On March 23 oikos Spring Meeting 2017 opened in Hamburg, Germany. More than 130 participants from many different parts of the world were gathered together under the title USE YOUR POWER – Empowering Young Leaders for Sustainable Decisions. This year oikos Spring meeting focused on sustainable consumption to highlight the effects of unrestrained consumption and put emphasis on the importance of conscious decision making. The significance of the topic further stems from the fact that the United Nations explicitly incorporated this aspect in their Sustainable Development Goals.
The participants were encouraged to think about sustainable consumption on the individual and company level. To make matters easier for them public lectures were organized with keynote speakers from imug e.V (Dr. Annika Schudak), die VERBRAUCHER INITIATIVE e.V. (Christoph-Daniel Teusch) and Unilever (Carolin Hoyer). Moreover, students were introduced to successful projects and companies that promote sustainable development and set the most positive, unparalleled examples to follow. To make practical use of the knowledge and information gained on the meeting the participants who divided up in small groups, ardently discussed one specific area of consumption (food, beverages, clothing, mobility, energy, finances) and brought forward their own project ideas to promote sustainable consumption.
The activities shared one common goal of empowerment, in that it aimed to build confidence among the participants so that they are willing to take responsibility for a sustainable future and lead the change in their own community.
Moreover Alumni met at the Spring Meeting in Hamburg. Alumni from different generations and regions connected, worked on some international alumni projects and had fun together during three full days!
Beyond the official meeting, participants were able to enjoy the city of Hamburg, get together and bond in the informal environment and visit world-renowned concert hall Elbphilharmonie.
