Since 2008, Bea Johnson and her family have been living a zero-waste lifestyle – the four of them only produce a one-litre jar of waste a year. With her blog and book Zero Waste Home, Bea was successful in initiating the birth of an ever-growing global zero waste community. With her five rules, she has been inspiring people to live a simpler life and to take a stand towards useless production of waste; these 5 R’s are the following: “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot”. Through the example of her own family, she proves that a minimalistic life in the zero waste style is not only stylish, but it also brings lots of health benefits and time, and well as financial savings, whereby she successfully chases away erroneous fixed ideas and prejudices about this lifestyle.

She was awarded with the main prize in an international competition, The Green Awards, she speaks all over the world in media, at universities, in companies, at conferences, and she welcomes groups of journalists and students in her home to show them around. On her blog, she created an application called Bulk App, which has been globally mapping spots where it is possible to buy goods by weight and without packaging. Thanks to her enthusiasm for the topic and a positive way of communication, she is globally considered to be the guru and voice of the zero-waste movement. The New York Times called her the “Priestess of Waste-Free Living” and Paris Match the “New Messiah of Environmentalism”.

In her lecture, Bea will explain why she and her whole family switched to zero waste, what this path has brought them, what obstacles she faced and how she overcame them.

http://www.zerowastehome.com/

Co-founder of the Save Food (Zachraň jídlo) Initiative and of the NGO Bezobalu, z. ú., the Institute for the Support of  Sustainable Distribution and Conscious Consumption, where he also serves as the director and spokesman.

Ever since graduating from communication sciences at Charles University in Prague and La Sapienza in Rome, Petr has been trying through his communication activities to inspire both consumers and businesses and to broaden their general knowledge – to raise their awareness about the context and consequences of their actions within the market and to motivate them to take an active stand. With the Bezobalu NGO and through research and awareness-raising activities, he tries to introduce good practices from abroad – the concept of “zero waste stores”, bringing sustainable distribution and sale of goods by weight, without single-use packaging as a form of prevention of waste production, motivating to avoid wasting food and natural resources.

What he is going to talk about:

Petr will follow up on Bea Johnson and will show why it is important, to spread this trend of zero-packaging, or zero waste stores, which are emerging in Europe and starting to create a separate market. He will explain what is hidden from the consumer’s knowledge in conventional sales and how package-free sales help to promote waste reduction and change consumers’ habits, and in the end, the whole market paradigm. He will also reveal upcoming projects planned by the Bezobalu organisation to promote the zero waste movement and zero waste stores in the Czech Republic.

Tomáš Sedláček (1977) is the author of a philosophical and economic book called Economy of Good and Evil (Ekonomie dobra a zla), which has been translated into 17 languages, becoming a best-seller in many countries and winning many prestigious international prizes. At the age of 24, he became an economic advisor to President Václav Havel, later also to the Minister of Finance. Tomáš Sedláček is a member of several important international and Czech organizations, such as the World Economic Forum (Davos), advisory team of the President of the European Commission founded by E. Barroso, he is the chair of the board of advisors of Vize 97 and Forum 2000 and he had been a long-standing member of the government’s National Economic Council (NERV). He now works as the Chief Macroeconomic Strategist at ČSOB. He gives lectures in philosophy and economy at Charles University and is a sought-after lecturer and panellist at universities, conferences and forums around the world.

What he is going to talk about:

Accumulating possessions, using reckless aggression against our surroundings and not thinking about the waste generated thereby is the strategy that the human race has been employing successfully since time immemorial and that helped us get to the top of the food chain. The question is, what to do with this genetic predisposition in times of abundance, even over-abundance. Can we, as a species, choke on this fetish? Why do we think that unless the economy keeps growing, it is in crisis? What religious connotations has our faith in the consumer capitalism of growth? What will society look like when it reaches a steady-state economy? What if our crisis does not originate in the fact that the economy has not given us enough but that it gave us everything it could? What if our depression is actually post-coital depression?

Zero waste is no science fiction, not even anything extreme that would require reducing your waste literally to zero. It is an ideal that can be approached gradually – by reducing your ecological footprint and making your life simpler, cheaper and healthier.

In this lecture, you will hear from Czech speakers who have been living zero-waste life style right here in the Czech Republic. Each of them is in a different life situation and each of them has reached different goals on their way to zero waste. They will show you that the waste can be considerably reduced, even in a city and with a family. They will mention obstacles they had to face on their way, they will tell you how they dealt with them, and they will compare their situation with Bea Johnson’s Franco-American experience.

At follow-up workshops on the remaining Tuesdays in June you will have an opportunity to try zero waste in practice – more on that in the Programme section.

What he is going to talk about:

We are a family of four and a dog. We have been trying to live without packaging and waste. Over the last three years, it even seems natural to us.

How did we come up with the idea? Firstly: I grew up in a small town. My grandma had less than a bag of waste a week. Secondly: In 2009 I poisoned my children, which was my inspiration to start looking into what we eat, what clothes we put on, what we live in, what is around us and the main reason to start avoiding processed food and other goods. Thirdly: During many travels outside our “developed” world, I burst into tears more than once over the omnipresent consequences of our present lifestyle.

Virtually all our food comes directly from growers or breeders or we grow and process it ourselves. What we cannot get directly, we buy in bulk without packaging as a community.

While preparing for the conference, I read Bea Johnson’s book Zero Waste Home and was so captivated that we would like to publish it in our publishing house.

Zero waste is no science fiction, not even anything extreme that would require reducing your waste literally to zero. It is an ideal that can be approached gradually – by reducing your ecological footprint and making your life simpler, cheaper and healthier.

In this lecture, you will hear from Czech speakers who have been living zero-waste life style right here in the Czech Republic. Each of them is in a different life situation and each of them has reached different goals on their way to zero waste. They will show you that the waste can be considerably reduced, even in a city and with a family. They will mention obstacles they had to face on their way, they will tell you how they dealt with them, and they will compare their situation with Bea Johnson’s Franco-American experience.

At follow-up workshops on the remaining Tuesdays in June you will have an opportunity to try zero waste in practice – more on that in the Programme section.

Hana lived abroad for more than a decade and visited nearly forty countries on five continents. She saw breathtaking scenery as well as devastated natural environments. Therefore, she decided to fully engage in support of “biological sustainability”, both on a personal and professional level. She takes part in environmental projects and is interested in the sustainable lifestyle, and to help others along the way, she founded cookingtochangetheworld, where you can try not only delicious plant-based cooking, but also things like textile upcycling.

What she is going to talk about:

At the conference, she will talk about her experience with the transition to Zero Waste and will be in charge of the section on shopping and furnishing a zero-waste kitchen within the workshop on 14th June: SHOPPING / COOKING / COMPOSTING.

TOPIC AND TIME OF THE WORKSHOP

ZERO WASTE WORKSHOP: SHOPPING / COOKING / COMPOSTING

6-9 P.M. on 14th June in SVĚT–HUB

BUY TICKETS HERE

Zero waste is no science fiction, not even anything extreme that would require reducing your waste literally to zero. It is an ideal that can be approached gradually – by reducing your ecological footprint and making your life simpler, cheaper and healthier.

In this lecture, you will hear from Czech speakers who have been living zero-waste life style right here in the Czech Republic. Each of them is in a different life situation and each of them has reached different goals on their way to zero waste. They will show you that the waste can be considerably reduced, even in a city and with a family. They will mention obstacles they had to face on their way, they will tell you how they dealt with them, and they will compare their situation with Bea Johnson’s Franco-American experience.

At follow-up workshops on the remaining Tuesdays in June you will have an opportunity to try zero waste in practice – more on that in the Programme section.

Martina comes from Zlín and has lived in Prague for the last 7 years when not travelling all over the world. Each of her trips abroad taught her to appreciate what she has, and her home means much more to her now than ever before. She founded a project called Love Your Home, which helps people to create a happy and peaceful home by organizing their households and practicing Zero Waste. Everything she does in life, she tries to do with love and a smile on her face. She writes about all of that on her blog inspiruj.me (inspire me), which presents all the diverse things in her life. She enjoys bringing happiness to people and inspiring them. In her free time, she practices artistic gymnastics and enjoys crafting. Wherever she is, she never forgets to fulfil her dreams. She will be in charge of part of the workshop on 21st June: HOUSEHOLD/COSMETICS/TOILETIRES AND DETERGENTS.

TOPIC AND TIME OF THE WORKSHOP

Zero Waste Workshop: HOUSEHOLD / TOILETRIES AND DETERGENTS / COSMETICS

6-9 P.M. on 21st June in SVĚT–HUB

BUY TICKETS HERE

The Save Food Initiative (Zachraň jídlo) was born in 2013 as an informal group of friends who decided to raise the topic of food waste in Czech society. They were motivated by Valentin Thurn’s film Taste the Waste (Frisch auf den Müll – Die globale Lebensmittelverschwendung), which inspired them to start planning the first happening. A Feast for a Thousand People took place on Wenceslas Square in Prague, where lunches were distributed to 1,000 people prepared from food that would otherwise be thrown away.

Since that time, the initiative has continued to raise public awareness of the issue. It is still necessary to point out the shocking facts on wasting food: that up to one third of all produced food is never eaten, that we, the consumers, are responsible for half of the wasted food or that food production is one of the sectors with the highest quantity of CO2 emissions produced in the world.

Anna Strejcová is one of the founders of the Save Food Initiative. She studied journalism and media studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University; therefore, she is very familiar with the media and PR. She used to work for the Auto*Mat NGO, which focused on sustainable transport, and then she and her friends founded their own NGO. In Save Food, she comes up with communication strategies, writes articles, looks for opportunities to get into media and communicates with journalists. At the same time, she is interested in food storage and in how to avoid waste. Last year, she did a research for IKEA on the right way to store various foods in a household.

Kokoza is a social venture. We have promoted urban composting and growing food among people, companies and other organizations. We inspire and motivate them to use composting technologies designed for living in a city, to grow food for their own needs and for pleasure. We connect with active people, companies and public administration in order to raise the visibility of these issues. We also cooperate with people with mental illness – we help them to find work and motivate them to participate in events we organize.

What she is going to talk about:

Biowaste is a treasure even in an urban environment, as we can use it to grow food on a small balcony thanks to vermicomposting. Thus, our motto is “From the kitchen to compost and back again”.

The Save Food Initiative (Zachraň jídlo) was born in 2013 as an informal group of friends who decided to raise the topic of food waste in Czech society. They were motivated by Valentin Thurn’s film Taste the Waste (Frisch auf den Müll – Die globale Lebensmittelverschwendung), which inspired them to start planning the first happening. A Feast for a Thousand People took place on Wenceslas Square in Prague, where lunches were distributed to 1,000 people prepared from food that would otherwise be thrown away.

Since that time, the initiative has continued to raise public awareness of the issue. It is still necessary to point out the shocking facts on wasting food: that up to one third of all produced food is never eaten, that we, the consumers, are responsible for half of the wasted food or that food production is one of the sectors with the highest quantity of CO2 emissions produced in the world.

Zuzana discovered the Save Food Initiative during their happening in January called Donate Food and wrote an article about it, which was just the beginning of her cooperation with the initiative. Besides writing for La Cucina Italiana magazine, she has been currently thinking up and putting into practice life-saving recipes. On the Zero Waste Workshop: SHOPPING / COOKING / COMPOSTING, the participants will have an opportunity to try out Zuzana’s legendary recipe for carrot pesto and will learn facts and practical advice on food non/wasting and other sources of inspiration for each of us to have a richer, more thoughtful impact.

TOPIC AND TIME OF THE WORKSHOP

Zero Waste Workshop: SHOPPING / COOKING / COMPOSTING

6-9 P.M. on 14th June in SVĚT–HUB

BUY TICKETS HERE

A representative of the “SUSTAINABLY CHIC” concept, co-founder of the Žižkov Fashion Flea Market, stylist, copywriter, repairer, second hand store and flea market guide, and last but not least a follower of the Zero Waste lifestyle. Her passion is to discover beauty in people, as well as in things. From seemingly useless and overlooked items, she is able to create new gems. Her motto is: “If we know what suits us and if we primarily buy second hand, we will spare lots of energy otherwise used in vain. There are enough things around, so why not use them.” You can meet her at the workshop on 28th June: FASHION / SUSTAINABLY CHIC, where you can create together a fantastic trendy bag from ropes and recycled material.

TOPIC AND TIME OF THE WORKSHOP

Zero Waste Workshop: FASHION / SUSTAINABLY CHIC

6-9 P.M. on 28th June in SVĚT–HUB

BUY TICKETS HERE

Tomáš Hodek, director of the Ekodomov NGO has been involved in soil care and composting issues for more than ten years now and it can be said that no one in the Czech Republic has done more to raise awareness of composting than he has. A long-time awareness-raising campaign led to hundreds of cooperating schools, municipalities and companies using teaching materials created by Ekodomov, they regularly book educational theatre shows or other programmes, and more and more often, they also compost or vermicompost. Tomáš Hodek will speak on the very first workshop on 14th June: SHOPPING / COOKING / COMPOSTING, where he will explain the possibilities of urban composting and will demonstrate a worm bin live.

She is in charge of the operation and programme of a multifunctional co-working space SVĚT–HUB, where she organizes Zero Waste Workshops, a follow-up to the conference. As a nature lover with her heart in the city, or a city admirer with her soul in forests, she is naturally interested in the topic and practice of zero waste, and she is gradually implementing some of its aspects into her personal and professional life. The follow-up workshops should contribute to moving from theoretical outputs of the conference to practical behaviour and actions of individuals coming from the general public. Even though the workshops have limited capacity, each of the speakers provides their own specifically oriented workshops, which can be attended by all those interested in the topic.  

We would like to introduce to you textile and fashion designer and specialist, Kamila Vodochodská. She works as a fashion coach for her clients and as a fashion stylist and she has been working in fashion for nearly 10 years. She likes to say: “Clothes are an expression of the personality. They reflect our character and consciousness. I want to delve deep with you, find weaknesses and help to build self-respect.” So she is more than familiar with the topics of sorting out the wardrobe and fashion sustainability! You can meet her on 28th June at the workshop: FASHION / SUSTAINABLY CHIC, where you can talk with her about your clothes and find out what you really need and how to create a sensible wardrobe.

TOPIC AND TIME OF THE WORKSHOP

Zero Waste Workshop: FASHION / SUSTAINABLY CHIC

6-9 P.M. on 28th June in SVĚT–HUB

BUY TICKETS HERE

She used to work as a publicist and glossary maker for Reflex magazine, Lidové noviny and MF Dnes dailies, and she also worked with Přítomnost magazine. She initiated many not-for-profit projects supporting women’s view of the world and sustainability. She has a passion for stories – projects Women’s Memory (Paměť žen) and Learning through Stories (Učíme se příběhy). Currently, she works as a dramatic advisor, a storytelling teacher and a publisher (platform of local creative brands ArtBe.cz). Her children are her primary motivation to find a sustainable lifestyle – her son, a homeschooler, is a passionate about vegetarianism, waste sorting and making homemade yogurt. The biggest teacher to her, in this regard, are her husband´s beehives. The only jewellery she wears is made of recycled plastic.plastu.

Liška mazaná (Clever Fox) teaches people how to make environmentally friendly homemade cosmetics and has been highly popular for some time now. They care about high-quality ingredients, wonderful products and a pleasant atmosphere during courses. They teach people how to make environmentally friendly cleaning products, virtually anything from lotion to washing powder. During their events, they pass on knowledge they have accumulated over the years from books, blogs and articles. They test all their recipes on themselves. You can meet them at the workshop on 21st June HOUSEHOLD/COSMETICS/TOILETRIES AND DETERGENTS, where you can make a washing powder and a toothpaste with them!

TOPIC AND TIME OF THE WORKSHOP

Zero Waste Workshop: HOUSEHOLD / TOILETRIES AND DETERGENTS / COSMETICS

6-9 P.M. on 21st June in SVĚT–HUB

BUY TICKETS HERE