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An Independent, Coed, Friends School, Nursery Through Grade 12

Azores, Portugal provides a rich opportunity to explore social innovation, sustainable living

“The island of São Miguel in the Azores is a social innovation wonder!,” enthused MB’s Director of Global Education & Social Innovation Gara Field. A group of upper school students and recent graduates, and three faculty chaperones, made the journey to the islands of Azores, Portugal.

“We witnessed staples of the local economy and international trade, including organic dairy production from free range cows to the only organic tea farm in Europe. We also explored how natural resources on this island, such as geothermal energy, are maximized to keep it affordable and clean,” Gara added.

From the sights of Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lake of the Seven Cities) where two lakes (one green and one blue) separated by a bridge remind travelers of the legend that each lake was formed from the tears of forbidden love between a blue-eyed shepherd and a green-eyed princess. Yet, science came to life for students who learned that the surrounding vegetation around each lake causes the light to reflect differently. The group learned-by-doing on long hikes, lava cave explorations, and seaward excursions.

“It was really cool to see how, despite being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and almost 1,000 miles away from any other continent, they are able to thrive and have a significant economic output relative to their small size,” shared Liam C. ‘26. “They’ve taken full advantage of the industries that they can support on the islands. It’s amazing that they produce 50% of Portugal’s dairy products, as well as fishing and farming. It was also impressive that they are able to utilize the primary danger of the islands, the volcanic activity, and incorporate it into daily life as an energy source and mineral waters.”

Students also made connections between what they observed on the island and what they had learned previously studying and interacting with Gilson Snow, a ski and snowboard manufacturer based in Pennsylvania which was co-founded by Nick Gilson ‘07.

“What I thought was interesting was the similarities between Gilson Snow’s use of local wood to make skis and snowboards, and how Azores businesses use their local source of water to create most of their electricity. Both of these are cheaper and more efficient than other choices,” said Teo F.-S. ‘25.

“I have been thinking about how the islands of Azores and Gilson Snow owe some of their beauty and uniqueness to the small population they serve,” said Zach O.‘25. “We talked about sustainability on the trip and how we were able to see the island before tourism grows further and potentially becomes a problem there. I wonder how Gilson will handle growth in their business seeing how their environmentally-friendly methods will nonetheless further tax resources due to product demand.”