Sustainability Day - 21 November, 2008

100 kg carbon-dioxide, 500 bamboo canes, and an ocean of positive energy Balance of the First Sustainability Day

November 21, 2008

Is environmental protection for sale for money? What do we know about alternative energies and are we using them correctly? Hydrogen or solar energy, or, perhaps, wind as the energy source of the future? What do we mean by ecological backpack? Can we alter, and, if so, with what means our mode of life? We looked for the answer to the questions above and several similar ones on November 21, the first Sustainability Day organised by Magyar Telekom, Merlin Energy and „Vegyél Vissza!” (Cut it) Program.

Over 300 hundred guests of the event were welcome at the entrance with an exercise to be completed with the help of CO2NTRA. Namely, given that measured can be not only the CO ₂ emission of the activities taking place during the event, but also that of the way participants live their life means that participants were immediately confronted with the consequences. Visitors once recovering from the sight of hostesses clad in Merlin’s eco-outfits pieced together from bottle caps and wrapping paper and shepherding them could select from technical lectures, Novák Péter’s moderation and energizing team competitions, or strolling the varied stalls of exhibitors.

„All is but a matter of the will” - said Medgyasszay Péter, an expert representing the Quad Architects and Experts Office when speaking about ideal house building and energy utilization. Speakers articulated most, apart from will, the issues of efficiency, individual responsibility and attitudinal change and consciousness when speaking about the topic of sustainability. As Kürti Gábor, the chief organizer of the Critical Mass underlined: „ It is not that anybody wants others to refrain from driving and try to balance on a bicycle with two kids. All it is about is that we should try to consider: Is it really every day that we need our one ton umbrella, i.e. our car?”

We heard several times the recurring slogan: „The most economical energy is that which we do not consume at all”. It is not enough to purchase energy-saving equipment. It is equally important to be mindful of how we use them: TV sets with their led lights left on, lights not switched off, other equipment with stand-by modes may use up a third of all the energy we consume.

The technical discussion and the occasionally difficult questions were interrupted now and again by enthusiastic pieces created in application for the Vegyél Vissza! climate campaign: we heard top winning songs written for this specific occasion about the climate and Co2Falók (Co2consumers), Treehuggers and Lókarbon (low carbon) teams took all the prizes in every other campaign category ( Klímakett--ClimatePlaquette, Photo competition).

Some ingenious ideas, simple messages and specific suggestions were equally to be found among the exhibitors: MTVSZ brought the last snowman (with only the nose and eyes left), the Solar spot brought their unique tube system, which provides natural light, and Retextil manufactured on the spot their recycled and highly comfy settees.  OBI welcomed visitors with a creative niche and a plantation corner. Magyar Telekom introduced at its stall its sustainability activity and teams were offered a cup of green tee while preparing for the local competitions. At the Greenpeace stall people were invited to find out about the solar cook methodology, while the more adventurous ones could upgrade their skills in domestic compost-making, and the more creative ones manufactured amazing objects from waste. In the meantime a huge walrus built up for the stage by the end of the day from the PET bottles visitors had been asked to bring along in return for the entry.

Those really hyperactive were invited to 4 competitions in the local Positive Energy Activity. They optionally created some useful item, jewellery, etc. from waste, or wrote the 22nd century story of Jack and Jill using some obligatory words, or write up a list of Christmas gifts from the locally available products, or play the sustainable roaming TV-shop parody. Horváth Gábor and Cseh László, Olympic champions helped form the teams and Magyar Telekom’s Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Mattheisen and Merlin Theatre director Magács László jointly formed the jury evaluating and handing over the prizes.

The event having been convened with the purpose of raising people’s awareness is aimed at becoming a forum where the various organisations and companies engaged in the struggle for sustainability can introduce themselves and deliver to an increasingly large number of people the message of the need to change. Please visit the site: http://fenntarthatonap.info to see participants, summary and photos of the event.