Expo 2000, Hanover Overview Review Interviews In the Press Links Literature

				Building a sustainable world> The over-all theme "Humankind - Nature - Technology" runs through the Thematic Area and sets the Expo's agenda. The Hanoverian world exhibition is driven by the concept of sustainability. There are dozens of automatic glass-recycling machines and 5000 wooden cola machines. Architects of the national pavilions tried to put the concept of environmental sustainability into practice: Japan recycled paper. The Netherlands imported its natural resources - water, trees and tulips. Switzerland piled up millions of larch beams, that can be re-used beyond Expo. But the participating countries diverge in their interpretation of "sustainability". Whereas Japan, Netherlands and Switzerland show awareness, other countries exhibit money. Monaco wants to document "natural wealth" and Mediterranean beauty, and therefore anchors yachts beneath a castle. The United Arab Emirates chartered a Boeing freighter to fly in six tons of genuine desert sand. And although the U.S. didn't officially participate in Expo 2000, it is present with astonishing sustainable McDonald's wooden cabins. The Expo`s architectural experiments unintentionally reflect one of the key challenges of today's society: Although there is enough information and will to find sustainable solutions, people often fail. In the Basic Needs thematic area the artist Rajeev Sethi shows one reason why: modern consumerism. In Sethi's supermarket striking signs advertise useless products with catchy slogans. Visitors feel the "basic need" to buy. When they enter the next room, a rubber dump, they finally understand the challenge of sustainability. "Sustainability is the key theme of the future," says Dr. Johannes-Richard Hänsel, manager of Expo's Global Dialogue. And it will be more than an ecological challenge: "Especially scientists concerned with research on the future will have to integrate the concept of sustainability into their investigations. The Global Dialogue is an experiment in this direction that hasn't ever existed on such a large scale." [listen to the interview]. In the discussion series, experts from all over the world will come together to discuss topics such as natural resources, fighting poverty or responsible governance in a global society." >> Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 TOP
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