Iceland Study Abroad: An Adventure in Sustainability

CELL offers life-changing study abroad programs for students who believe that they can make a difference in the world and who aren't afraid to try! During a CELL Iceland program, you will explore sustainability through community in one of the most remote, geologically unique, and environmentally friendly countries in the world. You will experience Iceland's breath-taking beauty. You will live in one of the world’s first ecovillages. You will learn from a country committed to producing clean, renewable energy -- an island nation leading the world toward a path of sustainability. You will learn about imaginative solutions to global problems and what is being done today to solve these problems. You will join a team of committed people who are changing the world.


What do students say about our Iceland program? Below are several student comments about our Fall 2007 Iceland study abroad program:

Sara: I have been renewed in something so powerful and so beautiful, yet so often and easily forgotten or lost…HOPE. I realized this change, this re-sprouting growth when I first arrived in Iceland, when we first began exploring the course concepts, this country, when we first began learning from one another. Here, with CELL, this hope was revitalized and renewed. I feel it strong and powerful in my spirit. I feel empowered with this -- empowered to explore my dreams deeper, with satisfaction in knowing they can be lived healthily, sustainably. The many memories from CELL: the learning and growth, the ideas and concepts, the beauty of Iceland and the compassion, honesty and humbleness of the people here and within the CELL group will also remain with me; remain a powerful and influential source in my life. Today, Iceland is warm in my soul, a great gift I cherish and will continue to remember and be inspired by.

Ian: I had never thought much about the correlation between sustainability and community. It has been very enriching being a part of constructing a community amongst the CELL group and becoming part of the Sólheimar community. I know our presence here has greatly enriched the Sólheimar community and each future CELL group will continue to foster these connections. The lessons and experiences of this semester are sure to have a lasting impact on my life. I am far more environmentally conscious as result of this semester, and I plan to encorporate environmental stewardship into my life. In the past three months I have had the opportunity for much contemplation on how I want to live my life when I return.

Kelly: I’ve never felt so encouraged to grow, so free to be myself, so loved or appreciated for just the way I am. The people have made this program so much of what it is. As for the classes, while it was difficult at first to shift from attending purely science lecture-based classes to discussion-centered classes, they have opened the door to new ways of thinking about and approaching problems. I’ve learned how to be a better listener, to be more effective in getting my points across, to look at issues from different views and to ask questions that may not often be considered. I feel absolutely changed from my time here. I think being here has opened me up to a new way of living that feels better than anything I’ve ever experienced or seen before. It has all been a blessing.

Nibby: I will not go back the same. I don’t think I could go back the same even if I wanted to... I’ve learned about global environmental issues and global warming throughout my three years at school, but never with such focus and concentration. These courses have really sparked me to always be asking the question, how would someone who doesn’t care or doesn’t really know be looking at this idea? Is everyone going to be super excited to be riding their bikes to work? I feel like I’m going home bullet proof: no one’s bad attitude, doom and gloom, apathy, or ignorance is going to get me down like before because now I have a new sense of mission and urgency. We are the ones we have been waiting for and I am the one I have been waiting for. I have also learned some really important social skills here. The people of Solheimar are so unconditionally loving and accepting. There is such a sense of timelessness too. The only time seems to be now. I want to embody more of these qualities in my own experience wherever I go...

Below are some reflections on our fall 2007 semester program.