Judith Roos – Pike & Hurricane

Fenix – Close to nature, close to the students

Judith Roos — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 23:05:50 +0000

Environmental issues are real and so is the work done by the student organisation Fenix that works to promote more sustainability. From vegan dinners to cloth swapping events, Fenix puts a lot of effort into reaching people and spreading ideas.

Fenix is a non-profit student organisation at Malmö university. The organisation has its focus on environmental policy and sustainable development. Committing to the environment, sustainable development and fair trade are just some of the main goals that the organisation has.

Just a few months ago, I started attending their regularly organised vegan dinners. Curious about more of their work and events, I had an interview with Bori Yordonova, Judith Schmidt and Theresa Volbert––three young and motivated members of the active Fenix group.

Interview with Bori Yordanova, Theresa Volbert (left)

Interviewer (I): I know that you work for more sustainability. What are your main goals that you focus on in your organisation?

Theresa: I would say we want to raise awareness. Especially for students about these environmental issues, but also about simple things; for example using a sustainable coffee cup instead of a paper cup. We just want to show them that there are many things you can do and that you can join to make your everyday life a little better.

I: So, you show a lot of things for individuals, really concrete things. Are you acting like role models?
Judith: Yes, that’s why we have workshops!

Theresa: Exactly! One example: Maybe not everybody is that much into vegan food but once you’ve been to the vegan dinner you get to know “Oh my god, this is all vegan and it tastes so good! Why should I not try to reduce my meat consumption?”

Judith (nodding): And I also think it is not only raising awareness, but we also want to create commitment, educate people about issues that are going on in our world and are connected to sustainability.

Bori: Yes, and we also like to provide strategies for action on a personal level. It is remembering that it is a system, we are not disconnected from one another and from the institutions we are part of.

Judith nodds and adds that another important goal they have is to have fun. The issues Fenix promotes are undoubtedly very serious, but their aim is to do it in a nice way where people can enjoy what they are coming together to achieve. Theresa explains that otherwise people can easily feel overwhelmed summarizing the common feeling: “there are so many problems but where should I start? I can’t do anything against it!”

I: So, would you say, you want to give people the opportunity to start?

Bori: Yes, we want to empower them. Because if you talk to the general population, an average citizen, he could feel disempowered because it’s a whole new world. It might be that this citizen doesn’t know anything about it. It can then feel very much like: “I can’t do anything.” That’s why, maybe next semester, we can have more fun activities. Like pub quizzes, something that is more entertaining than, rather..

Judith: It sounds like our workshops are not entertaining! (everybody laughs)

Bori: No they are! They are! And that’s the thing. You come here and you see a group of people that are trying to do the same thing! So, you don’t feel alone anymore in that kind of fight.

Just that moment, as Bori finishes her words, I remember a situation from one of the vegan dinners. I was talking to a woman who was looking very happy and enthusiastic. She told me it felt so good for her to be there at the dinner where she totally felt part of the community where veganism is treated as something normal.

And this resonates exactly with what Bori continues: “That’s the goal, to make it normal. Not to make it sound freaky or something that requires many efforts.”

I: That is a good transition to your actual events. Could you tell me more about them?

Judith: I wrote them all down, because it is a lot! You know already about the vegan dinners, which we had every other week this semester. …

And as she begins to talk about the events, I find out about so many I never even knew existed in Malmö.

Judith: We have the coffee cup campaign, and this is an ongoing event that we have every now and then.We give away free coffee to everyone that brings their own cup. We do that to raise awareness to not use single use coffee cups. Then we had an upcycling workshop, where we made our own purses out of trash. We are planning to have another one soon.

We also have different talks. The two we had this semester were one with Gram, a zero waste shop, about zero waste and one with Rude food about food waste. Movie screenings are another part of our events. The last one was a big success! It was “a plastic ocean”.

To me, society as a whole should be included in a holistic program of sustainable development. Economy, ecology and society all need to be in balance. I was wondering how Fenix was looking at this kind of approach.

I: As you said your international dinner was more about social inclusion, do you think it belongs also to sustainable development?

Theresa: Yes, exactly! Most people think it is about the trees and about the environment and about being green. If we look at the SDGs, the sustainable development goals, we find out that there are different topics. They are all connected to economy, ecology and society. So it is not only about the environment.

Bori (nodding): But the environment is our main focus. (everybody agrees)

I: It seems like you’ve done and are doing a lot! What ideas for the future do you have?

Judith: We are planning a clothes swap next semester, where everyone can bring their clothes. Then you can leave a piece and take another. This is about trying to reduce clothes consumption. Second hand clothes are just as fine as new clothes.

Theresa: And you even buy with the thought: “Okay, I can just wear it a summer and then I will buy some new stuff.” (everybody agrees)

Judith: So, we wanna change that!

Theresa: Yes, it is about changing the mindset.

Amazed by the enthusiasm and the big goals that the three interviewees are telling me about, I ask further about their ideas for the future.

I: Do you have more plans?

Judith: Yes, we do! So the next thing is that we are designing a flyer we want to put in the welcome packages for new students. There will be written some tips how you can be more sustainable in your everyday life and a few facts about sustainability.

Bori: And places to go in Malmö which offer sustainable options. This could be second hand stores, markets or restaurants.

Judith: Then we have also the soup lunch which is every Wednesday, each time organised by another student association. We already had one but we will definitely have more.

Fenix also wants to have a bigger media presence on instagram and facebook to have more students being attracted to their organisation and events. I was even introduced to the plan of having short youtube videos of all the events Fenix has; a plan to produce some entertainment while spreading their ideas. In my interview with Fenix I learned that they want to expand in general: having more discussions, more lunches, more everything.

The interview was slowly coming to an end, so I wanted to use the final chance to find out a little more about my interviewees by asking my last question.

I: What are you personally changing to contribute something for a better world?

Theresa: For me it’s like breaking the big, global challenges into smaller things on the local scale and then trying to implement it in your everyday life like using a reusable coffee cup, trying to reduce your waste production, your meat consumption. And then it is about finding people who have the same mind and share the common goals. Together you can take it up to a bigger issue and then try to create a change. I am a nature lover and I want to keep that!

Bori: That’s actually one of the biggest motivation for people, if you point at what kind of benefits the nature has. You know, whether if it’s going up in the mountains or having clean oceans or clean air in the cities. People want to keep this, so that’s something that motivates them.

I really don’t support this kind of approach in which you are more negative or trying to judge. I would much rather have a curious discussion with someone and see where he or she struggles. Just coming from my own experiences, I am trying to support them. I hope that I can be more of the side of education and that I can manage getting people together for the cause.

It is very important to remember that we are not alone in all this and that we have to fight this with communal efforts instead of being lonely soldiers. Just build those communities that believe that there is a way out of the mess.

Judith: Wow, it is hard to add something to that! You absolutely nailed it. I can then maybe say what it means to me to be sustainable or to make a change. For me it is, if I put it in one sentence: Trying your best.

I: Thank you for these words! I especially like that you say that it is about trying.

Theresa: You can’t change yourself within one day by for example going to zero waste. That’s impossible. But if you just challenge yourself every day, you will change.

Judith (nodding): Yes, you cannot change all of the points.

Theresa: Exactly! But the more you get to know about the whole issue and the more you talk about it with other students, the more opportunities you discover.

Judith: And it is a really good feeling just knowing you are not alone, that you are not the only one trying to not destroy the world. And it’s a good feeling. You know you are making a difference!

I was grateful for this summarization by my intervewees: it showed me that they as individuals have the same goals as the whole organisation has. To me, this is the base for every group that wants to achieve something and reach people with their messages.
Fenix needs this base since the organisation has big plans. They do not just want to have more events like lunches, movie screenings and a bigger media presence. An even bigger plan is to become an NGO (a non governmental organisation), so Fenix would not be a student organisation anymore but an official organisation that is supported by the Swedish government.

Their mission to make sustainability something normal will not change but the frame around it will hopefully help to reach a bigger audience and spread their enthusiasm about having a more sustainable and better world soon.

Check out Fenix’ facebook channel “Fenix Miljöförening” or instagram page “fenix_miljoforening_malmoo” and get inspired!

By Judith Roos

Photo credits:

The post Fenix – Close to nature, close to the students appeared first on Pike & Hurricane.

Air travel: The Motor of Globalisation

Judith Roos — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 22:31:13 +0000

Air travel is globalisation. Globalisation is air travel.

However we turn it, fact is, that we want to feel connected. We want to meet people from all over the world. We love to travel and discover new places. Previously we travelled by train, today by planes. Our generation might be more aware than ever of the negative environmental impact of aviation but this seems to not affect the growth in air travel.

As globalisation is increasing, the air transport industry is growing, too. However, the prices we pay for a flight are going in the opposite direction – they decrease and allow more people to fly. What are the reasons for that? What is it that often allows airlines to be the cheapest travel method at least within Europe?

Travelling has become easy

According to Sir Tim Clark, President of the airline Emirates, we influence the travel industry: “The way people travel, their decisions for travelling, the amount of money they’re prepared to pay, new entrants coming to market, long-range single aisles, it’s all changing.”

Nowadays, we can reach almost any destination easily. We desire to be fast in getting from place A to B. Taking a plane is often the simplest way. However, travel time alone does not always determine our decision.

Often the price becomes the determinant in the end. During the years, air travel has become more affordable for a growing number of people, often being cheaper than train tickets.

Advantages for airlines

According to the climate activists website 1010uk.org, airlines profit from some important and influential advantages. One simple reason is the fact that pilots, crew and airport staff work for a shorter amount of time than railway employees when compared to the same travel distance. The railways must be maintained and so must the signals, junctions and trains themselves.

Also the competitive factor makes a difference. While there is often just one train company in a country, customers usually have multiple airlines to choose from. This is why airlines try to compete with each other by having the lowest ticket prices.

Airlines also get support from the government. If an airline is government-owned, an airline can automatically be cheaper. According to a list from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), especially the cheap airlines are more government shared than others.

Technology has made the buying and selling of tickets easy. They can be accessed online or via phone, further lowering costs. There are no travel agents to pay, nor printing or shipping fees. Furthermore, budget airlines fly to airports with lower landing fees and they use the same type of planes to reduce their maintenance costs.

Flying is more

What we need to keep in mind is that flying is not just a cheap way of travelling. It is first of all a way of connecting two locations. Flying is also saving time, allowing us to allocate resources for other things. It is feeling free, being somewhere where human beings are not typically supposed to be. Flying is feeling secure, trusting the pilot that he will guide us safely to our destination.

It does not surprise me that flying is so popular in a fast living world. However, we should still remember to stop and think. Why not take the time to decide if a cheap and fast flight is really what we need? When going on a holiday is it not the goal to slow down?

By Judith Roos

Photo credits:

Rüdiger Stehn, Altenholz Schleswig-Holstein Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0

oddharmonic, Denver International Airport Colorado United States, CC BY-NC 2.0

bratispixl, 4 Triebwerke, CC BY-NC 2.0

The post Air travel: The Motor of Globalisation appeared first on Pike & Hurricane.

Switzerland: A State Run by 8 Million People?

Judith Roos — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 16:18:40 +0000

Is it not spread all over the world that Switzerland is well organised, has a good and stable government and the population of 8 million feels safe and respected? Switzerland works with elements of a direct democracy. The uniqueness of this structure gives every Swiss citizen a lot of power. But how does the Swiss democracy work exactly? And does this democracy hold what it promises?

A new member of the Federal Council

On the first of November, a new member of the Federal Council – the head of Switzerland – will start working for the state. Just at the end of September, the parliament decided that it will be Ignazio Cassis who will replace a resigning member.

7 Federal Councillors – 7 different opinions

Apart from this emerging newest Swiss Italian member, there are six other Federal Councillors from varying political backgrounds.

The diversity of Swiss politics does not end in party affiliations: at the moment, the Federal Council consists of four Councillors from the German part and three councils from the Swiss French part. On the first of November, Ignazio Cassis will replace one of the councils from the French part.

And this is what makes Cassis a special person and worth mentioning.

The multilingual government of Switzerland

The new member of the Federal Council comes from the Italian speaking part of Switzerland, is a native Italian speaker, and originally had dual citizenship of Italy and Switzerland. Cassis decided to give up his Italian citizenship to become fully Swiss. The success of Cassis is also a success for the Italian Swiss region as they feel more represented in the government.

Even more importantly, the Federal Council is now finally again following an important basic law – the Constitution. The Swiss constitution declares that every language region ought to be “appropriately” represented in the Federal Council.

A look at the map shows all 26 cantons (the black lines) and all five language regions in Switzerland (the different colours). The green, the Italian part, is not big, but deserves representation in the federal assembly. With the election of Ignazio Cassis, an 18-year trend of having a Federal council without a representative of the Italian part has finally come to an end.

The Federal Assembly: the heart of the Swiss policy

So far, there has not been one single word about the Swiss population, except in the title, of course. More than time to ask ourselves: what is the role of the Swiss citizens and how can they decide about anything?

Given these points, you should therefore know about the National Council and the Council of States. Together with the Federal Council, they build the Swiss parliament, called “The Federal Assembly”.

They are the bridge that links the population and the Federal Council, as they represent the people and cantons. As mentioned in the very beginning, Switzerland is federalistic. The power is shared by the Confederation (the Federal Council, Switzerland’s head with its seven members), the cantons (see them on the map), and the communes.

This explains why all the cantons must be represented. Each canton sends two representatives to the Council of states. These two representatives are directly decided by citizens of each canton.

So do the representatives in the National Council. As distinct from the Council of states, the National Council represents not the cantons but the commune. These representatives are also directly decided by the electors. As a rule of thumb, each canton may send one elected representative to the National Council for roughly every 40,000 inhabitants. That makes 200 National Councillors for the whole country.

The Federal Assembly passes laws, talks about changes, and it is also the Federal Assembly that elected Ignazio Cassis, the new member of the Federal Council.

The three rights

Every Swiss citizen, of 18 years or older, has three basic rights.

The right of the mandatory referendum means that every planned change in the constitution has to be put to a nationwide popular vote. Without the agreement of at least 50% of all Swiss voters, nothing can be changed in this legal foundation.

The popular initiative allows everybody to launch a political debate of a specific issue. As an example: A Swiss student thinks, he wants to have free coffee in every university, freely available all around the clock. He can then hand in 100 000 signatures of voters for the proposal, collected within 18 months. It then comes to a national vote and could actually become a law for every university.

If the parliament wants to change a law, the Swiss population has two choices. If they do nothing, the new law will be passed. If the Swiss voters take action, by using the right of the optional referendum, it can change everything. For a national vote about the new law, 50 000 valid signatures from possible voters must be collected within 100 days of publication of the new legislation.

The referendum can therefore be used when the parliament has already decided on something that the population does not want.

And what if the population does not want Ignazio Cassis, the new member of the Federal Council?

A state run by the Federal Assembly and the population

As all members of the Federal Assembly are part of the population, there are in fact not 8 million people that contribute for a functioning state but all people that are able to vote. Since measured in 2010, about five million people have the right to vote on every single election for National Council, Council of States and votings.

Altogether, it is quite busy to be a voter in Switzerland. There are votings four times a year. Every fourth year, the Federal Assembly (National Council, Council of states and Federal Council) is being renewed.

Did the people also get to vote about Ignazio Cassis? This is not in the hands of the population, not even by utilizing the optional referendum. As strange as it sounds, it has a simple explanation: The Federal Council should be elected by the entire country and not by individuals. By voting for the National Council and Council of States, the Swiss population decides about who represents the country – in the hope that they hold what they promise.

All things considered, Switzerland is not run by 8 million people, but by exactly 253 heads that discuss the small country in the middle of Europe. Swiss people have a lot of power, but to a limited extent.

At least they would have the chance to vote for free coffee in offices and universities.

By Judith Roos

Photo Credit:

Swiss Flag, Alex Sinclair, CC BY 2.0

Ignazio Cassis, Swiss Federal Council, CC BY-SA 3.0

Swiss Regions, Tschubby, CC BY SA-3.0

The Federal Council, Swiss Federal Council, CC BY-SA 3.0

Swiss Coffee, Felipe Barriga, CC BY-NC 2.0

The post Switzerland: A State Run by 8 Million People? appeared first on Pike & Hurricane.