I haven’t left yet, but I already feel like I’ve arrived.
Not physically — I have not yet stepped off a plane into Copenhagen — but in the way a place begins to take shape in your mind when you realise it has been designed differently from the world you already know.
I am preparing for a placement year in Copenhagen as part of my undergraduate degree in [insert subject], and much of what I have learned about the city has come from understanding how sustainability can become embedded into everyday life.
Before anything else, I considered the impact of getting there.
International travel creates valuable opportunities, but it also carries environmental responsibility. Aviation is one of the most carbon-intensive forms of transport, and using the Carbon Footprint Calculator (https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx), I was able to understand the impact associated with my journey. Rather than making multiple shorter trips, I have committed to one extended placement year and plan to offset unavoidable emissions through MyClimate (https://www.myclimate.org). I recognise offsetting is not a complete solution, but it is a conscious step towards reducing my impact.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals) have shaped how I understand Copenhagen’s approach to sustainability, particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
What interests me most about Copenhagen is how these goals appear to have moved beyond ambitions and become part of the city’s infrastructure.
I keep returning to one idea: movement.
In many cities, sustainable transport can feel like a compromise between convenience, cost and time. Copenhagen demonstrates how cities can be designed so lower-carbon choices become easier and more natural. During my placement, I intend to use cycling and public transport as my primary methods of travel, supported by Rejseplanen (https://www.rejseplanen.dk), rather than relying on higher-impact alternatives.
I also plan to adopt sustainable habits in everyday life abroad by following local recycling systems, reducing single-use consumption, making conscious purchasing decisions, and using Too Good To Go (https://www.toogoodtogo.com) to help reduce food waste.
What has changed my thinking most, even before arriving, is the idea that sustainability should not depend solely on individual effort. It is also shaped by the systems around us.
It changes the question from:
“How do I behave sustainably?”
to:
“How can we create environments where sustainable choices become the easiest choices?”
My placement is more than a professional opportunity; it is a chance to understand how sustainability influences the way people live, travel and interact with their environment.
I do not yet know exactly what Copenhagen will feel like when I arrive.
But I hope to discover what happens when sustainability is no longer something we are trying to achieve…
but something that has already been built in.
