A Banner for Copenhagen
Recently I received an exceptional request from the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a branch of the United Nations. The UN has launched a campaign to encourage everyone to sign a climate change petition for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. For this “Seal the Deal” Campaign, UPU needed a banner made of organically grown cotton, 25 feet long. To ensure the quality they wanted, they requested hessnatur fabric. At hessnatur we were delighted. We asked our supplier in Belgium to send eco-cotton to UPU. Then UPU had a banner designed with the urgent appeal, “Please save our planet!“
At the end of September UPU exhibited the banner at the PostExpo 2009 in Hannover, Germany. The first person to sign the banner was Dr. Franz Appel, CEO of German Post. Then every visitor to the fair was asked to commit themselves to climate protection by stamping and signing the banner.
Now the banner is on its way to Copenhagen where world leaders will meet in December to achieve an international, comprehensive and ambitious climate change agreement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009. We wish them all success with this critical mandate for change. You, too, can help “Seal the Deal” by signing the petition.
Tags: eco-consciousness, Environment, natural fibers, Social responsibility, sustainability
Written by Stefanie Karl.
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November 26th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
The ultimate in stupidity — at best. Look at that banner: it is an AIRMAIL envelope. We all (should, by now!) know that every way of transport has a CO2 footprint, air transport has the worst. Unnecessarily air-lifting even “class B / economique” letters is a common malpractice around the world already. On top of that, that banner had been transported halfway around the world (twice, it seems) before arriving back in Copenhagen.
This is not “for” but AGAISNT ‘Copenhagen’.
Unless people finally get that, there is no chance whatsoever of arriving at the change in behavior that is desperately needed if we want to avert chaotic and uncontrollable climate change. I am disappointed to see a so-called eco company blindly falling for such a hoax.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:28 am
I am surprised to see that even a moderately critical posting on unnecessary air transport like the one on a banner travelling back and forth (by air, I suppose) and representing an *air mail* envelope at that gets censored right away.
Perhaps it’s true, then, that the only hope are some radicals like the ones of Plane Stupid? This is what you get when you shut out more reasonable criticism.
‘No comments’ — not.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:27 am
Hi Mark,
Sorry for having not respond to your comment yet. I was out of office and we do not post comments automatically because of so much spam that we receive each day. I promise to send a you feedback within the next days.
Best,
Darius
December 4th, 2009 at 9:26 am
What has intrigued me in the environmental “debate” is people carving out one niche that evokes
their passions and neglecting other areas that are just as critical. For example, I’ve met people in the local food movement who don’t even consider the harm to the environment in wearing conventionally grown fibers. While flying the banner — literally — is a no vote for transport integrity, surely the message it carries is an important one to communicate to the world’s decision makers.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:28 am
Thanks, Mark, for sharing your point of view. It is very important that people are engaged in championing the environment. Concerning our participation: we believe that putting pressure on the leaders attending the summit in Copenhagen outweighs the method of transport. We prefer not to have to make such choices, which is why we maintain a pure and transparent textile chain. We understand that you disagree with our decision.
But we sincerely appreciate your heartfelt comments.
We print all the comments we receive — even those that are critical. By the way, the fabrics we produce in Peru are shipped to us — never flown! We do everything we can at hessnatur to reduce our carbon footprint.