We live in a time of rapid change, a time of progress. Filtering the huge amount of information, we receive every day is a difficult task. One major problem that has received a lot of attention and discussion the past years is our ecological footprint. But before starting to elaborate on this topic and in order to have an overall understanding, we need to establish a clear definition of the term “ecological footprint”.

According to WWF, the most accurate way to describe ecological footprint would be to call it the impact of a person on the environment, expressed as the amount of biologically productive land and water required to produce the goods and services necessary to support a particular lifestyle. If this is confusing to you, I would dare to propose another definition and call it the amount of environment we sacrifice daily in order to continue our way of living. The questions that arise immediately in my mind are; Do we know our impact to the environment? Can we measure it? Can we (at least) estimate the damage we do every day?

Environmental science tries to find answers for all these questions. Nevertheless, there are many powerful ways to live more sustainably and that involves action that can be taken from us, e.g., energy conservation can become an energy source itself. Consuming energy wisely in our daily lives can reduce drastically the total amount of energy consumption in our households. Energy awareness might sound a cliché topic but is important to realize how much can be achieved daily, monthly, or even yearly if we simply consume the amount of electricity we need. Although energy efficiency, including thermal building conventions, has improved greatly during the years, studies have shown that energy use does not seem to be on the mind of the typical consumer. It seems that we are putting so much effort on creating more sustainable and efficient energy systems while human behavior does not change easily, even when small economic incentives are used to reduce electricity consumption.

Moreover, several other practical ways to reduce our environmental impact can be found including recycling, proper disposal of plastics, saving water, move with public transportation, eating locally etc. Even if it is just one person, collectively, difference can be made. With knowledge and information becoming more accessible nowadays, environmental awareness can grow and going one step further, innovative solutions inspired by young entrepreneurs can support this movement.

Today, while the majority of people talk about sustainability, the serious environmental organizations have a common goal; to save what is left. A recent documentary that addresses the impact of human activities to climate change can be found here. Most people when the conversation shifts to environmental issues, they will all agree, but this is not enough to solve the current situation. Now, more than ever, it becomes a necessity for people who want to create a better future, to share their knowledge and inspire other people, not with words, but with action.

Nowadays, most of us live in multinational surroundings. As a result, people from other countries together with different traditions and cultures are becoming more noticeable in our lives. It is likely that during your life or your studies, you will come across with many people who are different to you, or situations that might be unfamiliar to you. It is extremely helpful to know that these experiences can grow you as a person and if you try to understand other cultures, it can become a life lesson that even the best universities cannot teach you.

It can be very easy to stay with what you already know rather than facing new challenges and meet people who are different to you. However, I can assure you that understanding different cultures is one of the most interesting experiences and a step forward to build your personality. Being in a new and unfamiliar environment can be uncomfortable, and confusing sometimes. However, I realized that these moments help me detect my capabilities, find my weaknesses and most important, understand myself better. Moreover, another aspect of getting to know the culture is learning the language which is a completely different experience than learning a language in a classroom.

The past two years, I live abroad and I had the opportunity to see things and gain experiences that I could not do in my home country. I could not imagine that a walk with friends in the streets of Barcelona early in the morning, or a dinner with colleagues could be such an exciting and fulfilling experience. Exploring new cultures is not only going to museums and learning about the history of the county but also discovering its music, trying different foods, do activities that you have never done before, observe how people interact with each other daily and most importantly speak with people. Despite the huge variation in cultures and languages, we are all made of the same stardust and we share similar aspirations.

Before meeting someone you would probably guess that it is more likely that we won’t have so many things in common but after some time you realize that the puzzle of your personalities and cultures intersects so many times that you could not imagine. That's the beauty of different cultures, there is no such thing as good or bad, right and wrong. Each person is different and entitled to an opinion, and a way of life that, as long as it does not violate human rights, it deserves our respect and appreciation.

If you are currently a university student, or a recent graduate and you are willing to leave your comfort zone and start an exciting journey, I encourage you to find a way to travel or live abroad for a while. There are many opportunities with InnoEnergy for master studies in top universities around Europe in the field of sustainable energy and scholarships are offered to high qualified students. Going to a strange and unfamiliar destination is an experience unlike any other.