EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Sustainable Amsterdam is a leader in experiential education focused on pressing issues related to sustainable development. Our innovative approach to experiential learning is driven by commitment to provide purposeful, real-world experience using Amsterdam and the region as our classroom.

With our study abroad programs we are committed to shape global citizens who catalyze change and help transform organizations for sustainability. We devise custom half day to two week study abroad experiential learning programs blending sustainability-focused course work with industry exposure and cultural adventures tailored to the needs of different groups. Our study abroad programs are designed to shape the 21st century professionals with a focus on:

Experience-based curriculum
Interdisciplinary and intercultural program
Integrated approach analyzing technical, cultural, socio-economic, and political systems
Utilizing systems thinking to solve real-world problems

Since 2014, we have hosted more than 1,000 interdisciplinary students and young professionals from 40+ universities and 20 countries around the world. Here is some feedback from past groups:

“We found the sustainability tours in Amsterdam very educational and learnt a lot about urban problems and solutions both in past, present and future. The students especially enjoyed the tour around the NDSM wharf and how it has changed from an industrial area to a creative space. Thank you for a very educational tours in Amsterdam.” – Frank Skov Pedersen, Lecturer in Physical Geography, Hjørring, Denmark

“Much better for understanding green activities in Amsterdam while riding a bicycle rather than reading boring papers. The tour was a concentrated half day and well organized.” – Taichiro Sakagami, Research at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

“As co-leader of a program including 17 university students from the United States interested in studying sustainability efforts in the Netherlands, I am so thankful to have discovered Sustainable Amsterdam and the expertise of founder Cornelia Dinca! Cornelia, and her assistant, Anna Hajdu, did far more than show our group of 19 the sites of the city. They immersed us in Dutch culture by offering us an inside look at how the Netherlands of today is built on centuries of history, art, and technological innovation. Cornelia and Anna led us through the city by bike, train, bus, and foot to discover the intricacies of planning for which the Dutch are known. We traveled to fresh food markets, repurposed art communities like Noord, buildings constructed with green roofs and green walls, and innovative neighborhoods where residents are experimenting with new ways of thinking and living sustainably. Everywhere we went, Cornelia and Anna offered a wealth of information about all things Dutch—politics, food, use of private and public space, and (inter)national identity.” — Cynthia Ryan, Ph.D. University of Alabama at Birmingham