An international networking event took place on 29 October – 1 November 2009 in Brno and Hostetin in which Climate Advocates from nine European countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Denmark, Greece, Finland, Turkey and Great Britain) took part at a three-day excursion.

The event started with an action - a night activity in the town, which in spite of cold weather, was a great warm up and at the same time an interesting way to get to know each other in unusual situations and unusual locations (like city catacombs). The clues gained during the game led the participants to an old wine cellar where they saw a very original performance from the Theatre of Physics in Brno.

The second day belonged to Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, which offered some interesting case studies. The representatives of the Brno city district of Novy Liskovec presented a complex reconstruction of panel buildings with the use of modern technologies. Another city district, Bohunice, is also active in the sphere of sustainable development where a community wood-waste heating plant delivers heating to panel houses.

Climate advocates also visited a passive house in Hostetin, a village about 150 km east of Brno. The village is very eco-friendly – they have built a sewage treatment plant and the houses are heated by a wood-waste heating plant. Solar panels are installed on ten houses and the village uses an economical lightning system. Thanks to these energy savings and the use of renewable energy, Hostetin saves up to 1600 tons of CO2 yearly. As well as experiencing life in a passive house, Climate Advocates also visited a heating plant there. Experts from Veronica, a local NGO, organised the visit and explained the technical aspects and Helen Eveleigh from the Sustainable Development Commission represented British expertise in this area.