Students:Kristýna Sosnovcová
About me
I´m studying International Development on UPOL in Olomouc and I´m in my third year, furthermore I´m studying English at Faculty of Art (2nd year) but it is only subsidiary matter due to which I have to prolong my first studies next year. During my free time I´m trying to contribute to development through volunteering in Fair Trade group and other occasional projects. Beside that I love to travel therefore I usually spend as much time as I can by travelling, recent years travelling on a low budget. Other hobbies can be playing sport on non-professional level, hi-king and more and more trying to do things against the current. My future ambitions is to work for an international organization which deals with environment or working on agricultural or environmental projects in poor countries.
Sustainability
Yet being a student I have not a real power to change meaning of mass so my current concept is to focus on my own life and a close neighborhood such as roommates and friends. Daily I´m thinking about the impact which my life of an ordinary student has on the nature and slowly I´m trying to find the way I will go in the future...having own eco-farm, living in sustainable community, living faraway in nature etc. For example, right now I´m concerned in food. I hope that the trip will help me to understand better our possibilities for sustainable life in Europe because I´m not sure there is a way how to keep a standard we live in and simultaneously how to concern the nature. Moreover I have learned about such technologies theoretically on my Erasmus in UK so I want to see it working.
Day 0
I have been first at the bus station which was quite stressful because I wasn't sure if I hadn't missed the day or hour:-)Later other people came and as usual the first impression was that they are rather strange (unknown). During the way we get together little bit and after arrival we get to know at least our names. before I departed family frightened me that it will be raining and floods...fortunately we were lucky! Till now I have just described what we did because the only thing which is absolutely connected with the topic of field trip was our discussion about concept of sustainability we had that first evening. I really appreciate different views and quality of contribution of other people. A good beginning.
Day 1
The day carried on the good beginning of the previous day. Luneburg really impressed me by a typical German architecture which I had never seen before but what's more there were so much green!! On the other side the city seemed to me to be quite small and calm but later the university increased my interest in the place. From the afternoon I remember more "students' perspective of sustainability at university" presentation because it is naturally closer to me and can inspire me to do sth right now in the area I'm within. At least I will follow Prague Oikos.
Day 2
With great satisfaction I found two green hair on my head in the morning so that the process of greening had started:-) The tour around campus of university was so short I'd love to see more sustainable places so that I can get some experience what my university is missing and can improve. During the tour a charming lady Irmhild spoke also about students projects and possibilities which students have at the university. Even though the effect is not usually so great as they expected students can at least try to really work on their own project and get it work, that is what I'm missing at Czech unis...but maybe it is only in us - students?
For some people this was day D because we visited THE LANDFILL. Well it was really perfect, I'm pleased I could see it for myself, I enjoyed a walk on the municipal waste without seeing or smelling it, I liked the way Mr. Wolfsteller presented his "child" but it wasn't so new for me because I had had a course about waste at university in UK so I had seen it before...in pictures only. Actually I am more thankful I could stand so close to a wind mill so that now I know a little bit how pleasant or unpleasant it is (in short-term of course).
Hamburg has such a unknown atmosphere that I cannot find right words for a description. All the industrial buildings, cranes, ship, docks, bridge under the river basin looked enormously and wonderingly. Another memory is a super modern lift on the St. Michaelis church tower...(which caused a death of my two green hair).
Day 3
A day D for me!! Pretty interesting talk with Susanne Eilers about environmental education and involvement of a public into sustainability projects. I really appreciate that they have focused on working with public because it is a lifestyle of ordinary people which is mostly unsustainable and should be changed. After that we had a nice but short walk around heath with the most colorful field I had ever seen (the one everybody took photo with). A flock of sheep reminded me on the same view I saw in Romania but it wasn't extraordinary and a shepherd was more common job there. It is quite funny that the area of heath that is actually unnatural for this latitude is protected now. It is similar in UK were vast areas of moors are designated as a natural parks just because of special ecosystems which had been created by human activity. Than I wonder what exactly should be protected and what is the human task in nature.
For a lunch and to spend the afternoon we went to Baukhof, an organic biodynamic farm. First of all I have to praise the lunch which wasn't large but very tasty and nutritious, I believe healthy as well. During lunch with Eliska we had to sit at next table because the table for our group was not spacious enough but finally we were lucky because we sat with farmers and all the people working there so we could smile at them and speak little English with them. And I think that it was especially kind atmosphere during lunch which set up for my overall good feeling from the farm. Later on we went with Ralf Weber for a round and saw part of production. It higly interested me because it is one of my plans for future to live on or start such a farm. I also like the idea that the youth from a high school come here for a two weeks' "vacation" and, as I hope, improve their relationship toward nature.
The afternoon, evening and night were also great because we had a chance to go to city center before shops have closed. With a small group we were also introduced to some famous and popular students' places so we could look into other side of German students' life! Thank you guys that you opened the door.
Day 4
I'm happy we were there only so few days because writing the diary takes so long... I woke up that morning more easily than I expected and I also remember first lecture again at university even the topic wasn't my cup of tea (not during the morning). At least we refreshed the situation of our Green Party and discovered some aspects of success of German one. Later two people from NGO DialogN came and spoke about what they were doing. It was the only NGO we spoke with so I'm happy for that. Unfortunately the NGO is fully dependent on support from projects so very limited in long-term aims which could be even more influential.
During the afternoon we visited IBA...the topic of sustainable houses also interested me so I was really curious what is "IN" in Germany. To be honest the time dedicated for visit was too short because based on informational panels in the IBA center it seemed to be quite complex concept of a cultivation of an industrial part of the city. I'm glad we visited the energy bunker because the idea of rebuild a grey depressive bunker into energy generator and the point of tourist interest and locals' lookout.
Day 5
Last day. To be honest I was pretty tired at the morning so the lecture about Leuphana Innovation Incubator was too difficult or maybe too impersonal so I hardly pay attention. Second part of the morning was better because PhD projects may lay in my store but mainly because girls had interesting topics. Third part was the best...that is what I'm missing at Czech unis - participation of students, creating by themselves under supervisor leading and least but not last thinking! It was great to try to be a speaker of one topic and coordinate the result on the paper but it caused that I could not cooperate with others on next two topics. So for next time last day should more relaxing and fresh because it is clear that last night must be special.
The way back home was fine. Except first hours in Germany when it started to be warm in the traffic jam on the highway. The rest run off quite quickly because we played games at the back:-)
== A personal reflection ==
My overall opinion about the field trip is very good. Not only we have been an interesting group of people but mostly the program was great, fresh and varied. I really appreciate that we have been on several places and each of them was different but still green. Everybody could find his/her own area of interest. Of course that outdoor trips are easier to remember but the lectures were important as well. For example the lecture of Mrs. Alexa Lutzenberger which majority of other participants found rather useless was worthy to listen for me.
The topic is in general closely relevant for our country because of several factors. First, Germany is a powerful member of EU therefore it plays important role beside other in policy making. For now the EU has adopted Directive 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from Renewable sources (RS) where is set a target to achieve 20 % of energy (electricity, heating, transport etc.) from RS in EU by taking individual national goals. Czech republic unsurprisingly accepted low goal of 13 % because our starting position in 2010 was rather weak (we had only 9 % of energy from RS) but also because our government doesn't like to be challenged. Situation in Germany wasn't much different - they took only 18 % goal from the 11 % beginning level in 2010. After Fukusima catastrophe it has changed and now Germany is working on 100 % energy from RS by 2050. The idea looks very nice - instead of burning fossil fuels they will use never-ending source of energy. It means that Germany can be a pioneering country which can show the others if it is possible to go this way and how sustainable RS are. Farther, thanks to government support there will be intensive research of technologies which, as I hope, will lead toward higher efficiency and new possibilities - another thing which is necessary to do but not popular because it doesn't bring money now but in a long-term.
On the other side after listening the lecture on the topic it seems to me that Germany first took the target and after that started to count if they can fulfill limits. It is clear that Germany cannot stop all its nuclear power plants and replace them by RS so at the beginning they have to buy energy from neighbors (e.g. Czech), energy which is produced from fossil fuels. Beside that renewable technologies are quite material demanding, even though it is improving, and it also matters where these materials came from, how they were mined or where e.g. wind turbines were produced. If Germany doesn't consider all consequences its 100 % policy would exploit other countries and didn't reduce CO2 emissions only transfer responsibility to different state. I would say that similar problem occurred with promotion of energy from biomass in EU by Biomass Action Plan 2005: there was set a target and subsidies but no one had thought about land use change it would cause, high GHG emissions by transporting biomass from Latin America to Europe or loss of biodiversity due to monocultures.
On other thing is that one country can afford to try such a change but if a huge number of countries follow Germany where they will find sources and what consequences it will cause? Fortunately, Czech public doesn't sympathize with RS after PV issue and green topics are not popular in political discussions therefore Czech is secure for several years.