While the Danes are quite fitness conscious, the choice for traveling by foot or bicycle is not just about fitness—it’s a choice that goes back to Denmark’s strict transportation policies that discourage the purchase and use of personal automobiles. For instance, the Danish government places a stout registration fee on all new automobiles. While in the U.S. we may expect to buy a $20,000 automobile and then pay an additional 5 to 7 percent for taxes and registration, a 180 percent registration fee appends to that same $20,000 car in Denmark, bringing the total to a whopping $36,000. Combined with gasoline prices nearing $10 per gallon, a bicycle and a pair of walking shoes seem an inviting alternative. After a short stay in Copenhagen, we traveled by train to Sønderborg, the beautiful harbor town that serves as the home of the Sønderborg Castle, which was constructed by Valdemar the Great in 1158. Now used as a museum, the castle was once used for protection from attacks from the Wends. During our stay in Sønderborg, we stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast where the smell of freshly baked breads met our morning descent down the stairway. A typical Danish breakfast consists of breads, grains, yogurt, boiled eggs, cheese, meat and, much to my delight, prawns. It’s important to note that having a meal included with your stay there is a luxury. Dining out in Denmark is very expensive and is generally reserved for special occasions or people of greater means.
Exploring Denmark’s Education System One of the primary purposes of our visit was to study the Danish educational systems. We learned that Danes begin teaching English, which is spoken nearly by everyone, in the second grade. Sustainability practices are introduced in kindergarten and integrated into curriculum at primary and secondary education levels, showing the importance the country puts on education in sustainability and alternative energy. Education, from preschool through college, is free to citizens of Denmark, which is one of the reasons—in addition to free health care— that Danes do not complain about their 50 percent income tax. Additionally, students are paid to attend college. In Danish trades education, students follow a sandwich model of learning, alternating anywhere from a month to a year between classroom learning and on-the-job work with an employer. Many schools own and operate their own companies where students design, manufacture and sell products such as clothing, jewelry, furniture and small utility buildings. This model provides a reallife, hands-on training opportunity for students in a business environment while simultaneously allowing the students to generate income and learn the skills for workplace success.
Energy Sustainability at Home In order to explore Denmark’s sustainability practices and green construction, our group visited a solar farm, a geothermal facility, a biomass generation plant, a green construction trade show, a green-roof apartment building and a sustainability architectural/construction firm. After observing their practices, it became clear to me that while the U.S. is beginning to adopt some of the same practices, especially in the Pacific Northwest, the Danes have a considerable headstart. In the great political thrust for oil independence and sustainability, Sønderborg models a program known as ProjectZero. The vision of the project is that by 2029 all new homes built will possess a
zero carbon footprint or it cannot be occupied. Great strides in energy efficiency and insulation design and construction have already led to homes producing more energy from solar collectors and/or wind generators than is being consumed (a zero-plus home). This excess energy is sold to the utility companies and placed back into the grid for use by others. Much of the heat in Danish homes is from radiators. Hot water comes from utility companies and the push is to use fuels other than fossil fuels to heat the water. To this end, large areas of solar collectors are situated in strategic areas of the countryside. These solar collectors do not convert sunlight to electricity as solar photovoltaic cells do but rather contain piping filled with water. The sun warms the water, much as you’ve experienced after leaving a garden hose lying in the sun, and the heat is transferred to water pumped into Danish homes. These solar thermal systems are low maintenance with few moving parts and are self-cleaning with seasonal rainfall. Sheep are often used to graze between the panels to keep grass and weeds at bay. In addition to solar thermal facilities, heat is also collected at geothermal installations. Here water is piped into naturally heated reservoirs some 12 kilometers deep within the earth and returned upward to be transferred to the utility company. Danes also burn their garbage for heat. Garbage is collected and burned to generate power at the various biomass generation stations in Denmark. To facilitate the combustion, waste wood such as tree trunks and tops, scraps and slabs from the timber and lumber industries is chipped and added to the garbage to create the steam needed to drive turbine-driven 60 megawatt electric generators. To aid in waste water management and thermal insulation, green rooftops are becoming more widely used. As with the windmills portraying historic resourceful practices, sod roofs adorn the countryside, exemplifying the Danes’ philosophies of conservation and creativity.
Memorable Moments It was not all work and no play while abroad. One night, while we were in Copenhagen, our group visited The Old English Pub, and although the name may seem cliché, it was actually quite the collection of authentic English interiors and antiques, including the 200-year-old Brunswick main bar. At one time, Al Capone bought this bar from its former English owners and placed it in his Chicago nightclub. The bar now sits in this stained glass windowed, gas-lit establishment where visitors taste some of Denmark’s native brews. The icing on the cake for our last night in Denmark was the annual Night of Culture in Copenhagen. On this night, some 300 museums, galleries, churches, political establishments and exhibitions open their doors to the public, where, in many cases, visitors are not permitted. A pass will gain you free admission to all events and exhibits as well as free rides on the buses and trains throughout the city. From the Little Mermaid statue commemorating Danish author Hans Christian Andersen to the brightly painted apartments of Sønderborg, the time and travel spent in Denmark provided me a glimpse of the artistic beauty displayed in sculpture, architecture and design, the creativity in the quest for oil independence and resource conservation and the attitudes and philosophies of the Danish government and people that lead to creating the happiest nation in the world.
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