Sustainable development - Austria versus the Czech Republic

Sustainable development in Austria versus the Czech Republic
Nowadays, environmental, economical and social spheres are strongly connected. The harmony between them is very important for successful sustainable development that takes into account current as well as future needs of our society. Environmental-friendly technologies, saving energy or supporting of local production – these are some of the ways how to follow this idea. Thanks to our excursions in Styria, we had a chance to discover that it might work.

In Zotter, we appreciated for example that he insists on the high quality of his products and cares about ingredients from the very beginning. He supports also fair-trade market – we consider this step very important because all the people deserve to be equally honorated for their work and it helps to improve living conditions even in undeveloped countries.

Another important point is to use local products if possible – it saves energy (and consequently money) for transport while supporting regional producers. Futhermore, the manufacturer can also check the quality of the products he uses. This is applied for example by organic vinegar and schnaps producer Golles.

But how to persuade people to buy these high-quality, often fair-trade and organic, but maybe little more expensive and unknown products? We think that much better than commercial advertisment is to make people familiar with the process of production, let them to try or taste the product or also follow local traditions. Consumers should be aware of the fact that if they buy local products, they gain more than just a good product – they support their region and the environment.

Another aspect that can help to regional development is tourism. Of course, some places are more attractive than other e.g. thanks to natural or historical background. However, in Gleisdorf, we saw that even a good idea is enough because a local hotel is successful thanks to an original bear-spa concept.

However, it is allways important to consider factors like natural and social conditions or infrastructure because these create bases for further development.

We think it is possible to observe a tendency to support sustainable development also in the Czech Republic, but we still have a lot of to learn and to improve. People should be more informed about the „history“ of the products and energy sources they use and it is important to include sustainable development overview to more fields of study at universities. We saw that at the university of Graz – people interested in this area spread they ideas and the awareness of the importance of environmental protection is growing.

We really appreciate the attitude of Gessause natural park. They focus not only on preserving nature and scientific research but also on informing people and educating children – both in an interesting and amusing way. This could be a good inspiration for Czech protected areas.

Furthermore, there are some areas in the Czech Republic that have maybe similar problems like Styria some time before. They are known mainly for their industrial history, environmental or social problems and that makes the regions unattractive for young educated people, investments or tourism. We consider the situation in locations where we live (Hradec Králové and Kutná Hora) is not that bad. For example in Kutná Hora, a histrical town with UNESCO protected sights, you can see a vineyard just next to the cathedral that is next to the top attraction for tourists. It might motivate them to buy these local and furthermore organic products without a need of any real commercial advertisement. In Hradec Králové, you can find a shop and restaurant where only regional organic products are used and it is very popular. It attracts not only locals but also tourists and they also supply for example some schools with this high-quality food.

We believe that similar development is possible in all the regions – of course with supporting of governemnt and public, good ideas and scientific attitude are necessary to realize the ideas. It is also important to avoid missusing of the coming „ecological“ trends by people who want only a financial profit and miss real interest and motivation. To sum up, sustainable development requieres a complex attitude and cooperation of specialists from different areas and also public, because everybody can make some – at least a little - contribution.