Students:Group One: Tereza, Zuzana, Monika, Kristyna H

The first day of our trip we spend mainly on the Graz university campus.

After a short game in which we briefly introduced ourselves and tried to remember the names of the others, we began activities more focused on the topic of our trip. Divided into four groups, we tried to answer questions using our present knowledge and opinions about sustainable development. Maybe one of the most interesting findings was the surprising fact of how Czech universities are doing so little in this field. Even at our alma mater in Olomouc we did not notice any greater efforts other than bins for recycled waste and thermal insulation of the buildings (although in this case the factor of saving money for heating probably played a bigger role). Then we have a guided tour around the university. Mario as our guide showed us lots of useful examples of how to behave and make others think sustainably. This was, we think, really inspiring for all of us. Just one example for inspiration: a sticker on the stairs warning you how much better it is to use stairs instead of the lift. Simple, but effective.

After the lunch break, our second "home-guide" presented us with the history and beginnings of SD and the current situation in Austria, and even more detailed information about Styria and Graz. Austria is known for its ecological thinking and this fact was simply confirmed. People in Austria are active in this field, not afraid to make changes and have a quite positive relationship to the protection of the environment. Unfortunately we cannot say the same about people in the Czech Republic, we really have a lot of to learn and it is also maybe one of the reasons why we have such a big ecological footprint.

The next point in the programme was Andrew´s presentation about SD in Czech Republic. Because our group (we honestly admit it) does not have much experiences with SD so far, it was for us quite unpleasant surprise that SD in Czech republic does not have government support, so we must rely on non-profit organizations and departments of a few universities. From this reason, the enlightenment of the broad masses is very important and placing an emphasis on education in this field from an early age.

The last activity was about communication - dialogue/monologue, thinking/listening and some of us could even apply their artistic talent. Though this activity was really entertaining, in fact it did not provide us with anything new. We have done similar activities already at high school and we are quite aware of the importance of communication - this is also applicable not only for SD, but for all sectors. We would like to summarize the first day as a really good start to our five day excursion. The last thing of the day was walk around the Graz. It is probably useless to write more about it - just thanks to Mario for the guided city tour.