Wetskills-The Netherlands, 1 November 2023 (by Ana Maria Preda, USAMV Bucharest)
Today’s all about “Blog Day,” and I’m here to give you a sneak peek into my day. After a good breakfast to kickstart the day, my friends and I hopped on the subway, headed for the university. Yep, it’s a regular workday, but it’s anything but ordinary.
We’re in the middle of a brainstorming frenzy, tackling a pretty cool project – the redevelopment of a former port area. Our mission? To make it not just efficient but also climate-resilient. It’s not easy, but we’ve managed to put our heads together and come up with some exciting solutions.
I’ve got this particular project on my mind, and it’s all about making the city sustainable. That means thinking about how to make it energy-efficient and ready to withstand climate changes. I’ve also been mulling over some social issues, like people’s reluctance to embrace wastewater reuse. It’s funny how water works seamlessly in nature’s closed loop, yet when we try to mimic that, we sometimes hit a mental roadblock.
My goal is to find realistic and practical sustainable solutions, not just something that looks good on paper. We’re talking about ideas that can work in different parts of the world. It’s quite the challenge, though, because we’ve got to consider economics, social factors, and all the nitty-gritty technical stuff.
But it’s not all work and no play. In between our brainstorming sessions, we chatted about life in other parts of the world – like Oman and South Africa. We also vented about how the media often distorts reality with its half-truths. And we had some deep conversations about traditions and culture.
Participating in programs like Wetskills is pretty awesome. It keeps us in the loop about what’s happening globally. It’s our way of understanding the world’s problems and solutions and staying connected.
So, as we continue to search for sustainable answers, I’m optimistic that with teamwork, creativity, and a global perspective, we can transform not just an old port area but also make the world a little bit better, one practical solution at a time. Stay tuned for more adventures in sustainability!
