To avoid confusion: the header image depicts the famed Houses of Parliament, per se the epitome of London for many, since long before its swingin’ times… next to perhaps Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, The London Eye, The Tower Bridge or the V&A museum. Just to name a few. And then there is Westminster Abbey, exclusive site of coronations since 1066, Lady Diana’s emotional funeral ceremony or glamorous royal weddings (like Queen Elizabeth’s with Prince Philip or William’s with Kate), all broadcast world-wide to a community held in the lasting grip of a magic royal spell. So, the premises ought to be familiar.
Right next door, the Church House Conference Centre may have witnessed events different from those mentioned before – but its own history lacks nothing in drama.
Posts about Sustainability
Austria. Alpbach in Tyrol: Beauty meets sustainability
Alfons Moser was known as a successful businessman and – from 1945 to 1979 – as the dedicated mayor of Alpbach, a Tyrolean village nestled in a dulcet valley cutting through the Kitzbueheler Alps. He had a vision worldly enough to become reality: according to a law passed in 1953 and prevailing since, all newly built houses had to comply with the existing traditional architecture in local alpine style. Basta!
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Smile, you are in Singapore!
A city state that takes care of every need
When thinking about Singapore, the main assets instantly coming to mind are those of enormous progress, long-term prosperity, high efficiency in all perceivable divisions, safety, discipline, a reliable work place and a good income for every citizen, handsome, well-educated people communicating in excellent English, a luxury-hotel scape, advanced meeting venues, an award-winning airline, an ever increasing traffic volume rigorously tidied up simply by means of an alternating calendar, a sensational food platter of untold diversity, Singapore Sling, the bar at the Raffles, Singa, the Lion guarding over the harbour, a mainly fenceless zoo, relentless sunshine, giant concrete trees versus tropical lushness, shopping opportunities galore and adamant cleanliness:
TED Talk: Let’s go all-in on selling sustainability
Coming from the non-profit consultancy Climate Group, Steve Howard is now the chief sustainability officer at a furniture megastore and talks about selling sustainable products to millions of people by implementing eco-friendly materials and practices. Ikea buildings have sprouted solar panels and wind turbines, the shelves inside are stocked with LED lighting and recycled cotton. An investment of €1.5 billion flows into renewable energy sources.
298 Ikea stores have seen more than 690 million customers in 2012, buying sofas, lamps, bookshelves and other goods worth € 27 billion. More than 1,000 suppliers worldwide do business with the furniture giant.
“I don’t think we’ve fully realized the extent to which sustainability is going to shape society and the business landscape over the next couple of decades.”
Monaco – ein grenzüberschreitendes Faszinosum
Die Zaubervokabel heißt hier „relativ”. In einem Zwergstaat wie Monaco ist alles gleich wie überall, nur kleiner und schon deswegen einfacher. Bei Entfernungen zum Beispiel. Die Aussage des Taxifahrers „Ist aber weit” erschreckt vielleicht im Hinblick auf eine Fülle wahrzunehmender Termine oder innerhalb eines straffen Zeitplans anzusteuernder Ziele. Nach dem Testlauf weiß man: Es ist mühelos zu schaffen, sogar zu Fuß. Denn „weit” ist in Monaco nichts und auch der angekündigte Verkehrsstau in der City wirkt eher harmlos. Bei einer Küstenlänge von 4,1 km und einer Gesamtfläche von zirka zwei Quadratkilometern ist das komfortabel zwischen Frankreich und Italien eingebettete Miniland an der Mittelmeerküste eine bequem „begehbare” Destination. Das erspart auch Veranstaltungsplanern eine Menge Kopfzerbrechen logistischer Natur.