Karma Konsum 2010
Karma Konsum 2010 – ‘A new spirit in business.
Have you ever heard about LOHAS? Maybe you are one without knowing it. LOHAS stands for 'Lifestyle of health and sustainability' and describes people who try to "do good with their money" by buying the right products, which are organic, fair, green and socially acceptable. They want to show a good "consumerism" that can change the world. So have you ever met LOHAS? We have – on the ‘Karma Konsum 2010’ day.
Funnily the conference is at the "Börsenplatz" in Frankfurt, the old stock market. At first glance you see people in wide trousers, natural colours and even turbans. As the word ‘karma’ already suggests, these kind of consumers are not only eating with their mouth but also with their mind. So don't be surprised by people meditating in front of the stock exchange symbols while in the background people are bombing down the road quietly with electric vehicles.
Another part of the conference (besides the workshops given inside) are the latest bikes, scooters and cars that are waiting to be test driven in front of this ancient building.
I was there to tell people about the Mercedes F-Cell car and the Pangaea project. Many people are interested in the car and just want to buy it immediately. You hear similar questions all over the day: Is this a gas car? When will it be released? Is it really emission-free? Why are you so late with this?
Myself, Simon and Rebecca were invited to attend this important day, to represent the Pangaea Expedition and answer the questions that came from an inquisitive public. We got into interesting dialogues. We realized that it is really important to sensitize people about this new kind of technology and to make them conscious towards the future of the planet and the responsibility towards future generations. We told people about the Pangaea Young Explorers Program and explained how Pangaea’s Environmental project and Mercedes work together.
We, the young generation favor new technology but criticize it at the same time. For example; we say that it's still too expensive and the question of producing hydrogen and supplying people with a good infrastructure is a problem that is not solved yet.
As young consumers and responsible consumers we have the right to say what we want. Because of this it is important to met people from other industries, from all kind of countries, Australia to China, and all walks of life.
We tried to share our imagination and present our cause the best way we could. We told kids about Pangaea and encouraged them to join. We asked young adults and others to tell their children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and anyone else they knew about the Pangaea Expedition and it’s mission. Why? Because Pangaea is open for everyone and is working towards a positive future for our Planet. We need to ensure that research towards technology improvement gets continued support as we know that this emission-free mobility hasn't reached it's break-even point yet and still features some teething problems.
In the end, Emission-Free Technology will become eco-friendly and favorable for all of us, the consumers.
An eco friendly future should not be a question of money but should be free for everyone – this was the number one concern throughout the day.