The Eco Valley Foundation organized its fourth conference on sustainability in Krishna Valley. We had 132 guests on the event held on 5th October. The topic of this year’s conference was ecological farming; therefore, we tried to pass on the experience of Krishna Valley’s organic farming through captivating and inspiring presentations.

The afternoon programs followed the morning lectures and round-table discussions, when ecological farming experts showed the audience their everyday practices. The display of various skills symbolically demonstrated to the participants the way bread is made, from sowing to harvesting and baking. However, they also learned about the bits and pieces of ecological dairy production and organic gardening.

Participants could make food on the traditional clay stove.

Attendees had the opportunity to see plowing with oxen, an ox-powered mill, a show of wheat grinding and baking roundel on a traditional clay stove. In relation to sowing guests saw the making of wheatgrass juice and could taste the delicious drink. Besides the freshly baked roundel there was a display to see the ins and outs of butter and cheese making. Furthermore, in the cellar one could learn the methods of storing the different produces of the organic garden.

We would like to warmly welcome everyone to a conference regarding the various procedures and options of reducing the ecological footprint. This conference will be held in Krishna-valley on behalf of the Eco-valley foundation.
One of the major aims of the conference is to show how it is possible to maintain the ecological footprint of a community within the sustainable boundaries. In other words, how one can put sustainability into practice as well as how can a community live and function in an environment-friendly way.

Patron of conference: Gábor Vida, academician
Among the many speakers there are going to be the leaders of Krishna-valley and lecturers, researchers from universities and colleges.
Another point of interest is that we asked four university students to speak of their work concerning the results of their Eco-valley research.
During the day there will be work-shops in small groups to have the opportunity to speak to Krishna-valley’s specialists in various fields.
Title of Conference: Do your shoes pinch? Change them to a smaller one! Our ecological footprint and sustainability
Date: 15th October, 2009; 9.00 am – 5.00 pm
Venue: Krishna-valley, Somogyvámos
No entry-fee to the conference, but only if you register in advance!
Registrations should be sent to the following email address until 5th October, 2009:
info at okovolgy.hu
Necessary data for registration:
Name, email address, occupation, workplace/institute
The programme also includes a free vegetarian meal as well.

Schedule

9.00-9.50     Arrival and registration
10.00     Gábor Vida (member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), patron of conference: Inaugural address and opening
10.40     Partha dasa (Director of country planning, Krishna-valley) and Ákos Bede Fazekas (student, University of Corvinus): The importance of eco-villages, local solutions. Studies of the various flora of climate change.

11.00     Radha Kanta dasa (Director of agriculture, Krishna-valley) and Csaba Dániel Lánczi (graduate student of University of Eötvös Loránd, Budapest): Sustainable farming, bio-farming. The ecological footprint of Krishna-valley.
11.20     Break (scones, herbal tea)
11.40     Premamoya dasa (Director of education, Krishna-valley) and Réka Tóth (student, University of Pécs): Social sustainability and education. Child upbringing and education in Krishna-valley.

12.00     Radha Krishna dasa (Director of Eco-valley Foundation) and Barna Giczi (student, University of Pécs): Buttresses of sustainability. Social sustainability.

12.20     Announcement of afternoon programme
12.30-13.30     Lunch break

13.30-14.30     „Fieldwork” workshops: conversations in seven different topics with the leaders of Krishna-valley and other speakers of the morning lectures.
(Only one workshop can be attended! All the groups start out from the temple entrance to the various scenes of the eco-valley.)

Available workshops:
1.    Eco-villages and the fauna of climate change – Partha dasa and Ákos Bede Fazekas
2.    Sustainable farming, ecological footprint – Radha Kanta dasa and Csaba Dániel Lánczi
3.    Social sustainability and education – Premamoya dasa and Réka Tóth
4.    Buttresses of sustainability – Radha Krishna dasa and Barna Giczi
5.    Biogardening – Sundara Gopala dasa (Head of the gardening department of Krishna-valley)
6.    Herbal medication, vegetarianism – Sundari dasi (Director of social welfare of Krishna-valley)
7.    Economic sustainibility – Radha Radya dasa (Chief accountant of Krishna-valley)

14.40 Radha Krishna dasa: Introduction of the last year achievements of the Eco-valley Program

14.55 Awarding the Eco-valley Prize

15.00 Judit Farkas (University of Pécs): Research experience in the Eco-valley Program

15.15 Ákos Malatinszky (SZIE-KTI): Students pro sustainability – The activities of the past 19 years of GATE Zöld Klub Egyesület (University of Gödöllő, Green Association) from Gödöllő

15.30 Mutual signing of cooperative documentation and speech of cooperative partners

16.30 Gaura Sakti dasa (President of Krishna-valley): The role of Eco-valley Program in developing sustainable national culture and customs

16.50 Closing words

Dr Miklós Persányi (director of Budapest Zoo, former Environmental Minister) gave a presentation called “Does climate indulge for future?”. He presented the situation of the approaching ecological, economical and social crisis and the importance of enviro-consciousness education for children.

The following guests gave a presentation as well: Ernő Csirke (director of five schools in Pécs), Partha das (Environmental Director of Krishna-valley) and Premamoja das (Education Director of Krishna-valley).

After the presentation the guests were given a tour on the farm. The organic garden, the Cow-protection Centre and the elementary school were introduced by Sundara-gopala das, Govinda-nandana das and Dvaipayana das.

Our guests expressed their aim to cooperate with us in many ways. Most of the participant would like to arrange school-excursions, but cooperation in organizing “Eco-logic” study circle and Eco-camps were suggested by several teachers as well.

To join our program more application form those schools who could not participate on this event are most welcomed.