Climate Offices

Hungarian Climate Advocates looked at ways to get more young people in Hungary to take action and reduce their carbon use. They focused on establishing the first Hungarian carbon-neutral climate information centre for students and the general public.

In March 2009 Hungarian Climate Advocates opened the first Hungarian Carbon- neutral Climate Information Centre at Szent Istvan University near Budapest. Through the creation of a physical centre, the Climate Advocates hoped to engage not only students but also the wider public and to use the centre for showcasing climate-friendly practices as well as ongoing climate awareness initiatives. In order to achieve this the Climate Advocates secured backing from various organisations including the university and ensured that all materials used were environmentally friendly. The centre has become a real hub for events and activities. This was followed by an idea for a climate offices network which came from the Carbon Market Conference at Gödöllő where ten major Hungarian universities expressed their will of opening their own climate offices at their campuses. Later, the Climate Advocates also designed a mobile version of the Climate Office which is completely made of recycled or eco-friendly, biodegradable material and offers various low-carbon activities for all ages. For example, the office consists of a power producing bicycle connected to a flashing sign which reads ‘We do care’. The Mobile Climate Office travelled to different events and festivals such as the Europe Mania festival in Pécs, Sziget festival in Budapest and Design Week in Prague.