Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 21. January 2020, 14:10

Thanks, Annika, for sharing that article about this very important issue. I am afraid that the whole subject gets its attention, if at all,  only from researchers of industrialized states. During the conference in Hanoi, almost nobody except people like Jarkko mentioned climate warming as an issue. In general, I got the impression that sustainabilty was very much conceptualized in the basic sense of the UNWTO: sustainable growth... So I wonder, how the concept of circular economy - as an instrument against climate warmung - could presented as more attractive to our partners in Viet Nam and Thailand.
I really would be pleased how you guyse are thinking about this issue from your perspective...
Thanks, Harry

Quote from Annika Konttinen on 6. November 2020, 10:27

Hello again! Our Circular Economy crusade continues...My colleague Leena Gronroos and I are starting our course about Circular Economy in the Tourism Industry in January. The course will be offered to all tourism students at Haaga-Helia UAS. It is all online and we are currently gathering interesting sources, engaging learning methods and material for it. We have been interviewing people working in different tourism companies, especially in the activities sector. There is a growing awareness of circular economy within the sector, but a lot more could be done. That is why we are very excited to get our eager students involved:) During the course, they will be creating circular solutions to tourism companies. We will keep you posted on the developments. At least the response from the industry has been positive so far. There is strong interest for creating solutions for energy, communication and recycling issues that relate to circular economy.

Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 3. March 2021, 21:32

Wow, Annika, if we would continue to exchange messages in this way, this would be an excellent example of sustainable networking, as we could continue for years, changing one idea every year 🙂

That is a fantastic news that you startet with this course about circular economy in January. Can you deliver me more information about this? You were talking about an online-course? Would it be possible to join that? i would be very pleased, thanks.
One of my very engaged studends started to write his master thesis about an issues which is pretty close: Degrowth or post-growth economy. There is a little report about his work in progress in our newsletter, which is - unfortuately - in German...

https://www.nf-int.org/infomail-wissenschaft-nr-6-februar-2021#degrowth

And yes, please, keep us posted on the developments, thanks, bye, Harry

 

Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 24. March 2021, 12:45

Something which could interest you: my speech I hold for Fridays4Future last Friday (19.3.2021) on behalf of the Gobal Climate Striking Day-demonstration in Graz, Austria. One of my main thesis there is that if we see and understand a problem but stay passiv, then we are an integrativ part of this problem, as we support that system, instead of searching for ways to change it.
I tried to explain this on the example of long-haul fights.

Limitations: Of course, the other side is that we are deeply involved into this system, so it is not that easy to actively work against it.... but that must not be a simple plea.

Quote from Natascha Dockal on 28. March 2021, 18:28

Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 24. March 2021, 12:45

Something which could interest you: my speech I hold for Fridays4Future last Friday (19.3.2021) on behalf of the Gobal Climate Striking Day-demonstration in Graz, Austria. One of my main thesis there is that if we see and understand a problem but stay passiv, then we are an integrativ part of this problem, as we support that system, instead of searching for ways to change it.
I tried to explain this on the example of long-haul fights.

Limitations: Of course, the other side is that we are deeply involved into this system, so it is not that easy to actively work against it.... but that must not be a simple plea.

Dear Harald,  I find especially the aspect of your speech great, that the powerful are afraid to lose their privileges, afraid to lose power. We could often observe something similar in history, I think, for example, of the war of independence of the USA from which the feeling of liberation arose.
And yes - I agree with you, it takes courage and steadfastness to point out injustices. Fridays4Future in particular is a great example. Thanks for sharing your speech.

 

Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 29. March 2021, 10:15

Dear Natascha, thanks a lot for your contribution. After more than 50 years of life experience (about 40 in a stage of being competent to reflect ;-), and especially by taking into account principal insights of political sciences, everything in life is about power, a fight for a bigger part of limited resources to distribute - or even more: for positions where someone can influence this distribution. I don't say this in a cynical or a Machiavellian way: Already the German sociologist Max Weber defined the profession of politics in his paradigmatic work "Politics as a Vocation" as follows: "'politics' in our case would mean the pursuit for a portion of power or for influencing the division of power whether it is between states, or between groups of people which the state encompasses" (Weber, M. (2015). Weber's Rationalism and Modern Society. Translated and Edited by Tony Waters and Dagmar Waters. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

So, if young people want to get their legitimate  "portion of the cake" representing adequate chances to live in the future, than there is little alternative to fight for... as the American settlers did against their Colonial power, Great Britain. And I try to support them 😉

P.S.: A picture of my speech for Fridays4Future in Graz, 19th of March