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April 28, 2017 by The Young Leader

An Education on Sustainable Development: 4 Examples of Sustainable Building Projects in Action

While anyone who engages in US and world politics might try to tell you that green energy and sustainability are taking a huge beating, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Even though green projects still don’t have mainstream or widespread government backing in most of the world, that hasn’t stopped some serious forward thinking individuals and governmental bodies from undertaking some truly amazing sustainable building projects. Here are some of the most amazing projects undertaken in recent years.

1. Eco City – Hamburg, Germany

The Eco City is a project being undertaken in Hamburg on the shores of once-forgotten Harburg Harbor. Germany has always been a country taking leaps forward in sustainability, and this initiative takes it even further.

The goal of the project is to create a 100% self-sustainable community with 100 percent fully sustainable power sources and its own office buildings, warehouses, and production facilities. It will also include plenty of tourist facilities like hotels, restaurants, and retail spaces. All of that powered by sustainable energy is truly a great example to show the rest of the world it can be done. Let’s hope they finish it up soon.

2. World’s largest wind farm – Shepherds Flat, Oregon

Wind power is becoming quite trendy lately, even in the United Sates. In fact, the US has the world’s largest wind farm in Shepherds Flat, Oregon.

Funded by a generous loan from the US Department of Energy a few years back, the wind farm is said to generate 845 megawatts of power over 30 square miles of land. That’s enough power to run 235,000 average households and may prevent up to 1.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

3. Bud Clark Commons – Portland, Oregon

OK, I think it’s becoming more obvious that Oregon is a very forward-thinking state in the United States, and this next example is further proof. The Bud Clark Commons is the result of Portland’s 10-year plan to end homelessness. The building serves as a temporary home to homeless people transitioning into more permanent living arrangements.

The building offers a day center, public courtyard, and easy access to transportation. There is a 90-bed temporary shelter area and 130 separate permanent studio apartments that the homeless can transition into. All of this is fully sustainable and certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

The facility has features like graywater recycling, zero stormwater runoff, solar hot water, and a high-performance envelope. The estimated energy savings per year versus fossil fuels is $60,000.

4. Solar energy-collecting bike paths – Netherlands

In the Netherlands, a few companies are joining forces to launch an innovative new idea, bike paths that can harvest solar energy. The project could be a game changer for the world if it works out, proving that much of the world’s sidewalks could be replaced with panels to harvest energy into the grid, potentially saving tons of greenhouse gas emissions and money.

The idea is a simple bike path that’s made of concrete topped with glass. Beneath the surface, silicon solar cells capture energy at an estimated 50 kWh per square mile per year. That sounds pretty small admittedly, but when you scale it up to the size of an average city the savings could be massive.

The path, called the SolaRoad, has already been rolled out in a small test section. It has exceeded expectations so far, which is great news for the future of green roads.

What other sustainable development examples in the real world have you excited for the future? Tell us in the comments!


Contributed by Nicholas Bartholomew

Filed Under: Be Bold!, Latest Posts

April 28, 2017 by The Young Leader

Short Term Mission Trips for Teens and Young Adults

No matter your age or background, participating in a mission trip is a life-changing experience. There are few other more impactful opportunities to broaden your perspective while also safely challenging your personal comfort zones. The sense of togetherness and empowerment achieved from your work will forever remain a part of you and the way you observe the world. The thought of traveling abroad with people you don’t know for any extended period of time can, however, seem difficult and intimidating. Don’t be fooled. This is one experience you absolutely don’t want to miss out on. Here are five great reasons you should jump at the opportunity to participate in a short term mission trip, no matter how old you are or where you live.

1. Knowledge That You Made a Difference in the World

Whether you’re helping children learn to read, digging wells, or rebuilding homes after a natural disaster, the work you do on your mission trip will impact the lives of other people. The knowledge that you have made a difference, even for just a single person, will be something you can be proud of for years to come.

2. Ability to Easily Manage Your Trip around School or Work

While long term mission trips offer participants the opportunity to make change on a bigger scale, taking off from school or work for an indeterminate amount of time simply isn’t possible for everyone. Short term service trips, on the other hand, often span only 10 to 14 days and can be scheduled over holiday breaks or by using paid vacation time.

3. Opportunity to Use What You Learn Abroad When You Get Home

 You will likely return from your mission trip with knowledge of and proficiency in many new things, regardless of the duration of your service. This new understanding, as well as any acquired skills, can often be put to great use at home, in your church, and within your community.

4. Chance to Explore without Long-Term Commitment to a Single Place

 Traveling abroad can be scary, especially if you’ve never done it before. Opting to participate in a short term mission trip allows for a sampling of the experience and the location without making a long term commitment. Participating in several short term service trips to different places can often help you better determine what you’re meant to be doing and where you’re called most to do it.

5. Expansion and/or Revitalization of Your Faith in People

One thing is certain; joining together on mission trips for young adults and other like-minded people giving selflessly to achieve a common goal is good for the soul. Whether you’ve been feeling unfulfilled and disconnected or are simply seeking to expand upon and express your faith in other people a new way, a short term mission trip may be exactly what you need.


Contributed by Amanda Vosloh Bowyer

Filed Under: Be Bold!, Latest Posts

April 28, 2017 by The Young Leader

The Best Pre-College Summer Programs for High School Students

Want a quick overview of some life-changing programs?

Greetings adventurers and college-bound seniors!

Now that the school year is winding down, you may be wondering about what to do over your summer vacation.

To keep things simple, we’ll explore 3 main types of programs: (1) Service Learning, (2) College Enrichment, and (3) Family Travel.

Service Learning

Would you like a more hands-on and community-focused international experience? Compared to other kinds of international travel, service learning offers a more genuine way to connect with other cultures and volunteer in ways that matter. Unlike tourism, service learning is all about pushing you out of your comfort zone to meet others halfway rather than simply entertaining or comforting you in a familiar bubble. These programs go a long way towards building qualities such as leadership, adaptability, and tolerance. As someone about to head off to college, you may appreciate this time as an opportunity to reflect on yourself and better understand how you fit in with the world around you. Providers such as Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) offer these kinds of experiences—an immersive adventure where you also give back.

College Enrichment

Want to better prepare yourself for academic life and your career? You might anticipate freshman year as a whirlwind experience that is much more about fitting in socially and making friends than hitting the books. But your first job is still being a student where you either make it or break it depending on your grades. Enrichment programs ease you into college by giving you a couple weeks to first explore academic subjects, set personal goals, and learn successful habits well before move-in day. You gain a broad view of what’s available to you in college and develop a more structured plan of action for before you start. That way you can better focus on the more social and unstructured parts of college from day 1 without having to worry as much about the other details. Programs like Summer Springboard offer you that kind of academic head start.

Family Travel

Do you value spending time with family and want a more genuine international volunteer experience? In many ways, the travel programs run by Discover Corps have similar benefits to traditional service learning programs. What distinguishes them from the usual tours is that you work with a smaller group of about 8-10 people who engage up close and personally with your host country. And you can also bring your whole family as well as friends along for a customized volunteer vacation!

Which type of program you choose depends on your goals, preferences, and ultimately what you value.

Take the time to research and compare other providers as well, so you can make the most of your summer college programs for high school students, their families, and beyond 🙂

What other kinds of summer activities interest you before heading off to college? Please share below!


Contributed by Nick Fochtman

Filed Under: Bright Futures, Latest Posts

April 28, 2017 by The Young Leader

What is Social Entrepreneurship?

It’s the latest buzzword and the theme of our South Africa program, but what is it?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: #myGLA, Archive, Latest Posts

April 17, 2017 by Brett Scuiletti

Building a Better World with London Vallery

“I didn’t want to choose between engineering and politics. I wanted to do both.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Gamechangers, Latest Posts

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