Next week, I’ll be stepping off a plane in Copenhagen for my first visit to Denmark and my first experience attending 3 Days of Design.

As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about sustainable homes, healthy materials, energy efficiency, and thoughtful design, I couldn’t be more excited.

Copenhagen has long been recognized as one of the world’s most sustainable cities. It is known for its extensive bicycle infrastructure, efficient public transportation, renewable energy investments, and a culture that seems to prioritize quality of life alongside environmental responsibility.

Here in Phoenix, I often write about sustainability through the lens of our home. I share what I’ve learned from living in a healthy, all-electric townhome with triple-pane windows, filtered fresh air, whole-home water filtration, durable materials, and systems designed to last.

But this trip offers an opportunity to zoom out.

What happens when sustainability isn’t just a feature of a single home, but part of an entire city’s culture?

That’s the question I’ll be exploring throughout my time in Copenhagen.

One of the experiences I’m most looking forward to is participating in sustainability-focused showroom tours during 3 Days of Design. Designers, manufacturers, architects, and innovators from around the world gather to share new ideas, products, and approaches to creating spaces that are healthier, more responsible, and more enduring.

I’m especially curious to see:

• How Danish designers think about longevity and durability.
• The materials being used in furniture, lighting, and interiors.
• How sustainability is communicated to consumers.
• Whether the products and ideas feel practical or aspirational.
• What lessons might apply to homes in very different climates, including the Arizona desert.

Of course, I suspect some of the most valuable lessons won’t come from the showrooms at all.

They may come from riding public transportation, walking city streets, watching thousands of people commute by bicycle, or simply observing how design and sustainability show up in everyday life.

Sometimes the most powerful ideas are the ones that become so normal that people hardly notice them anymore.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing what I learn, what surprises me, what inspires me, and what I think could translate back to our homes and communities here in the United States.

I don’t expect to return with all the answers.

But I do hope to return with fresh perspectives, practical ideas, and a deeper understanding of what sustainability can look like when it becomes part of a culture rather than a checklist.

If you’ve ever wondered how design, health, and sustainability intersect on a larger scale, I hope you’ll follow along.

Copenhagen, here we come.