Week 4 Submission
Greetings USF Sustainability Enthusiasts.
This past week marked my first week in Norway! The first phase of my
research included three weeks focusing on the capabilities,
techniques, and sustainable approaches for mobility in Central
Europe. During my time, I experienced record rainfall. Flooding was
a major concern in Austria as many people were evacuated from their
homes in certain areas. It practically rained every single day where
I was, seeing the sun only two or three times during my entire stay.
To my surprise, the public transportation system, through
electromobility, was unaffected.
Now, in Scandinavia I will execute phase two (the final phase) and study three total weeks comparing and contrasting the similarities-differences. Thus far I am astonished to
find a larger amount of smart cars, with many incentives to purchase
intelligent transportation vehicles. During my time studying at the
University of Oslo three years ago, I learned Norway is an oil rich
country, but not an oil dependent country. Utilizing this resource to
stimulate their economy, instead of fueling it, you can expect to pay
estimated 8 (USD) per gallon at the pump. Meanwhile it is very
expensive to own a car due to an endless amount of taxes, an all
access public transportation card is very affordable (especially for
students, while priced around 60 (USD)). There are many factors that
I look forward to researching and including in my report such as the
cost of living, average income, GDP, geography, incentives, taxes,
sustainable lifestyles, etc. I believe my findings in Central Europe
combined with Northern Europe will offer a broader spectrum and point
of view to European mobility.