Enhancing Reuse Assessment at the Amager Ressource Center

With the ever-growing popularity of circular economies in Denmark, direct reuse is being integrated more into daily life, lengthening the lifespan of items that would otherwise be thrown away. Organizations such as Amager Ressource Center (ARC) facilitate direct reuse but struggle to accurately report the amount of reuse occurring as user engagement grows. We worked with ARC through their administrative office and eight of their recycling centers to determine the efficacy of their current means of reuse assessment and ascertain areas of improvement through participant-observation, employee interviews, and customer surveys. Our recommendations include an artificial intelligence object detection and weight estimation model, customer self-checkout kiosks, and standardized employee reporting.

Propelling Change: Implementing a Zero-Emission Zone in the Canals of Copenhagen

We partnered with Miljøpunkt Indre By & Christianshavn to collect data and create materials to support a zero-emission zone for tour boats and seaplanes in Copenhagen’s harbor. We measured air pollution and noise levels from canal tour boats and seaplanes at high-traffic locations. Our data demonstrates that air pollution and noise levels exceed safety thresholds set by the NIH and Danish EPA. We featured this information in multiple resources, including a website, informational flyers, email list, and articles. We presented our recommendations to Miljøpunkt and the local committees for Indre By and for Christianshavn, and the issue was featured by local media. Our recommendations outline steps for stakeholders to create the zero-emission zone through a citizen’s initiative.

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Enhancing Environmental Regeneration via Community Corals in Refshaleøen

Community Corals is a regenerative project run by Oleg Koefoed and the Center for Livskraft Og Regeneration, with whom we collaborated to connect community and biodiversity. This project enhanced community engagement, interaction and interest in the corals located in Refshaleøen, a former shipyard, Copenhagen. The team engaged in walkshops, spiritual events that connect people with nature, and developed recommendations to improve the Community Corals experience. We introduced staining corals using moss-friendly dyes, proposed concepts for greenhouse domes to improve moss growth, and recommended adding light or sound designs to the corals. Our final deliverable was demonstrating a staining walkshop as a model for engagement with the corals, transforming them into a full sensory experience.

Blueprint for Demokratihus: Renovation for a Stronger Youth Democracy

Ungdommens Demokratihus (UDH) has the potential to become an active hub for youth-led political activities in Copenhagen but is limited by their outreach efforts and volunteer network. We sought to develop stronger methods of outreach and a more structured volunteer network. Through observations, surveys and interviews with volunteers, community organizations, and users of UDH, we identified key aspects of the current volunteer network, organizations of interest for UDH collaboration, and feedback from current users of the space. Additionally, we analyzed how organizations used the space. To address areas for improvement, we created marketing initiatives, a guidebook for volunteers, and met with volunteers to describe our recommendations.

Bringing People Together with Targeted Trishaw Design

Cycling Without Age (CWA) is a non-profit organization that offers trishaw rides to the elderly community. These rides create unique relationships between passengers and pilots and enable seniors to actively participate in their communities. The goal of this project was to design the front end of CWA’s first in-house trishaw that could be integrated into a new product. We addressed maneuverability, comfort, and accessibility and provided CWA with a prototype tipstand, a full-scale seating compartment, a CAD design of our steering recommendation, reference images for suspension, and other further improvements. This new trishaw will help promote CWA’s mission and improve the quality of life of the CWA community.

Improving Community Engagement with Sustainable Development Goals at WPI

This project investigated the methods of a Copenhagen-based NGO called Dreamtown, and how they effectively teach both youth and adults about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By building on the efforts of Dreamtown, we hoped to incorporate stronger SDG education and involvement within the WPI community. This culminated in a set of activities and proposed curriculum changes that aim to make WPI students more familiar with the SDGs, and get them more involved with the sustainability efforts happening on campus.

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Bee-ing Adaptable: Copenhagen vs. Shifting Seasonality

Climate Change related shifts in seasonality have affected various aspects of beekeeping. This project explored how Copenhagen beekeepers perceive shifting seasonality and adapted their beekeeping practices in response to environmental changes. We explored seasonality, beekeeping practices, pests and diseases, and their impact on honeybees. Our team used methods such as surveys, interviews, site assessments, document analysis, and participant observation to understand Danish beekeepers' challenges and changes throughout the beekeeping year. We identified themes in their approaches to sustainable beekeeping in a changing environment. Our team developed a model to predict how bee colonies are impacted by pest populations.

"Nothing about us without us": Exploring Greenland's Identity in a Changing World

Most existing education about Greenland is from a Danish perspective, with Greenlanders having little agency in telling their stories. To address this, we created an educational resource that highlights Greenland’s history, culture, and identity by centering Greenlandic voices. Through archival research, expert interviews, and consultations with Greenlanders, we created an educational website and Instagram page to share our findings. One week after their launch, the website was viewed 215 times and the Instagram page 7,600 times. A feedback form revealed that viewers felt significantly more informed after visiting the site. As the status of Greenland continues to shift and adapt to the current times, we hope that our pages help keep Greenlandic culture in the spotlight.

Investigating Transportation: Access for Newcomers in Denmark

Transportation access is a critical factor in integrating newcomers into Danish society, as it provides opportunities for jobs and social activities. In Copenhagen, we determined and analyzed transportation access available to newcomer communities. Through the review of government resources, in-person surveys, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and software analysis, we found that communities higher in non-Western populations had limited transit access whereas more funding was being placed into the rest of Copenhagen. Established policies prioritized integration by splitting up newcomer communities rather than providing transit access and connection. To share our findings, we created an infographic for the WPI Mobility Justice Lab, sharing these gaps and barriers.

Evewave Zero Waste Startup

EVEWAVE, a Copenhagen-based startup, aims to reduce the time, complexity, and cost in the supply chain with EVE1–a reusable pallet integrated with IoT to reduce waste and optimize logistics. This study evaluated the current packaging industry, including changing EU regulations, plastic waste generation, and lack of data. Through interviews, field observations, hands-on testing, and target audience analysis, we identified key areas for improvement. Using these methods, we created three deliverables: product refinement suggestions, a marketing brochure, and a preliminary website plan. Our findings support EVE1 as technology that helps build an efficient and sustainable supply chain system. They also provide insights about user experience and convey EVE1’s value to stakeholders.