No 4 “All the News That‘s Fit to Print“ Istanbul, Thursday , August 5, 2010 Free copy The plastic comes in many forms. There are water bottles everywhere. The cups are made of plastic, and so are the plates, knifes, and forks. These plastics are ready to be dis- carded as soon as they have served their purpose. You almost get the impression that this congress on it is own will be able to double the Great Pacic Garbage Patch (GPGP). Slightly smaller than the surface area of the United Stat es,the resides o n the sunny surface of the sea - an island of plastic that will remain there long after we live. The plastic usage is not the only area in which this congress dis- plays unsustainable activity. Those involved with the topic of Climate Change will know that the some of the biggest contributors to rising global temperatures are meat and factor y farmi ng. While to make this summit meat-free is (at least in the current situation) very difficult, holding a BBQ party for more than 1000 people is even more unsustai- nable. In BBQs peo ple tend to eat at least twice the amount of meat that they would consume normally . Not to mention the clouds of CO2 that are blown directly into our already polluted atmosphere . YOUTH CAN CONTROL THE SITUATION We should not forget one thing: this situation is a familiar one to a lot of delegates: The choice to live ecologically is not favored by the system we live in. We are provided with an unsustainable world (espe- cially in the western countries) and we are now provided with an unsustainable congress. The only solution seems to be what we are trying here anyway: Youth takes control of the situation! Let‘s ignore these plastic water- cups and reuse our bottles. There are sufcient avenues to rell them all over campus . Let‘s wash the pla- stic cutlery we get at breakfast and just reuse them the next day. In case we have to throw some- thing away , make sure it ends up in the recycling bins that are available. For those who are not vegetarian, eat some vegetarian food once in a while because it does have an impact. So let‘s turn what is a catastrophe for the environment into a shining example for youth all over the world in the battle against climate change. If we can do it here, the rest of the planet will just be another chal- lenge that we will welcome! DREAM OF GREEN AND CLEAN David Hiss from Netherland IT JUST DOES NOT FIT. DESPITE TRYING TO MAKE SUSTAINABILITY ATTRACTIVE, OUR REALITY SUGGESTS THAT WE ARE DOING OTHERWISE. DURING THE CONGRESS, 3000 PLASTIC CUPS ARE USED EVERY DAY AND THAT IS JUST AT THE CAFETERIA. THAT IS PRETTY SHOCKING NUMBER FOR A CONGRESS THAT IS SUPPOSED TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY.
