For this prompt, I am away from my usual sit spot. We are on a two-week excursion — one week in Budapest and one in Vienna. Despite spending only a short time in each location, I will try to answer some of the questions expressed in the prompt. In both cities, we were able to drink tap water. From a precursory google search, it seems that Budapest gets its drinking water primarily from the Danube while Vienna derives its supply from mountain springs in the Styrian/Lower Austrian Alps. Budapest uses a riverbank filtration process to purify its water, and both cities add chemical compounds to disinfect.

We actually discussed energy issues during our lectures and site visits in Budapest and Vienna. Both Austria and Hungary are heavily reliant on Russian oil as their main energy source. This is “unsustainable” in two ways: the negative impact burning fossil fuels has on the environment and the detrimental impact supporting Russia’s economy has on Ukraine.