I have been fortunate enough to go on a month-long trip to Glasgow, Scotland. My initial thoughts on the city were fueled by the immense amount of murals and culture in the city. I was not expecting there to be so much modern art mixed with historic architecture. As we have been able to explore the cities, and several other cities in Scotland, there has always been one constant; the people. Every person we have run into throughout the various cities has been extremely nice and welcoming to our group. They have helped us find things to do, navigate the towns, and even want to learn more about our abroad program which focuses on sustainable entrepreneurship. This concentration has allowed the group to travel throughout Scotland and get to know small businesses which focus on sustainability.
Spending time in Scotland and the United Kingdom, I am hoping to gain more knowledge on the cultural differences, especially when it comes to slight customs the UK may have. One small difference I have noticed is at restaurants. I had learned before going on the trip that tax is already included in the overall price and tipping is not customary almost at all. The one thing I was not prepared for was having to ask for a check and not being able to customize all of the food options given at restaurants. Although it is different, it is not a major adjustment, just something to keep in mind when we go out to eat. Another difference between Scotland and America is transportation. The cities are extremely walkable and friendly to those who are walking and biking around the cities. This is also applied to public transportation, the bus and train systems are very accessible and user-friendly. Whereas we are used to driving our cars or taking advantage of services like Uber, in Glasgow, your legs will get you almost everywhere you need to go, depending on what side of the city you are on.
Through this program, I hope to be able to see how sustainability is implemented in companies and how it affects the community around them. It is interesting to see how other countries value different aspects a business may prioritize. I hope to gain more insight into how it works and how it could be implemented into common business models America follows. Especially with a sudden focus on a company’s ESG efforts, the technology and mindset set towards sustainability could migrate into America more and more as time passes.
