, but the most important learning will come from integrating with the culture.
A boarding pass will always represent impact. The question I want to keep asking is of the value of perspective and responsibility I bring home.
