People & Planet: Green Prague
On July 23, DotGreen and Neustar hosted the second People & Planet Green Event in Prague at the start of the ICANN 44 meetings on Internet governance. A warm and beautiful summer day accommodated over 60 international Internet delegates, in a journey to get to know a greener side of Prague.
The ICANN delegates seeking to explore and learn about local culture joined us as we made our way with local guides traveling in an eco friendly manner, with our own goal to use primarily public transport and our own two feet to explore the city. Our first stop was the Náplavka Farmer’s Market along the Vlatva River where we learned from owner and founder Jiří Sedláček about the relatively short history of the market and its sustainability and entrepreneural efforts of all the farmers – which has grown dramatically in two years time. Currently there are now about twenty farmer’s markets throughout the city. The group was then divided to shop among the vendors at the market, gathering goods like cheese, fresh produce, bread and pastries to share at a picnic lunch later in the day. The organic vegetables, baked goods, prepared foods and beverages were a treat to see, and a perfect introduction to local green culture and activity.
ICANN delegates picnicking on Petrin Hill (DotGreen photo)
From the market we headed to the infamous Dancing House, known as the “Ginger and Fred” designed by Frank Ghery. It offered a spectacular view of the city and sights above the river, while we enjoyed a coffee and heard about the history of the land.
We then took local public transit to the nearby Kinskeho zahrada (Kinsky Garden) within Petrin Hill where the group enjoyed a picnic lunch consisting of the goods we purchased earlier from the market, as well as a savory soup and local pastries. Sitting on blankets and enjoying the sun, we connected with Internet delegates who had come from the far corners of the globe to share the day together.
During our picnic lunch, we had the opportunity to learn from two local organizations and environmental leaders; Mr. Daniel Mourek and Mr. Jakub Smolík of Nadace Partnerství and Mr. Stanislav Miler of EcoJourneys. Mr. Mourek and Mr. Smolík spoke about the local sustainability efforts of Nadace Partnerství in creating greenways for cycling and pedestrians, the local Prague green map, as well as numerous other projects within Prague and the Central Europe region. Mr. Miler presented the group with his Eco Auto which has traveled over 20,000 miles and to 20 countries on renewable fuels, and shared his experiences about learning from other cultures about their own sustainability efforts. Mr. Miler also had a human powered bicycle set up that connected to a blender, offering participants the chance to ride and blend their own smoothie… easier said than done! More about Mr. Miler here.
Stanislav Miler teaching ICANN delegates to make smoothies using only energy from a stationary bicycle to power the blender (DotGreen photo)
After the delicious picnic and a rest, we divided into two groups to continue our journey. The first group, led by Mr. Mourek, brought the group on a bike ride along one of Prague’s Greenways by the side of the Vlatva River, covering almost 15 kilometers! The second group, led by Robert of Inspira continued on a historical walking tour of the city, visiting the Prague Castle grounds including Saint Vitus Cathedral and the “Golden Lane”, learning about the city’s rich history and culture.
By the day’s end, we all had enjoyed a new and green perspective of beautiful Prague. We learned that Prague is truly an environmentally friendly place with some inspiring people, and our group walked away with new ideas to share in their home countries.
We’d like to thank all that participated in the day, including our co-sponsor Neustar, trip organizer Inspira, along with Nadace Partnerství and Mr. Miler for all of the energy and support to make it a memorable experience for all. DotGreen is planning the next People & Planet adventure in wonderful Green Toronto, prior to ICANN 45, on Saturday, October 13. To be kept up to date on this and future DotGreen events, please email jenniferbullock@dotgreen.org.