Lessons from Samsø: Renewable Energy Island

Over the weekend our Global Navigators visited Samsø, Denmark's renowned Renewable Energy Island. Samsø is located in the Kattagat Sea area, so students were able to experience a train and ferry journey to get to our destination. 

Our first activity once arriving on Samsø was going to the Samsø Labryinth, which is Guinness World Record approved as the world's largest permanent labryinth! Students enjoyed racing to the center in groups and solving a mystery word at the end with letters they collected along the way. In order to reach the center, students had to answer a question at each T-juncture in the labryinth. 

Our second day focused on learning about the energy transition on Samsø. We visited the Energy Academy which is a project management firm that tackles many of the energy problems and solutions on the island. They host public forums and have welcomed other countries and regions to help talk through how other regions can reduce their fossil fuel dependency.

On our last day we visited Yduns Havn organic farm to learn about how a local family is growing food and producing eggs to have a more resilient food system on the island. On 40 acres they have 600 chickens, large varieties of fruit and vegetables, supply 6 restaurants, and have 64 families in their CSA (community supported agriculture) program. 

We stayed at the feriecenter (holiday center) which was an amazing place with 2 large trampolines, a human foosball game, giant chess/checkers, Kongespil (Kings game) and hammocks. This was a great space to relax, recharge, and reflect on what we learned from our excursions. All in all, students had a great time on the island learning about local climate solutions and the impact of a community making a change.