Eventful Time in Freiburg
Our second stop of the trip was to the beautiful city of Freiburg. I really loved my time in Freiburg because of the different things the city had to offer. It was clear how active and lively the city was beyond its emphasis on sustainability. It was very common to see folks out and about using public transit, biking everywhere, or walking to and from the city center. I loved being able to immerse myself in the walkable culture and spend time in different restaurants and parks.
One of my favorite moments was our second night in the city when I was walking along the city center by the University on a Sunday night and stumbled upon a big dancing circle full of people dancing together to music and enjoying the outdoor summer air. It was truly a beautiful sight to see that reminded me of the differences between the US and other places. I really couldn’t imagine what would be comparable to the dancing circle I had seen and it made me think more about what are some other differences I observed.
One main difference was that it got much more leisurely in Freiburg. I didn’t get much of a feeling that many folks were stressed or working a strenuous 9–5, rather they moved to their own drum and made sure to get the afternoon lunch and drink.
I loved our time visiting the Black Forest and lake Titisee. Our group went for a hike and we got to ride little boats in the lake together. It was so lovely to see the different landscapes and natural beauty that lies just outside the city center.
Lastly a big takeaway I’ll remember from our stay in Freiburg was our best lecture from Sara McLennan. She is an economics professor who talked to us about all the different ways environmental economics is operating and functioning in today’s society. We discussed some more nice methods to pursing environmental policy and I was really keen to diving deeper into nudges and social pressure to influence an outcome. I think these could be more utilized in places like the US to help promote more sustainable practices and a greener future!
