Last weekend I was lucky to be an official visitor of the Swiss Pavillon in Italy.
The topic of the exhibition is „Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life“. This is why I was particularly interested on how the different countries implement the topic. For those who are not familiar with the concept of the expo; there are several countries which are hosting a Pavillon and trying to raise awareness as well as to reflect upon the topic in a country specific way.
About 1.3 billion tons of foods are wasted every year, and we really should go insight ourselves and think about it and then TAKE ACTION!
EVERYDAY!
EVERYWHERE!
EVERYONE!
So far so good, and the concept sounds really promising! What I was wondering though was, why there is a Mc Donald place located within the exhibition. Well yeah, of course I know why. But I was wondering if it is supporting the idea of the exhibition. Just a thought.
Further many countries mainly promoted their country and tried to get you to their souvenir shops.
I am happy that Switzerland (as one of the few countries) actually picked up the concept and raises public awareness of the main challenges relating to sustainable development and responsible consumption.
In keeping with the general aim of Expo 2015, Switzerland has built up 4 towers. The coffee, the salt, the apple and the water tower. They are all dealing with the issue of: What can be done to secure an adequate supply of safe and healthy food for the world’s population?
Switzerland’s intention is to invite visitors to reflect on their relationship with consumption through a visit to the pavilion towers. The social conscience of each visitor determines what’s left for those who come later. As a visitors you can take as much as you want, keeping in mind that nothing will be re-stocked for the entire life of the EXPO 2015. From the introduction tour, I learned that the walls of each tower are made from hundreds of cardboard boxes filled with produce and the floor is actually the base of a huge elevator, which lowers gradually as the boxes of produce empty.
you might ask what happens with the towers after the expo?
All four towers will be reused as urban greenhouses in several Swiss cities. According to the Swiss Pavillon homepage: „Seventy-five per cent of the materials used for the Swiss Pavilion and related infrastructures can be recycled after the event.“
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Talking about meat production. I was wondering why there is a Mc Donald on the exhibition area…I personally think that this does not emphasize the idea of the expo and is a huge No-Go.
There are so many great options like for example the „Green“ Vegan Burger („The Netherlands“) or a wonderful local corean rice dish at the Corean pavillon (Just for my friend Nadja from Switzerland, who is half corean – Hope you read this 🙂
At the end of my journey I could participate in a chocolate workshop, where I explored from where the raw cacao beans are coming and what the cacao fruit looks (and smells! yummiiiii no words…passing out!) like. If you already haven’t, plan your visit to the expo (even if it is just for visiting the Swiss Pavillon, since they did a really great job!
Last but not least never forget:
This is so cool! I wish I was there! I love these types of posts, they help raise awareness:)