«Achieving more together»
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How did the idea for MYBLUEPLANET originate and what does the organization stand for today?
The idea for the organization arose after Daniel Lüscher, founder and president of MYBLUEPLANET, saw the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" in New York. Shortly thereafter, he and a few friends took the initiative to launch a crowdfunding campaign to show the film in Winterthur cinemas for one week free of charge. This was followed by poster campaigns promoting public transportation and a DVD distribution to further climate knowledge. The MYBLUEPLANET Verein was founded in 2007 and since then has implemented more than 60 projects. Today, through innovative programs, MYBLUEPLANET motivates people in Switzerland to adopt a climate-friendly lifestyle.
What should MYBLUEPLANET projects achieve and what is the contribution of the newly launched app?
The goal of our projects is to bring about long-term change in behavior towards a climate-friendly lifestyle in the private sphere, as well as encourage a rethinking in professional settings. Our methodology runs from educational programs, support tools and communication, to tangible initiatives.
These include, for example, the Climate School as an educational program and joint project for Swiss schools with the aim of anchoring long-term the topics of climate protection and sustainability. To date, more than 6,000 students have been directly involved and 31 schools are currently on board. The ClimateLab is a nationwide, two-day educational workshop on climate protection for apprentices in various fields, and in which projects are implemented at companies. To date, we have trained 300 apprentices.
Further initiatives include:
Through MyBlueTree, we are planting 500 trees this year with the Pfadibewegung Schweiz (Swiss Scouting Movement), passing climate protection knowledge on to the next generation. ClimateFood is a recipe database for (not only) vegetarian dishes comprising less than a third of the greenhouse gas emissions of a conventional meal. We also offer our initiatives as corporate volunteering opportunities.
And the app?
New is our ClimateActions app, which is part of the campaign of the same name. With the aim of making everyone in Switzerland a ClimateHero, ClimateActions is a digital accompaniment to a climate-friendly lifestyle that can be played on a cell phone, tablet or laptop. In the areas of nutrition, consumption, mobility and living, various challenges are undertaken – individually or as a team. The playful component of the competition is intended to aid in consistent implementation and show that individuals can certainly make a difference in climate protection - achieving more together
In your opinion, what role does technology and innovation play in achieving climate goals?
In the areas of education, project development and implementation, and communication, technology plays an important role in scaling up. In all our projects mentioned above, we think ahead accordingly. Nevertheless, we believe that real life experience will continue to play an important role.
If you ask yourself what wonderful experience from the past week you remember best, it is usually one that includes people. With our approach as an NGO and NPO in viewing climate protection as a lifestyle that can be fun, we need to combine tangible experiences with online solutions.
Ms Herold, you are Managing Director of MYBLUEPLANET. Before that you worked for a long time at a financial institution. What did you take away from there?
From each stage of life you acquire priceless experiences from which you can learn and gain insights that will help you later on. I was able to gain knowledge about various financial instruments, macroeconomic relationships and market movements. This perspective helps me "zoom out" from time to time, to see the big picture, from the individual contributor to the large, global cash flows that will have a major impact on our future.