Hamburg

Marking the second half of our trip, our journey from Freiburg in Southern Germany to Hamburg in the north showed the differences within the country. The large buildings in Hamburg paired with the large streets filled with car traffic contrasted Freiburg’s skinny streets filled with packed bike racks. The large port buildings along the harbor create a grand atmosphere, enhanced by the countless professionals and business people brisking the city. Our visits to Nordex and Airbus added to this impression.

At Nordex, we learned about German wind turbines as a renewable energy source. The lecture emphasized the importance of sustainability in Nordex turbines throughout their lifecycle. Notably, the arms of the turbine are the only part that cannot be recycled or reused. Though not a large scale solution, some turbines are being upcycled and turned into furniture. This creative solution can make relatively unsustainable products a sustainable life cycle. The emphasis on sustainable product lifecycles shown at Nordex contrasted our visit to Airbus. It was interesting to visit these two companies in the same day, because Nordex actively tries to develop sustainably and introduce renewable energy sources to cities while Airbus is likely responsible for a huge portion of global carbon emissions and lacks plans to introduce renewable or sustainable practices.