Sustainability Day 4 - 24 September, 2011

Close to three thousand people attended the fourth Sustainability Day, who sought to learn more about the concept of sustainability, as well as the significance of climate protection and conscious lifestyles through the panel discussions and the creative program elements.

As in previous years, the panel discussions addressed the three areas of sustainability, i.e. society, economy and environment, and as a fourth, special topic volunteerism was also discussed (prompted by the fact that 2011 was the European Year of Volunteering). At the panel addressing poverty (society), participants discussed the possibilities of integration, while the discussion about water (environment) accommodated an exchange of ideas among the Parliamentary Commissioner for Future Generations and recognized experts of the topic about the Danube Strategy and the effects of climate change on water reserves. The role of the “hello holnap!” Press Award was also raised at the session about responsible communication (economy), where speakers also drew attention to different advertising tricks and pseudo-Hungarian products.

In addition to attending the panel discussions, visitors could test-drive a car running on alternative energy, taste fair-trade coffee and tea, as well as roam the exhibition of creative works of art made of waste, e.g. used bicycle parts, alternative energy systems and take part at a flash mob. In the intervals of the panel discussions, those interested could look at the projects submitted to the Sustainability Day 4 Contest, and score them. At the end of the day, an award ceremony took place, where the winners of the creative contests and the press competition were announced.

By now, it is a tradition that Magyar Telekom spends the proceeds of the Sustainability Day concert on buying and plating trees on the Day of Birds and Trees in May of the following year. In 2011, some poplars were planted at MillenárisPark.