Students:Jitka Jurníková

About me

I'm 24 years old. I study International Development Studies at Palacky University in Olomouc and I started to study social work last year. This field is really close to me and I want to work as a social worker after school. Because of my master's programme I'm interested in development, environment, sustainability, and global problems. I come from a village near Prostejov, I love the countryside with nature all around. I really like sitting in the garden and reading. I also like power yoga, cooking and travelling. I'm very happy for the opportunity to participate in this trip. I'm looking forward to getting to know new people and places.

Concept of sustainability

I've learned a lot about sustainability; for example, I passed a subject called Sustainable Development. For me, sustainability is about responsibility for our planet, about respect for nature and its limits. People should think about future generations and what is our legacy to them. Our planet has some limits, it can't grow forever. Society demands goods, money, growth but unfortunately we don't consider the harm caused to nature. I like the concept of sustainable development, but it is necessary that all counties speak with one voice.

Diary

Day 1 (9th June)

Thirteen young people and two leaders met near the main train station in Prague. After some minutes of waiting and loading our luggage, we hit the road. Our aim was the city of Lüneburg in Lower Saxony. It was a long and tiring journey but after 8 hours we arrived in Lüneburg. We were accommodated in a lovely pension. Our reward for the long day's travelling was a delicious dinner. After dinner, we got to know each other by playing a name game and discussed some topics regarding sustainability.

Day 2 (10th June)

We woke up to beautiful weather and our day started with a city tour around Lüneburg. The city has a nice atmosphere, the streets are peaceful and clean. I really liked the bike paths and many people using them. We saw nice parks and typical houses of bricks. We learned about the history and present of the city. What was interesting was that under the city there are deposits of salt which are still being mined. It caused the sinking of the city. Afterwards we moved to Leuphana University, and had lunch and lectures there. Two nice students from the Oikos organization spoke about their activities in the university field. We had to think about our home university and its sustainability. I realized that in Olomouc there are still a lot things to improve concerning sustainability.

Day 3 (11th June)

We had an awesome Tuesday, the program was full of interesting experiences. We listened to the German plan to produce 100% renewable energy in the morning. I think it is very ambitious plan that would be difficult to achieve, but I liked their concept- every German region has its own strategy how to achieve this target. According to what's available, the regions use some types of renewable energy. Then we had an excursion to the former landfill in Neu Wulmstorf, which is nowadays used for electricity production. It is a very inspiring project that could be transported to the Czech Republic, too. I liked the landscape that was relaxing and no one would guess what was hiding under the surface. We went to Hamburg in the afternoon. I was amazed by the harbor, which is one of the biggest in Europe. We had some time to spend in the city so we walked along the pier and to the city center. It was a nice experience going under the river Elbe. There is a 500 metre long tunnel

Day 4 (12th June)

On Wednesday we got up early and went to a small village called Schneverdingen. There we visited the Alfred Toepfer Academy for Nature Conservation. We heard a nice woman who was speaking about sustainable education, communication between scientists and public and work with the community. Then we moved to the Lüneburger Heide where we had a guided tour. The most interesting experience for me was to see sheepdogs in action. After the shepherd whistled, two sheepdogs started to chase sheep to another location. I liked the lunch which we ate at the organic farm in Baukhof. The pumpkin soup and apple pie were very tasty. Then the farmer organized a tour around his farm. We saw cows, hens, fields with grain. And the farmer gave us a lot of information about his work. Work at the organic farm is much more demanding than at a conventional farm. At the end of the tour we could buy some products in the local organic shop.

Day 5 (13th June)

The day started with a lecture about Green Party politics and then we saw a presentation about DialogN, which is a non-governmental organization acting in the field of participation and education for sustainability. They gave us many examples from their practice, especially how they work with thte community. But their future is unsure because they have money only for the one-year project which is now almost at an end. After lunch we went to Hamburg to see the housing exhibition of IBA (international building exhibition).

Summary

This field trip was a great experience for me. I learned new information and ways for how to be sustainable. I think it’s going to inspire me in the future. I want to learn more about the concept of sustainability. The whole trip was perfectly organized thanks to Dana and Andrew. The program was chosen well because we did not attend only lectures but also practical excursions. I appreciate that there was enough space for our free time, so we could discover Lüneburg and Hamburg.

The most interesting experience was the visit to a former landfill which is currently used for electricity production. The company owning the landfill did a lot of work because now it isn’t obvious what is hidden under the surface. They used modern technology to avoid leakage of contaminated water and methane. Modern pipelines capture the gases, then they are used for the production of electricity. There are windmills and solar panels on the landfill. The whole environment is green with trees and meadows full of flowers. I think that is it a good place to walk and relax, but people don’t have access inside the landfill because of safety issues.

This is a good example for how the Czech Republic could deal with waste. We have almost 200 landfills in our country. Some of them could be potential threat to the environment. The problem is that waste management isn’t a priority for our politicians. It isn’t only a matter which have to be solved in policy-making, but civil society has to participate and be interested in solving the problem. Many young people recycle waste and they could influence the older generation that is not involved in recycling. If most people start to recycle there won’t be so many landfills or waste incinerators required. I asked my boss (in the canteen where I work) why they don’t recycle at least plastic cups. He answered that it would be more work to do and the customers wouldn’t respect it. Bad excuse, as the recycling containers for plastics are 100 meters away from the canteen. I think that government should issue orders that can force entrepreneurs to recycle (for example in the form of tax benefits). Waste management isn’t a priority for the government, but it should be because in the future we’ll understand what the consequences of the current disrespect for nature are.