While living in the Greenbelt this year has been amazing, I have recently begun to think about my plans for next year. In the fall semester I am planning to study abroad in Athens, Greece. I hope to take many of the lessons about sustainability that I have learned from living in the Cabins with me to Greece next year. While in Greece, I will have a washer, but no dryer, so I will continue my practice of air drying clothes like I have been doing in the cabins this year. The fact that I won’t have a dryer is a great incentive for me to try to be as sustainable as possible while living in Greece. Also I am excited to be living in an urban space since this is not something that I have not experienced before. It will be extremely nice to be able to use both walking and public transportation in order to reduce my carbon footprint while abroad. Also the diet in Athens is heavily based on seafood, and since it is so close to the coast this reduces the cost to ship the seafood. This reduces the energy used to ship the food and therefore makes not only the food fresher but also more sustainable. Also Athens, specifically, has a large movement towards sustainability (specifically sustainable food within urban communities) so I am excited to see how much of an impact these efforts actually have on me while I am living within this urban community and how I can involved with them during my stay. I hope that my time in Greece is enlightening and helps me gain a new perspective on sustainability by viewing how it is handled in countries with culture so different than our own.
-Bella Metts