
In this category, you will find activities that address and reach the public: public events, information, demonstrations. Whether a flashmob, postcard action, panel discussion or creative info-booths, these events were open to the public and mostly, the results are available online, where you can also access websites, platforms, filmclips etc. There are lots of creative ways to inform and sensitize the public, including city walks, city tours etc.
The descriptions of the activities are based on the groups' contributions to the European Best Practice Competition - shortened and translated. ©Pictures by the groups.
OUR PROJECT: All too often, our worn out electronic devices end up in big trash dumps, for example in Ghana, where children burn the plasticgadgets to obtain valuable raw materials like copper, aluminium and lead which they can sell on to dealers for small money. Our movie “Final destination Africa” encourages people to reflect on the following questions: Do I need a new smartphone every year? How can I dispose of my old mobile and other electronic devices, so that valuable raw materials can be recycled? Nine participants of the animation working group at Karl-Wagenfeld-school were part of this project. Our film clip does not only show the enormous abuse but also highlights what everyone of us can do to counteract the throwaway mentality in our society.
OUR AIMS: We want to sensitize our whole school community (pupils, parents, teachers) and also other schools and youtube-watchers.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: Our project encourages to rethink: Keep your mobile instead of throwing it away, recycle correctly, collect it instead of keeping it in the drawer for the benefit of valuable resources. We have been running a mobile phone campaign for the whole year. Furthermore, our school has used recycling paper for many years and we made our cafeteria a plastic-free space!
More information: The filmclip on Youtube
OUR PROJECT: We want to build a sustainable school with an obligatory framework for education for sustainable development (BNE). We run our own eco-live steering committee and sustainable students’ enterprises (recycled and organic-fair products). We sell recycling products made from wrapping, boxes and bags, agrarian products cultivated in a biosphere reserve as well as our own honey and eggs. We also sell fair trade products and recycling note-books. We practice transnational environmental education with our French friends and there are workshops, inventor and fair cooking activities planned for the future.
OUR AIMS: We want to reach the school community, neighbours in Germany and across the border and the general public. We feel we have a pilot role in our federal estate Saarland and want to teach other institutions how to be sustainable.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: * fair: direct support of fair trade, selling fair trade products, publicity campaigns for fair trade, training pupils as well as having fun. * Social: we integrate disabled people and encourage our refugees to contribute. * Ecological: we are producers ourselves, we purchase sustainably, we aim for low ecological footprints through regional marketing, we educate and spread the word- In short: We are the school of education for sustainable development (BNE) and have creative pupils and teachers. We are proud of our work!
OUR PROJECT: A flashmob by all students, followed by distributing information flyers as well as setting up info-booths from where the general public can derive further information. All of this is based on the theme of 'Ethical Buying'.
OUR AIMS: We aim to create more awareness on responsible consumption by reaching out to politicians, the general public and other students.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: By teaching people to opt for organic produce we will be tackling the issue of environmental sustainability. Our project is fair, since we will be making others aware that a cheap price could well have been derived through worker exploitation and cheap labour and that one should go for fair trade products. It is ecological, because, by asking the general public to use energy saving lightbulbs and other devices, we will be caring for our environment. It is social, because we will be targeting various sections of the Maltese society and reaching out to people with different social backgrounds.
OUR PROJECT: As part of the campaign “sustainability Graz”, we organized the "OPEN SPACE Zero Waste Challenge" (May 27-June 3 - 7 days - 0 garbage). The idea: The participants challenge themselves: How little trash can I produce in 7 days? Is it possible to produce no waste in a week? In advance, we launched OPEN recreation: the participants custom made and created notebooks from recycled materials. They could register by signing up on a wordpress blog. During the kick-off event, participants met in OPEN SPACE: the structure and procedure of the week was presented; experienced and inexperienced partners joined as “buddies”. During the week, participants kept a diary: How much waste did I produce that day? Why was this waste produced? They also noted their “experience of the day”. Participants were also encouraged to collect the waste that was produced - and bring it in at the end of the week. There was another new opportunity for this waste: the reCreation OPEN - upcycling evening. Participants shared their experiences online – good ones and bad ones. In an OPEN VoKü ("kitchen for the people"), food was cooked rather than being thrown away. Again, garbage was saved - hooray!
OUR AIMS: Less waste! More waste avoidance in Graz rather than just waste separation. We want to reach all who are motivated to experiment with a conscious handling of waste, environment and resources.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: The community comes together and is strengthened. Together we achieve something and celebrate our successes. As OPENSPACE Graz, all our projects are based on sustainability, e.g. a foodsharing plate, our OPEN reCREATION evenings aimed at upcycling and recycling, in the “OPEN Wasteurant” and the OPEN VOkü (“kitchen for the people”), we cook with saved groceries. We use public transport and bikes; in our workshops and OPEN integration projects we campaign for social integration and good living together.
More information: openzerowaste.wordpress.com
OUR PROJECT: We offer guided city tours on ethical consumption in Bonn. Topics are clothing, cosmetics, mobile phones, chocolate, transportation etc. Our knowledge from working overseas in development cooperation enriches the tours. Exchanging ideas with the participants is always important. In addition to the tours, we offer workshops at schools to specific topics, first of all clothing. Hereby, we always spread the shopping guide for ethical fashion in Bonn.
OUR AIMS: We want to achieve a change in consumer behaviour and show alternatives for action (especially in Bonn). We try to reach a broad public, especially young people.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: We inform about fair trade and local/seasonal/home-made alternatives in contrast to a “constantly more and always faster” style of consumption. We show specific examples where and how these alternatives are possible in Bonn. We try to live sustainably ourselves. Our members regularly come 15 km by bike to offer tours. We care for fair and second hand clothing, regional, organic and fair food.
More information: www.bonnfaitraut.de
OUR PROJECT: “Clothes cure“ is an annual recurring action for the 7 weeks of lent Core of the cure is reducing the personal wardrobe to 50 parts. Guidance is given by the two initiators. The “clothes cure” provides good opportunities to consider personal consumption habits with regards to your own wardrobe. What do I really need? - is the central question. Accompanying topics such as sorting and disposal, washing and consumption alternatives are also addressed.
OUR AIMS: Our campaign “fashion protest” wants to trigger a protest movement that empowers individuals to transform their consumption habits. As a grassroots movement, we focus on strategies of self-involvement. Rather than relying only on sustainable labels and certificates, we encourage to reflect on purchases and develop our own standards. consuming less is our primary goal. Anyone can participate in the “clothes cure” and individually adjust and shape it for themselves. We offer inspiration so that everyone can find their own personal way to a long-term reduced consumption level. Participation ranges from adolescents up to the age of retirement. It is important, however, to specifically address young people, because shopping is such a widespread hobby for them.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: The project wants to integrate a reduced, ethically correct consumption of clothes, focussed on quality rather than quantity, into everyday life in a playful and long-lasting way. Trying it out, reflecting on what is essential, realising that nothing must be missing when reduced, all these are important experiences that help to change the habit of (over) consumption.
More information: www.klamottenkur.de
OUR PROJECT: Fashion Revolution was created in response to the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh in 2013. It has grown into a global movement in 78 countries, comprised of designers, brands, retailers, producers, academics and organisations calling for systemic reform of the fashion supply chain. We have created a platform which everyone can use to ask questions, raise standards and set an industry-wide example of good practice. Each year, Fashion Revolution will drive forward a different campaign to tackle some of the fashion industry’s most pressing issues. It will keep the most vulnerable in the supply chain in the public eye and challenge the industry to do better. It will also demonstrate that change is possible by showcasing examples of those who are already creating a better future for fashion.
This year, brands and retailers are being challenged to take responsibility for the individuals and communities on whom their businesses depend. By taking a selfie showing your label, posting it on social media, and tagging the brand with the hashtag #whomademyclothes? people around the world are showing support for greater transparency throughout the fashion supply chain.
OUR AIMS: We want people to ask the question “Who Made My Clothes?” This should be a simple question, but a new ‘Behind the Barcode’ Fashion Report, published to coincide with Fashion Revolution Day on 24 April 2015, found that 48% of brands had not traced the factories where their garments were made and 91% did not know where the raw materials came from. We need to re-establish the broken connections in the supply chain because greater transparency is a prerequisite to improving conditions.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: Whilst much has been done by individual organisations over the years to bring about change, Fashion Revolution brings many of these best practice initiatives across the supply chain under one umbrella: Everything from fair trade which focuses on the cotton farmer at the beginning of the supply chain right through to the companies who are finding creative ways to re-use and upcycle garments.
More information: www.fashionrevolution.org
OUR PROJECT: Clean€uro is a method to assess the sustainability of our lifestyle by ourselves. We understand as “sustainable” a lifestyle which is not at the cost of future generations or humans in other parts of the world and which leaves also room for nature. We facilitate the method and the meaning behind in workshops and guided city tours. With very different groups we simulate in a practically relevant way, what is important for us when shopping and what else we could consider
OUR AIMS: In general the project aims at all consumers. We have developed a focus on youth and intercultural groups. We like to contribute to conscious decisions on consumption, but also reach that people reflect their consumption style on principle. We are convinced that our method based on experiential learning can reach good results.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: Our project addresses ecological and social criteria of consumption as well as the topic of climate protection. Thereby we have to off er something on all levels because they can’t be separated while consuming. Our method of Clean €uro can be used to keep in mind all three levels and make a quick decision of (not) buying something.
More information: www.cleaneuro.at
OUR PROJECT: Completely based on their ideas 8 pupils of our 6th form planned and produced a short film encouraging people to use and buy FAIRTRADE products. You can see the film on our website (scroll down)
OUR AIMS: The group wants to adress pupils, teachers and visitors to think about FAIRTRADE products. The videos are shown on our monitors in school. Other pupils from the 6th form use the videos when doing FAIRTRADE peer education in the first and second forms. So the project is embedded in a FAIRTRADE school concept.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: The video can be used many years for presentation. The concept was made without any help of teachers. The topic of the video is FAIRTRADE and the change of bying habits.
OUR PROJECT: Before and during the international Hanseatic day in May 2014 in Lübeck we organized a workshop on the above mentioned topic, a fair+organic+regional-market, a Hanseatic brunch and other activities (see also report at www.fairtrade-stadt-luebeck.de). As a result fair trade was thematised, visible and enjoyable – for the first time at an international hanseatic day.
OUR AIMS: We want to reach that many more Hanseatic towns (in total 181 in 16 countries) open up for fair trade and take part e.g. in the fair trade town campaign. We want to reach that in the future fair trade plays an important role at every (international) Hanseatic day. We invited delegates from the 181 Hanseatic towns from 16 countries and actors of fair trade to our activities. Many followed our invitation: around 500.000 guests visited the Hanseatic Day, including 1500 official delegates from 120 Hanseatic towns from all 16 countries. Many of them visited our fair+organic+regional-market, tried the culinary offers and obtained information about fair trade in general, the fair trade town and fair trade schools campaigns and the contest “fair trade capital”. Our Hanseatic brunch attracted 1000 visitors. For many of them it was their first encounter with fair trade and its products.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: At our fair+organic+regional-market and the Hanseatic brunch we only offered fair trade and organic products, the latter preferably regional. We succeeded in connecting delegates and actors of fair trade who will actjointly in many hanseatic towns.
OUR PROJECT: Cutting party: scubbing. peeling. cutting. Exchange and common cooking event with saved food – including chance for dancing.
OUR AIMS: As inventor of the “Schnippelparties” (cutting party, also cutting disco or disco soup) I would like to establish a meaningful trend for a night out on the one hand and foster inter-generational exchange about the topic of wasting food – in a pleasant matter without the moral pointing finger. Furthermore fine motor skills are trained, knowledge about food is spread and insecurity swept away. The participants often have different political and religions ideas which makes the exchange even more valuable.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: Cutting parties are sustainable because resources are used which would have been wasted otherwise. Most ingredients are from regional farmer, preferably organic. The parties are social because very different people come together and engage and exchange in a meaningful way.
More information: Back to the roots on facebook
OUR PROJECT: The safety pin - your fair-fashion guide” is an in co-networking platform on the subject #unfair fashion vs. #fairfashion. It started in 2011 as a graduate project by 5 dedicated students of the College of multimedia Graphical Vienna. Today, the core team consists of 2 fully committed women and 5-10 + activists / sympathizers. We are planning a relaunch of the website (the old one was unfortunately chopped) and the establishment of an association. Also new is the focus> Buying > doing > knowing + There is also a plan to build a video library's "fair fashion TV".
OUR AIMS:
* Awareness (through website, FB + lectures + establishment / expansion of "fair fashion TV")
* Actions in public spaces
* Events (discussions, film screenings, clothing swap parties ...)
* Show options and encourage people to imitate
* Networking of stakeholders from different sectors
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: we deal with eco-socio-fairer fashion and sustainable consumption across the entire value chain.
More information: Die Sicherheitsnadel on Facebook.
OUR PROJECT: Insite Malta is a student-run Media NGO. We produce both a printed magazine that is printed every few months and an online newspaper where articles are published out daily. Apart from these, Insite Malta is also involved in photography, video and podcasts.
Our project consists of writing a series of articles and conducting vox pops and interviews on ethical consumption so that students become aware of these issues. These will be spread over a few months in order to generate debate among students.
The media will be on these topics: 1. Fair Trade and food 2. Fair Trade and electronics 3. Fair Trade and clothing 4. MNCs 5. Maltese local production 6. Cool Environmentally friendly products 7. Ethical Banking 8. Easy Upcycling ideas 9.Business initiatives to empower socially disadvantaged people 10. Human's general effect on the planet. We will research these in depth but make them fun for our student readers and if needed we will collaborate with local organization to achieve our aims.
OUR AIMS: We aim for more awareness on ethical consumption throughout post-secondary institutions in Malta. We aim to reach the University of Malta students, Junior College Students and MCAST post-secondary students as well as staff of these institutions and the general public who follow our magazine or portal.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: It is sustainable because we plan to use means that are already there. The printing will happen anyway and it is always printed on recyclable paper and the website: www.insiteronline.com is already being regularly updated. We hope that our articles will influence the students to make more ethical choices. The faculty and staff can also be influenced and may in turn advocate for a more ethical University or Post-secondary institution choices of products in the canteen or in the surrounding shops. We will also promote good initiatives and examples in our articles.
More information: www.insiteronline.com
OUR PROJECT: (Transition Online) platform for regional and sustainable products, sustainable products free of package in and around Innsbruck -> possibility to network with farmers -> Tips for seasonal selfmade -> Tips and ideas to live free of packages -> Common experiment: to live one month without plastic -> Share experiences, difficulties, failures ec. on online platform -> furthermore cooperate with non-governmental organizations (south wind, etc.) to perform in the fall of 2015, a protest march against the plastic madness in the supermarkets. -> In planning: at the start of the protest with a boat made of collected plastic bottles to ride downstream the Inn. Take the boat out the river and carry through the city center (political protest).
OUR AIMS: We want to create common consciousness and enhance protest and activity in regional politics. (To act responsible is a duty of both citizens and politicians).
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: Currently in Austria the packaging waste is about 7% of the total waste. As a working group for "sustainable consumption" we would like to raise awareness at the base, start with the people. It is the only way to carry this form of protest, such an action in government and politics. Once it has prevailed in the general population such an awareness of greater pollution, "greenhouse gases” such as coal - gas - oil industry, etc. these topics become less abstract to the individual. This logically leads from a "small - regional sustainability” into a global, that must not be led only by a minority of nongovernmental organizations.
OUR PROJECT: Does fair consumption save the world? Or is the solution minimalism? These are issues we are concerned about - we, the "Gschichtldruckerei", a newspaper project run by students. We are convinced of one thing: The way how clothing companies produce their fashion, is neither human nor ecologically or fair. So we were on the Mariahilferstrasse (large shopping street in Vienna) and surveyed vendors of production conditions of their clothes. We listed the answers, researched background information and published a comparison of statements and our search in our newspaper. Furthermore, we asked pedestrians what is important to them when buying their clothes and what they think of fair fashion. As to whether fair use can be the solution to the consumption problem of our time, or whether change through a "buy nothing" mentality happens, we organized with delegates of the clean clothes campaign, SOL (solidarity, ecology, lifestyle) and the World Shop Vienna a public panel discussion.
OUR AIMS: We want to reach readers of the Gschichtldrucker, vendors, pedestrians especially young, interested people. We want to initiate a process of reflection on the one hand, and on the other hand - through our action on Mariahilferstrasse - in people who are not aware of the problem. We also discuss in our group a lot about it and look for possible solutions.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: Sustainable and ecological: Through our actions we can sensitize us and the people around us for clothing: Clothing Swap, sewing actions, repairs were proposed and are already being implemented. Fair: Raising awareness for fair working conditions in the garment industry Status: Joint actions to strengthen social cohesion and motivation to change.
OUR PROJECT: A guide to an environmentally conscious and socially responsible consumption and lifestyle in Eichstätt - for students of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, especially for freshmen.
Themes: Food (Organic, Fair Trade, regional and seasonal), clothing (fair and organic production), cosmetics (no animal studies), alternative banks, household tips, plastic, aluminum, paper, green energy, groups in Eichstätt; Events in Eichstätt, recipes, interesting videos and links. Presentation of various sustainable shopping opportunities in Eichstätt.
OUR AIMS: We want to raise students` awareness of environmental and social problems (that can be) caused by everyday consumption and lifestyle. In order to solve or avoid these problems, we show simple alternatives and implementation opportunities in Eichstätt.
We want to reach the students of Eichstätt, particularly freshmen, to give them orientation by the guide.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: With the eco-Life Guide we raise attention for environmental and social problems of daily consumption in opposition to a sustainable lifestyle. We also offer solutions to refocus the daily consumption and lifestyle with the principles of sustainability. Thus, the sustainability approach of the university can be extended to the students.
In addition, we use recycled paper for the printed version of the guidebook.
OUR PROJECT: Distribution of information postcard and balloons on "Critical consumption when buying clothes".
OUR AIMS: People in the pedestrian zone of Kaiserslautern (KL) - on the occasion of the opening of a mall in KL and a Primark store, which comprises 1/3 of the sales area of the mall.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT: With the eco-Life Guide We informed passers-by about the conditions in the production of discount clothing and before we informed ourselves intensively on the topic.
More information: Our website www.bdkj-kaiserslauten.de serves as a platform to provide information on the subject and is further complemented.
Our project: Theater project with four performances at four different sites; self-written piece organized by young people; In the various scenes of our theater piece we dealt with different themes. So there was a scene to unfair clothes production and their consequences. A further scene has dealt with the issue of sustainability on the basis of purchasing locally, two other scenes with the issue of child labor and ecology. The latter had taken up issues such as biogas production based on current trend
What do we aim for and whom do we want to reach: We want to reach with our project youths from KLJB groups and also outside of KLJB groups. In addition, the entire village community was our target group at the locations of the performances.
This is sustainable/fair/ecological/social....about our project and why: We as KLJB prefer the train rather than the car. If we don’t find feasible solutions by public transport, we share cars. Our flyer for the theater project was printed climate-neutral and in our daily work we use the backs of old forms and posters. Catering we realize with organic and fairtrade food and we don`t use plastic bags.
Our project: On myFoodMap people with food intolerances and allergies can find suitable products.
People who appreciate regional, organic or vegan diet, we reach under the brand myVeganMap.
Our database aims to make food information simply, clearly and transparently available. In the long run we want to continue to grow together with our community. We want to become the first point in the world wide web for people with food intolerances or vegans . Our database is structured in a way showing each user acceptable or suitable products for themselves in its neighbourhood. We also show alternatives to big labels and show that some products are naturally lactose or gluten-free. We want to give greater satisfaction in eating and at the same time to take over the food guidance that supermarkets and other food distribution points have.
Our aims: Food connects, food is a comfort factor, food is culture. But what happens when the topic of food due to a food intolerance, becomes a nightmare? With the brand myFoodMap we address the more than 20 million people in the DACH-region whose daily life is severely limited because they suffer from gluten, lactose, fructose or histamin incompability. We want to stop frustration and show where you can buy suitable products. In addition, we look at people who eat vegan. They wonder if the mustard is really vegan from the supermarket or the wine from the wine shop? But we also want to serve those who want to know where their products come from and where they can buy organic and local food - in a market near here, not somewhere online.
Our sustainability commitment: We believe that myFoodMap can help consumers and potential providers of good and local food. Due to the cooperation with Germany's largest database of biologic products and our evaluation mechanisms we create value for those affected. Thanks to their co-working and through their active participation in the community, we grow with each review and improve our search results. We offer transparency and show well-tolerated affected products, so that the range and variety of your diet gradually increase again and they can lead a "normal" life - despite food intolerance.
Our project: As part of the module "Project Planning", which is part of our studies "Land Use and Conservation", we dealt with the consequences and international linkages of copper mining and relevant set screws to reduce conflictual mining projects starting from the study region Intag in Ecuador. The end of this work is a comprehensive research report and the conception of a touring exhibition, which in particular deals with the following topics: Copper in general; the Intag Valley in Ecuador (incl. listed alternatives to copper mining on site; recycling; post-growth (especially alternatives for inhabitants in Germany: how to reduce the copper consumption)
Our aims: The traveling exhibition shall address a broad audience (both teenagers and young / older adults). The aim is on the one hand to inform about copper as a problem, which, inter alia, is realised by the example of the Intag Valley and the example of backyard recycling (recycling in countries such as Ghana). On the other hand, alternative solutions shall be shown that can be chosen by the citizens as well as incentives for action (eg a box for old mobiles is part of the installation).
Our sustainability commitment: Our project is sustainable because we want to prevent with our exhibition both copper mining in Intag Valley as well as to show alternative actions that aim at not only reducing the copper consumption, but can in the long-term reduce consumption in general. We think it is important not to shift the problem (eg from copper to fiber optic cables), but to build structures that reduce the degradation of resources.
Our project: Beeing an award that generates a lot of media attention the Sukuma Award focusses in a creative and innovative way on sustainability and environmental issues. The award, that prizes non-professionals for their idea for a cinema spot, will be put out currently in Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. Background of the tender is a topic related to global sustainability. More specifically: How can we influence our everyday actions, in particular our consumer behavior. The best ideas for each annual topic is realised as a clip jointly by citizens and celebrities (eg Die Ärzte, Clueso). Not only those participating in the competition learn more about their role in the globalized world and deal with the consumption issue. With the spread of the winning spots in cinemas and media also the public and new target groups are sensitized for the topics of development politics. For every tender we choose another focus topics (e.g. Banks (2013), IT (2014).
Our aims: Sukuma Award e.V. as a civil society actor aims at strengthening the topics of sustainable development and especially global sustainable consumption in the public perception. The clips should be thought-provoking and should encourage to sustainable actions in everyday life. The Western consumerism as the widespread lifestyle leads to massive environmental, social and psychological problems. The indicators of these crises are obvious: climate change, peak oil, increasing pollution, violation of human rights in the countries of the global south, growing poverty and accumulation of famine, growing migration pressure, land grabbing and displacement, armed conflicts over resources, etc. Despite our knowledge of these global problems, we do not change our everyday's behaviour. One possible explanation refers to insufficient background knowledge about causal relationships and a gap between knowledge and action. Our aim is to encourage people to an life an active lifestyle and to close both their lack of knowledge and awareness.
The film award is special because the "average citizen" can win. You need neither be a celebrity, nor an artist, nor a filmmaker, nor an expert. The Sukuma Award is open for everybody.
Our sustainablity commitment: With our educational work we aim at a sustainable, fair, green and social shaping of our lifestyles. The current urgency and seriousness of the problems caused by the current lifestyle in the industrialized countries, urgently call for a new attitude and a change towards more sustainable, more equitable, better compliance with the environmental impact is needed.
More information: www.sukuma-award.de
Our project: open-source, zero-waste, variable fashion, post-material design
Our aims: We want to reach the consumers in order to reduce consume and create awareness for the value of fashion.
Our sustainablity commitment: fair / social - open-source, to make sure, that everybody can participate
sustainable - zero-waste, variability to reduce the need for consumption