If you are interested in contributing to the DIScover Sustainability blog next semester, click here to read application information. Apply soon – the deadline is January 20th!
Meet our DIS Student Editors from Fall 2011:
Gus Fuguitt
The College of Wooster
Migration and Conflict Program
Hi! My name is Gus Fuguitt. I'm originally from Madison, Wisconsin and I'm currently a junior at The College of Wooster. I'm a sociology major/history minor and here at DIS I am enrolled in the Migration and Conflict core program. I'm also a member of the Greenhouse sustainability living and learning program here at DIS, which is a pretty good time. I am highly interested in sustainability, both here in Denmark and at home, and I'm looking forward to blogging about sustainability at the environment while I study here. I've already had a ton of great sustainability experiences in Copenhagen so get excited for when I start writing about them. Seriously, get really excited it's gonna be great.
Eileen Schaeffer
;)
Sewanee: University of the South
Sustainability in Europe
My name is Eileen Schaeffer. I prefer to be addressed by this name. I am born and bred Tennessean, and I have a deep love for the southeastern United States. I have lived on the same hidden hill, surrounded by the same happy woods, for the entirety of my jejune life. My parents’ love of the outdoors and interest in activities such as bee-keeping, chicken-raising, gardening, and wine-making have instilled me with a wealth of appreciation for nature and playing with it. For this, I am forever indebted.
Currently, I am an undergraduate at Sewanee: University of the South, studying Ecology and Biodiversity and Religion. I like hiking, drawing, Peterson Field guides, and Ayurveda. I don’t know what I want to “be” when I grow up, but this past summer I studied coastal butterfly populations on St. Catherine’s Barrier Island, and the experience has unearthed a passion for field research.
Don’t ask me why I chose the frigid, urban jungle of Copenhagen as my study abroad site-me, a girl who can’t stand cold weather, who likes woods, and who has a sorry set of street smarts. But I did, and I am here. Despite my unlikely surrounding, I am absolutely loving this place and myself in it. An essay I had to read in my Environmental Ethics class back at Sewanee comes to mind when I assess the nature of my study-abroad situation. In this essay, Max Oelschlager states that “pessimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy”, and I couldn’t agree more. In just the same way, optimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the hope and goodness I feel from all of the sustainable practices going on here are uplifting and invigorating (but that could also be from the cold winds). The future of sustainability is a tangible and worthy thing in Denmark, and the precedence it takes all sectors of life here is hard to sidestep. So while I get “hygge” with the Danes, enjoy my blog in honor of sustainability.
Ohm mani padme hum.
Kaitlyn Bernard
Colby College
Sustainability in Europe
Hi! I'm Kaitlyn. I'm originally from Northern Maine (essentially Canada) and go to school at Colby College in central Maine. I'm an Environmental Studies major with a policy focus, and I love being outside - especially in the winter. Here in Copenhagen, I'm enrolled in the Sustainability in Europe program, and I'm taking 2 other environmental-esque classes so I'm sure I will have lots of good stories from field studies and class projects! I'm also living with a host family out in the Danish country side, so get ready to hear about adventures outside of the city.
Kevin Lugo
;)
Gettysburg College
Sustainability In Europe
Hey all, Kevin here. I hail from Reading, Pennsylvania and I have been a PA resident my whole life. I grew up hiking, camping, and loving the outdoors. I come from a pretty liberal home, but we've always been very conservative in our material life. I've always been interested in environmental issues, and at Gettysburg College I am majoring in Environmental Studies and Economics. The Econ came as quite a surprise, but I've found it infinitely telling about the realities of life. Here in Copenhagen I am studying Sustainability, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Economics. I love biking and am SO impressed by the infrastructure here, so don't be surprised if I mention it a lot. I do bike to the train and then to class almost every day :) I'm staying with a host family in Køge and they are teaching me all about the politics, economics, and social attitudes in Denmark. Denmark takes a whole new take on pushing environmental goals, and I am excited to be in such a progressive country! So if you're into adventuring around new places and enjoying odd pleasures, keep an eye out for my posts!
Alex Deeter
Oberlin College
Sustainability in Europe
Guten Tag, I go by Deeter and have been raised with two cultures. I grew up in Orange County in California, and my mother is from Germany so I have traveled a lot especially to Germany. I am studying Environmental Studies with a focus in Energy and Society at Oberlin College. I love to learn about anything that involves Sustainable Energy, and am excited to learn more in depth the European and more specifically the Danish plan to achieve Sustainability. I chose DIS because it much more hands on experience than most of the other European Programs I found. I also love Europe and want to spend more time here. Personally, I love to try new things and go out for an adventure. I especially love to kayak, and often go ocean kayaking when I am home. I really enjoy food, and I make it a goal to try local cuisine. I have eaten a wide variety of foods and some things that aren't considered food in most societies. I love culture, and especially my own culture shock stories. I am excited to share my experiences with you over the course of the next several months!
Moss Amer
Brown University
Sustainability in Europe
My name is Moss, though most Danes insist on calling me Mars. I study public policy and energy and environmental sciences at Brown University and come from a relatively liberal, environmentally conscious background. Zealand will be the third island I will call home, the other two being Long Island—where I grew up—and Rhode Island (island in name only)—where I attend school. I am a skeptic and enjoy challenging the current direction of sustainability almost as much as I enjoy promoting sustainable changes. At the very least, my posts will give you something to think about while you roam the streets of scenic Copenhagen.
Feel free to contact me with any comments, questions, or suggestions at Moss_Amer@Brown.edu
For more information about DIS, please visit www.dis.dk