Rasmus Vincentz, a climate change expert and Climate Advocate in Denmark was invited to speak at the Egyptian Science Festival in May, 2009

Walking through the presenters' exhibitions, one comes away feeling that the conference have definitely succeed in igniting its visitors' curiosity about science.

Although the word on the street in Cairo was to turn off the lights from 8 to 9 pm on March 28 this year, a few knew it was in celebration of Earth Hour, and although some have heard the term "ehteebas harare" (Arabic for global warming) before, a few understood the gravity of the concept and what turning off the lights had to do with it.

On 22 April (World Earth Day), Challenge Europe advocates from Ireland and Northern Ireland held an event in the Cultivate Centre, Dublin to showcase their work and achievements throughout the year. The evening gave young people attending the opportunity to learn more about the pressing issue of climate change, to see first hand what is currently being done by advocates on the island of Ireland to bring about change and most importantly, to find out how they themselves can play a role and make a difference. The event was attended by the Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan and by the British Ambassador to Ireland, David Reddaway.

The idea of the green journey came form the participants, who were keen to raise awareness of Challenge Europe and gain insights into how climate change is being tackled by influential eco projects.

The Irish Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD, waved off the participants on their historic mission: ‘Ireland has its own unique challenges in the area of climate change, but there may be things we can learn from our nearest neighbours and I’m interested in seeing

Hungary’s first carbon-neutral university office room, the Climate Office, opened on 17 March 2009 at Szent István University, Gödöllő. The Office is the initiative of the Hungarian climate advocate team. Together the advocates have designed the centre (the team includes an architect, interior designer and product designer), which will be run by a set of 5 volunteers and be used as a base for a number of initiatives, including conferences and events for students as well as showcasing climate friendly practices.