let me illustrate.

we had just finished touring denmark’s biggest waste plant, copenhill, and our group of students sat down along the canal, in the sunshine. one would think that at 3 p.m. people would be at work or resting in their homes from a long day. no, everyone was outside. the sun was a sweet treat.

today, with the sun, was an extra special day: it was one of my classmate’s birthdays. lauren was turning 21 in europe. she is such a kind and caring person; i was not surprised that the sun decided to show its face today out of all days. for lauren, our class wanted to celebrate in the best way we knew how: going out into the city!

the sun beamed down on us. the clean air filled our lungs after breathing in waste at the plant. and the wind whipped our jacket tails to remind us that we were still in the northern hemisphere. people sat along the canal almost dipping their feet in the water, the smell of cigarettes and beer afloat around them. i could smell chocolate from a nearby shop, the lagkagehuset, and decided this would partner well with the sunshine. i bought lauren the most chocolaty cake i could find to surprise her.

our group followed along the canal to find a small park on the outskirts of the city center. we sat in a circle together sharing stories and learning more about one another. the cake and clean air paired perfectly with our laughs and birthday songs.

and that’s where i end this memory. sitting with my friends, along the canal, eating our chocolates, listening to the song of bike bells, and of course, basking in the sun.

i consider myself a rather environmentally conscious 20-year-old: i eat plant-based, contemplate my clothing sources, despise single use-plastic, bring reusable bags and bottles—i even tried the whole zero waste thing. despite my efforts, living sustainably as a student in rapidly changing, business-centric cities like new york and washington, d.c., has been more than challenging. 

moving to copenhagen has made me realize that instead of constantly evaluating my personal habits, perhaps i should be more critical of the systems which ultimately shape society’s collective impact because real improvements will only transpire when we collectively take action.  

in 2020 denmark was ranked as the most sustainable country by experts from yale and columbia universities, according to the 2020 environmental performance index (epi). reasons for this high ranking include denmark’s reduction of co2 emission by more than half since 1996, and that 47% of electricity was sourced from wind power in 2019.

furthermore, as identified by the united nations, these high ratings likely correlate to the fact that denmark is a front runner in other aspects of sustainable development. the danish government provides citizens with universal health care and education, there is high gender equality, a generous social safety net, personal freedom, and more.  

these high rankings are also largely thanks to the shared philosophies of sustainability and minimalism which are upheld in the home, and beyond. this collective mindset is often neglected when discussing global sustainability methods, but i believe it should be emphasized. 

to find out more, i decided to talk with other students who have also recently moved here, to see what they’ve noticed living in copenhagen and whether these differences have impacted them too. these conversations have left me with a freshly optimistic outlook on how sustainability within cities can not only improve the health of our planet but also improve people’s mindsets and happiness overall. 

i’ve come to think that perhaps we are looking too far into the unknown for solutions to our biggest climate challenges. rather than waiting around for another ambiguous statement from our world leaders, or some unidentified technological solution, let’s examine the cities who have already implemented tangible and effective sustainable systems into daily life. 

it all started with a mirror. 

this recent incident with my father perfectly illustrates the first major difference i noticed when moving to denmark: the absence of online shopping.

my dad needed to acquire a full-length mirror. after days of careful window shopping around town, he finally picked one out online and reserved it for same-day pickup. as my dad insisted that everything was transportable via the holy bike lane, he and i cycled out to the store and purchased the mirror. realizing that it was indeed far too large and heavy to cycle with, even for a full-blooded determined dane like my father, we resorted to balancing the mirror on one of the bike pedals and walking it all the way home, fighting the wind as we went. yes, this entire fiasco could have (and would have) been avoided in new york city with the ease of a click on amazon prime. but, this would have also come with an environmental cost, going against danish values of minimalism—as well as the notion that everything is possible on a bicycle.

it feels strange that purchases do not involve the corporate monstrosity that everyone in the united states hates and loves all at the same time: amazon. online shopping here is virtually unheard of. 

some people may do it occasionally, but the presence of amazon and its associated delivery services are nothing like what i am used to. another university student who moved to copenhagen from london six weeks ago, calum kendal, 21, has noticed stark differences in online shopping here too. 

“if you want to use amazon you have to go through the u.k. or germany, so it’s much less accessible, certainly to me,” he said. 

furthermore, things you would normally order online are often accessible in shops only a bike ride away.

when calum searches for items online, he’s found that they are available within biking distance of his apartment. this allows him to pick goods up conveniently and sustainably, rather than having them delivered via amazon as he did in london. 

minji suh, a 22-year-old from montreal, canada, who moved to copenhagen in january, says she noticed the collective support for local products and an emphasis on minimalism right away. 

“people are willing to pay a little more because they want to support their community,” she said. 

overall, minji feels that in copenhagen the mindset of having and spending less is celebrated, so that when you do purchase an item, it is one of high quality and necessity. 

minji is passionate about sustainable fashion, incorporating predominantly second-hand and homemade clothing into her wardrobe. she explained to me how the attitude around clothing in denmark has inspired her to think more consciously, and creatively, about her clothing purchases.

“a lot of danish people i’ve met have this very minimalist mindset, where it’s not about having as much or showing off, but it’s about being comfortable and presentable,” minji said.

minji explained to me that the societal differences of life in copenhagen versus in north america contributed to the amount of clothing she felt was needed to fit in.

“back home i lived such a fast-paced life, it felt like i had to have a big wardrobe, with lots of different options, to fit all my parts. so, unfortunately, as a student you gravitate to fast fashion,” she said.

“there is also more pressure to assert your personality through clothing in the states,” minji continued. “but coming here, and seeing people be so mindful about how they dress and how they consume, made me think that i don’t actually need to buy all these things so quickly. i know now that i can live a happy life just having a select amount of clothes.”

this shift towards minimal, yet quality items did not just manifest in her clothing choices, either.

“it translated into other things too, like me wanting to own a nice set of kitchenware” she said. 

i too, have recognized this emphasis on owning quality material things, and its effect on me has certainly been positive. danish design is popular all over the world for its simplicity, durability, and usefulness. minji therefore justifies purchasing a few expensive items that will last her years.

“i know that if i take care of it, it will last me way longer than scrappy ikea stuff. already i see the changes it has had on me.”

another friend of mine, christina hermanson, 19, who is originally from samoa, has been living in copenhagen for the past two years. 

“we have four trash cans,” she begins. “there’s one for trash, the second is divided into two—half for hard plastic, half for aluminum— then there’s the biodegradable bin, and the last bin goes to cardboard boxes.” 

when christina was living in samoa and new zealand, she only had two: one for trash and one for compost.

“if you had a compost bin in new zealand people would comment and say, like, ‘oh you really are one of those people, so environmentally friendly,’” she said.

the miniature size of trash bags in copenhagen also took me (pleasantly) by surprise. forget your mammoth 13-gallon glad bags; here, the average trash bag is barely bigger than a supermarket plastic bag. this subtle difference makes so much sense. not only does a smaller size insinuate less waste, but people are no doubt more conscious with their waste, having to maximize the space in their trash cans. on my second day in copenhagen, my dad was quick to criticize me for “wastefully” throwing out my trash.

“you need to fold it really small, otherwise it takes up too much space in the bin,” he said. 

the differences in trash disposal goes beyond the physical act of sorting, however. there is an additional shift in people’s attitude toward trash too—that we have a collective responsibility to do our part. if you fall short, you feel poorly, because everyone else is doing it.

 “there is more shame in not properly throwing trash away here. and it’s just normal—you don’t even question it,” christina said. 

i do feel my actions subtly changing because of this collective attitude of responsibility. i would never, ever, spit my gum out on the street here, for example. whereas in new york city, or d.c., i probably would without guilt, simply because it is so normalized. 

christina could relate to this feeling, too.

“i actually just experienced that last week,” she said. “i had a half a drink left and i threw it in the trash can and my danish friend was like, ‘why didn’t you just leave it on the bench? someone would have just come along to recycle it for pant.’” 

it is evident that every individual in copenhagen holds great responsibility for their personal environmental footprint, and also, that people feel as though they have a joint responsibility to contribute to larger sustainability measures, such as the recycling system. 

christina works in a sushi restaurant, and notices how even people who aren’t dining come in to ask for a tray to properly dispose of their cigarettes. 

“it’s also a standard thing with cigarette butts,” she said. “in other cities i’ve been you just leave them about, but here, even working in a restaurant, people come in to ask for a cigarette tray.”

the ‘pant’ recycling system, which successfully recycles over 50 million bottles and cans every year, is another widespread eco-friendly approach found in denmark. this was the first noticeable difference that came to calum’s mind when i picked his brain about sustainability in copenhagen. 

the system is based on a small deposit being paid on every bottle when it’s purchased, which you then get back when you return the bottle to a ‘pant’ machine, which are located at most supermarkets. danes return an average of 3.8 million bottles and cans daily. 

something else slightly different about living in copenhagen is the way natural light is used as a replacement to electricity. alex groth, 22, has lived in copenhagen for six months since graduating from university college london. one difference we can both agree on is the sparing use of bright lights in homes. instead, people rely on sunlight and candles.

“the architecture here is a lot more about having natural light—we barely have lights on in the summer because it’s just so bright,” he said.

in contrast to the 24/7 fluorescently lit cities of new york and london, danes often disregards the use of lights completely. 

“half the time when i come home at night, my house is only lit with candles,” he said. 

maybe it was because i grew up mostly in big, bright cities that made this shift especially obvious to me. the popularity of adjustable lights was a subtle way i observed that likely contributes to the fact the danes consume far less energy per person when compared to the other nordic countries (sweden, norway, iceland, and finland). this practice holds true even during the winter months, and when it is dark at night, according to alex. 

 “most houses i know use adjustable lighting, and even at night we never put it up all the way,” he said. 

a contributing factor to utilizing natural light whenever possible is that the price of electricity in denmark, as of march 2020, was the third-highest in the world. to avoid staggering prices, many households adopt led lights, which are up to 80% more energy-efficient, too.

all this is not to say that denmark is perfect, and that american ways of living and consumption are inherently bad. only that in many cases, we can do better, and we should be trying harder to. as i discussed with minji, it’s difficult to directly compare the sustainability practices of two vastly different places.

while the wealth of denmark certainly aids in its ability to run these operations smoothly, the sustainable lifestyle is one that’s firmly chosen by the individuals and local communities. alex, who has grown up with family in denmark, tells me how local communities in denmark have far more influence over people’s actions than the government. at the end of the day, it really comes down to the decisions of individual families, neighborhoods, and communities. this gives me hope that with a shift in mindset and responsibility, these kinds of changes are possible elsewhere, too.

the key to creating sustainable cities isn’t extreme—we don’t all need to go zero-waste. as young and adaptable people, we can set an example through subtle and collective changes. if we all take the time to sort our trash, recycle our bottles, if we chose to dim our lights and only purchase long-lasting items when necessary, we will mutually reap the benefits.

below, i’ve listed 10 ways copenhagen does biking right:

1. bike racks everywhere 

(leif jørgensen/wikimedia commons)

no more need be said.

2. bike friendly trains

not only are they bike friendly, but trains are also safe, timely, clean, and extensive — not to mention electric, meaning they source over 40% of their power from renewable energy sources. these trains extend far into the greater copenhagen area, allowing people to commute to copenhagen by bicycle, even if they live several kilometers outside of the city center.

                                                                                                                 (darby mcglone)

3. christiania bikes, also known as cargo bikes, are everywhere

(colville-andersen/creative commons)

these contraptions are great for bringing your children to school or loading up a hundred pounds of cargo. it’s truly amazing what people carry on these things!

4. bike shops everywhere

i never went more than two blocks in copenhagen without passing at least two or three bike shops. i once passed four on a single block.

5. established bike lanes

this is my greatest praise of copenhagen’s bicycle infrastructure. safe, established bicycle lanes are essential for any city that wants to accommodate everyday bikers. in copenhagen, you will find identifiable bicycle lanes on every street. separate bicycle lanes provide cyclers with a generous amount of room between them and cars. makes sense, considering there are nearly 400 km of bike lanes in the city and over 1000 km in the greater copenhagen area that stretch far into the suburbs, providing rural commuters with a means of cycling into the city everyday for school and work. and unlike many of the ones you’ll find in the us, bicycle lanes in copenhagen do not disappear after a mile, leaving cyclers to question if it’s safe to continue. this is because the city recognizes that bicycle lanes are just as important as, and arguably more important than (see point number 10), roads for vehicles.

6. bicycle traffic lights

these are pretty awesome features. they help legitimize cycling as a means of transportation, and helps organize bicycle traffic – essential in a city where so many commute by bike every day.

(mikael colville-andersen/wikimedia commons)

7. perception of bikers

not only do danes make biking look cool, but everyone does it, which makes it much safer and more enjoyable. you’re not just that obnoxious biker dude that everyone’s looking at.

8. pedestrian-only bridges

by 2050, 9 billion people will inhabit the planet, and a projected 70% of these people are going to be living in cities. with mass urbanization on the horizon, it is essential for cities to begin accommodating accordingly. a key component to this is sustainable urban transit. over the last 15 years, the danish government has introduced several initiatives to combat urban congestion. building pedestrian-only bridges is one way cities can promote sustainable transportation while encouraging healthy, active lifestyles. many of these exist throughout copenhagen, and they are freaking awesome. in fact, the city’s newest bridge is pedestrian-only, and it connects two of the city’s main hubs. if you’re in a car, you’re at a disadvantage. for more info on copenhagen’s urban sustainability initiatives, check out the state of green’s latest white paper on sustainable urban transportation.

9. the world’s simplest bike locks

(hustvedt/creative commons)

these are pretty representative of danish society as a whole. a flimsy plastic ring that fits around your back tire is all you’ll need to lock up. the amount of trust and respect for bike riding in copenhagen is unparalleled.

10. bike lanes get cleared first

yet another example of how the city prioritizes cycling. when it snows in copenhagen, bicycle lanes are the first things to be cleared – not roads for vehicles. pretty incredible, no? 

so, to all our cyclers out there, what can we take from all this? how can we make cities in the u.s. better accommodate bikers? the first step is biking everywhere and anywhere, even if we don’t have spacious bike lanes, and even when the bike lanes discontinue out of nowhere. without first introducing your friends, coworkers, fellow city dwellers and the local administration to the idea of biking to school, work and the grocery store, their attitude towards biking, and bicycle infrastructure, will not change — as won’t the local government’s. without an established bicycle-community in your town/city, you can kiss your dreams of bicycle traffic lights goodbye.

individuals and interest groups like walk bike nashville play a crucial role in changing the perception of biking in cities. it’s clear that many city governments are taking steps to expand their bicycle culture and infrastructure by building bike lanes and bike share programs, but it’s up to us to continue demanding better biking accommodations. so reach out to your local bicycle advocate groups (like walk bike), because there are tons out there. and if there isn’t one, consider starting one for your city. below are some pictures i took from san antonio, left, and nashville — the last two cities i visited, both of which had bike share programs called bcycle with stations powered by solar photovoltaics. 

(darby mcglone)

cities’ importance in a sustainability context cannot be overestimated. around the world, metropolitan areas are emerging and expanding extremely rapidly — every day, there are approximately 200,000 people worldwide relocating to cities. this continuous trend of urbanization, one that has been consistent since the 1950s, means an additional 2.5 billion people (more than a third of our current global population) will be living in cities by 2050. the graph below, drawn from the un world urbanization prospects 2014 revision, illustrates this global trend.

how can we build smart cities?

without the proper guidance, incentives or regulation, city planners and municipalities, along with the business communities within them, can get away with employing unsustainable and detrimental development principles into their urban design mechanisms. many cities have fallen victim to this. atlanta’s 2.5 million residents, for instance, span over 25 times as much land and emit more than 10 times the transportation-related carbon emissions per capita as barcelona, a city of 2.8 million. barcelona’s success can be attributed to its vast concentration of various residential and business opportunities as well as its strong public transportation infrastructure, which incentivizes development within close proximities to the center of the city and discourages personal vehicle ownership.

for cities to properly accommodate an increasingly urban global population in an efficient manner, city planners and policy makers also must take into account the impacts of a warming climate on urban life. while in the near future — the timeframe in which it is imperative that we act — we cannot dramatically consolidate huge cities like atlanta, it is both necessary and economically optimal to rethink and improve their current infrastructure to ensure cities are able to withstand the effects of climate change. in order to do so, we must understand that cities and their components are part of a greater dynamic earth system, one that has been disrupted after years of irresponsible resource use and management. in understanding this, it is essential to recognize the holistic implications of urban design and development, with an emphasis on preemptively integrating climate mitigation strategies into urban design.

proper water management is key element

one such improvement is to integrate highly efficient rainwater storage and drainage systems along roadways, pavements, and green spaces in cities. just this past week, severe flooding devastated the east coast, and the economic repercussions are expected to be in the billions. as the global climate continues to warm, evidence suggests that the frequency and severity of intense storms are going to increase substantially. this is especially relevant to cities, as roughly three quarters of them, including some of the largest megacities in the world, are located on or very near coasts, where the impacts of extreme weather events, not to mention rising sea levels, will be most costly.

some urban developers and municipalities have already begun incorporating dynamic rainwater storage systems into their planning process in order to mitigate the impending effects of climate change. copenhagen, as discussed in its climate adaptation plan, has implemented many sustainable urban drainage systems (suds), which will significantly reduce the impacts of the projected increase in abundance and intensity of cloudbursts within the city. these systems retain rainwater locally by utilizing subsurface and roadside infiltration beds, permeable paving surfaces, and green roofs and spaces in order to minimize stress on sewage systems and wastewater plants.

(photo by darby mcglone)

smart water management models found today

skt kjelds quarter, a “climate adapted” neighborhood within copenhagen shown above, features large excavated green areas that are used for rainwater storage and contain highly absorptive plants. grated channels and permeable sidewalks surround the green space, as well as large rainwater storage tanks that are separate from the sewage system. the ground outside the space is also angled such that all rainwater is directed towards one of these retention systems in order to reduce the impact of flooding.

potsdamer platz, an urban district within berlin, is also tackling the issue of rainwater management and storage. following the fall of the berlin wall, the local municipality recognized the opportunity to reduce the impact of flooding by forcing the rapid influx of investors to sustainably manage 99% of the rainwater ​that falls on their property. sustainable management meant completely disconnecting from the previous combined sewage system and creating a more efficient and ecologically friendly rainwater capture, storage, and drainage system.

buildings within potsdamer platz are now lined with green roofs that capture more than 70% of incoming rainwater, cool and better insulate the buildings themselves, and send rainwater down pipes to reservoirs that greatly enhance the area’s biodiversity. the water in the reservoirs is then used to flush toilets, irrigate nearby green areas, and in some cases to supply buildings’ hot water or solar thermal systems, all of which saves the district approximately 20 million liters of water each year. among other feats, buildings within potsdamer platz utilize efficient ventilation, facade and passive cooling systems that, compared to conventional systems, cut primary energy consumption by half. there is also talk of using the algae and biomass that accumulate in the reservoirs to create biofuels.

systems like these aren’t the end-all solution for an urban sustainability transition, but they are tackling some of the most pressing issues facing cities today while preserving a valuable resource that is often overlooked. 

(image at top: potsdamer platz in berlin. / mijozi/wikimedia commons)

http://unc.news21.com/index.php/stories/the-climate-generation.html

why 350?

350 parts per million is the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. we’re already in the 380s and rising, but we need to start curbing emissions and getting back down to 350 to avoid catastrophic climate change.

for more information on the importance of 350 and on the widespread international movement in support of getting us there, check out http://www.350.org.

dot .-, in non-rapper life, is valida, a climate change blogger at http://www.theclimateers.org. check the blog to follow her updates from copenhagen climate talks where she’ll be participating as an accredited sustainus youth delegate.

80% cuts in u.s. emissions will have only a tiny benefit. the bulk of our effort is best directed at helping the emerging economies conserve energy and move rapidly toward efficient solar, wind and nuclear power. developing cheap carbon capture and sequestration is also a priority. above all, we need to recognize that make-the-west-bear-the-burden copenhagen proposals are meaningless and completely ineffective.

professor richard muller of uc berkeley has prepared an important analysis that should be brought to the awareness of decision makers. information regarding how crucial the new developing economies in asia are to averting climate catastrophe has been compiled into an article by professor muller which can be found at:

http://www.mullerandassociates.com/nakedcopenhagendetail.php

lynas turns to jake gyllenhaal as a possible solution. he’s good looking, brings in the big bucks, and most recently was able to convince the movie-going public that he and dennis quaid could save the world from a sudden global warming that threatens earth in “the day after tomorrow”. jake gyllenhaal can save me any day, but how can he help save earth? instead of wasting millions of dollars on movies that simply entertain and not educate the public, hollywood needs to step it up and bring countries like tuvalu into the foreground. if hollywood learned how to make a blockbuster that showed what the real effects of global warming had on its audiences, maybe we’d have a better chance at making sure the people of tuvalu stay afloat. if 1 degree can drown a country, one movie should be able to change someone’s idea of what global warming really is.