Last week, 15 Bachelor students from our Circular Economy course, accompanied by Prof. Dr. Magnus Fröhling and Vanessa Heinrich, embarked on a trip to Copenhagen to explore sustainability and circularity practices in Denmark’s capital.
🎓 Day 1:
We kicked off our journey at the Danish Technical University (DTU), discovering the Department of Mechanical and Civic Engineering and its Absolute Circularity section. Prof. Tim C. McAloone welcomed us and presented us DTU and its vision for sustainability. Prof. Daniela Pigosso introduced us the concept of rebound effects and her groundbreaking research on system dynamics. Postdoc Giovana Monteiro Gomes conducted an engaging workshop on Ready2Loop, an innovative tool for assessing companies´ Circularity Readiness Level throughout the value chain.
In the afternoon, Senior Researcher Ana Teresa Lima presented CO2NSTRUCT, an EU-funded project focusing on circular economy impacts for climate mitigation modelling in the building sector. Associate Professor Philip Skov Holding provided valuable insights on circular building design and the current state of Denmark´s building industry. We concluded the day with a tour of DTU Skylab, the university´s Innovation Hub, guided by Amanda Borup Pedersen.
🏙️ Day 2:
We began with a visit to Copenhagen Municipality Technical and Environmental Administration at Island Brygge 37. Here, we learned about the city´s ambitious plans to enhance circularity, reduce environmental impact, and improve waste management. Our tour continued at the Langgade local recycling hub, where the community combines effective waste sorting, sharing practices, and repair workshops.
In the afternoon, we visited UN City Copenhagen, a highly sustainable building housing 10 Agencies of the United Nations. After exploring Lidkøb, an innovative second-hand store, we concluded our tour at the iconic Amager Bakke (Copenhill), an incineration plant that combines waste-to-energy generation with a recreation facility, offering an outstanding view of the city.
These intensive 2 days in Copenhagen offered our students with invaluable into innovative circularity practices and a deeper understanding of the Danish sustainability landscape.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who enriched our experience with their knowledge and to our enthusiastic students who participated with great interest. Special thanks to Prof. Dr. Magnus Fröhling and M.Sc. Vanessa Heinrich for organizing and promoting this incredible opportunity.
♻️ Key take-away: there is so much to learn from other regions in the context of Circular Economy. Through collaboration and innovation, we can discover solutions to enhance sustainability globally and in our daily lives.
P.S. By choosing train travel over flying, we reduced our CO2 emissions by up to 75%! 🌱
