Green University in the Czech Republic

Inspirace č. 1

Green university in Czech Republic

Climate neutral University of Graz

The main aim of the project "Klimaneutrale Universität Graz" is decrease of carbon dioxide, its produced by using of traffic, incineration. They want to replace fossile fuels by natural renewable resources. Another possibility is energy consumption and compensate of emissions. This project focuses on mobility, heating, electric current, quality of products. For this aim the new technologies are available, they are acceptable for the environment. Many companies are eco-friendly and they have ISO certificate. This project has a big advantage for the university itself, because the costs were increased. The university had 25 projects for clima protection since 2004 until 2011. The newest one began in 2011 ("Klimaneutrale Universität Graz"). Under the terms of this projekts are making the workshops. Since 05.03.2012 can everybody calculate one's comsumption of CO2 and everybody can describe your solve or ideas of increase of CO2. Monthly the team of this project organizes the meeting, where everybody can contribute.

2.

When considering applying the Austrian model of a carbon neutral university to Czech circumstances, one must consider the priorities and whether we shouldn´t start off by making smaller steps before focusing on the energy issues which are much complicated issue to start with. The typical university in the Czech Republic is much more dependent on fossil fuels than the Austrian one. As far as the heating and electricity is concerned, Austria is well-known for its long and positive approach to sustainable development concept and renewable sources of energy. However, we would still like to bet he first ´Green University´ in our country and that way set the path for other Czech high education institutions, our project should therefore be first aimed at greening the university by various ´simple´ steps. Possible solutions to addressed problems (or other challenges) will be discussed in the third part of this analysis.

First of all, the actual agenda should be set. We will set up a team of active individuals (ideally around 10 people) who will create the plan of activities. In order to gain information from successful cases of foreign ´green universities´, we will contact University of Lueneburg (Germany), University of Graz (Austria), Lund University (Sweden) to provide us with information, advice and tips how to proceed.

Before we start with a potential campaign, we will investigate our possibilities of obtaining a grant. We would also discuss it with the rector´s office in order to gain support (financial as well as official patronage). At the moment there is a good oportunity to get a O2 Think Big grant which would enable us to finance the activities in our project. For further funding we will consider addressing companies conducting business in the field of renewable energy sources (this could be a tool for attracting students of technical studies – once they join the project, there might be a chance for them to get a scholarship or even a job in cooperating companies).

The next step would be to attract students to the topic and raise awareness about the issue. As far as we are concerned, there is not much knowledge among Czech students about the implementation of sustainable development goals, we would thus start our campaign with questionnaires based on queries related to this topic. In order to enhance the awareness, we will organize lectures and workshops with professionals from cooperating universities. An interactive

3. In the last section of our study we would like to propose some solutions, which can be implemented at Czech universities. Cooperation with NGOs can facilitate to students initiation. We identified huge potential within the mobility issue, where many different actions could be applied. Students can significantly reduce their ecological footprint by riding their bike on a way to university and around the entire town. Therefore, we should encourage them to do that by improving the conditions for this activity. Bike stands installed around the buildings, together with facilities for service would be very helpful. Students who are riding the bike

3. Concrete Czech solutions - mobility - bike stands; you ride a bike, you get a T-shirt; bike paths to school from all possible directions - place it on the web; bike rental place; service booth

                             - promotion of public transport
                  - cooperation with NGOs - scholars could work on that 
                  - electricity - CZ isn´t Austria, just the description of the situation in our country
                  - waste
                  - food (buffet with local products, organic and FT stuff)
                  - environmentally friendly cleaning products
                  - recycled paper everywhere; one-sided paper for a cheaper printing
                 

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Inspirace č. 2

Zotter chocolate factory in Czech Republic

Andrew in the Zotter factory

We were on the tour in Zotter chocolate factory in Styria. We were fascinated and we thought about a similar project in Czech Republic. Does it sound crazy?

A brief history of chocolate & situation in Czech republic

"A little chocolate is like a love affair - an occasional sweet release that lightens the spirit. A lot of chocolate is like marriage - it seems so good at first but before you know it you've got chunky hips and a waddle-walk." - Linda Solegato

Chocolate flows through the history of mankind. Many nations and civilizations plant the cocoa trees already at the 5th century. But at the very beginning just hot drinks were made from the miracle fruits of this tree; these drinks were served for the high society. The first attempts of chocolate bars, which we know nowadays, date back to the 17th century to London. However, the real success came in the late 19th century. This time the first Czech chocolate factories are founded – Rüger, Zora in Olomouc or Maršner factory which was the headstone of Orion. These factories still exist, but they were transformed to a part of an international group Nestlé. Earlier even the cocoa beans were roasted in Zora factory, but then it became cheaper to get them imported.

Today we can find couple of small chocolate companies in Czech republic, which make food products for orders (Fikar Kuřim, Chocogastro Pustiměř, Carletti Vizovice, Kamila Chocolates), but mainly they do not produce their own chocolate - they use German, Italian, French and other European ones. None of them are organic or have the fair trade certification. In Czech shops foreign labels as Rapunzel, Vivani or Mascao are sold, which defines the fair standards for all participants in chain. And the consumption of chocolate in general is getting higher every year: every Czech eats more than 5 kilograms per year.

Original packages and flavours

The succes of Zotter chocolate factory

Josef Zotter founded his enterprise in 1999, after the enterpreneurial failure with a café chain. Zotter managed to find the interesting reason why people buy chocolate - they seek experience and added value more than just to eat something sweet. Key elements of his success are:

• high-quality chocolate empasizing the concept of "bean to bar" and hand-created input in whole process
• sensational flavours which attract public interest naturally without spending on advertising
• artistic packages which sell themselves just through the emotions from visual experience

Nowadays over 200.000 visitors come each year to visit "chocolate theatre", experiential trail along the factory, where you can taste enormous number of chocolate flavours and watch all the parts of chocolate-making process. One can think - what is actually sustainable on the Zotter chocolates?

• economical pillar - Austrian-owned factory, making economical profit for Styria, employing over 100 of local people and attracting tourists to the region

• social/cultural pillar - enrichment of Austrian food map by specific product, identity-making of the region through well-known brand, ideas of slow food (relishing more than consuming)

• environmental pillar - all the chocolate is Fair Trade and organic, Zotter takes great responsibility over living conditions of cocoa producers and educates consumers that this is the standard approach

The Idea of Regional Chocolate ©

Our group decided to design a chocolate factory for the Czech market. It is necessary to transfer a model from Austria to our conditions. Of course we cannot think about the same attraction of products for Czechs and Austrians. The company should be built like a strong brand real Czech chocolate factory with principles of sustainability. It should be based on the local production, for each region of Czech Republic will exist a special taste of chocolate with a special interesting pictures on the cover. The pictures will be also very closely connected with a region. They should be attraction specially for tourists but also a very nice gifts for Czechs. They will be sold like a tourists stamps in the tourists centres. And it also be a great presentation for regions abroad.

The taste of chocolate will be connected with a region through a typical production or typical characteristics. There should also be a suppliers of the raw material from the region. For example: for the region of Ostava it will be a 80% black chocolate, for The Ore Mountains 50% brown chocolate, for the South Moravia grapes chocolate, for The Giant Mountains a blueberries chocolate, a chocolate from Kofola for Krnov, from beer for Plzeň, a chocolate with plum brandy for Zlín, with Becherovka for Karlovy Vary or for the region of Olomouc a typical chocolate with a taste of syrečky. There will a be a special chocolate for Prag, compiled from various tasty pieces.

Every year before a Chrismas there will come a new flavour. Every city or village should have finally their own chocolate flavour. There will be a competition declared for the best collectors of covers and special prices rof those who collect all the flavours/regions. We want to use cocoa beans at least in fair trade quality and later in organic quality - this will not be main marketing issue, because it is not so important for Czech market right now, but it is an important issue of sustainability. Chocolate have to be financially available for Czechs, but also of adequate price for the higher quality.