After the success of past years the Systaic AG company, the Environmental Label Jury and the Federal Environment Agency are again holding an exhibition of solar-powered everyday products whereby they hope to entice consumers to purchase innovative and environmentally friendly Christmas gifts.
At the opening of the ”Weihnachten wieder Sonne verschenken” [Giving the gift of sun for Christmas again] exhibition on 19 November 2009 at the Energiedesign-Center in Berlin, Prof. Dr. Edda Müller, Deputy Chair of the Environmental Label Jury, said, ”The Blue Angel has helped businesses and creative inventors for 30 years to provide consumers with a visible sign, which can ensure their success on the market. The goal is clearly defined, and achieving it requires the participation of many. It takes trade and commerce to choose to include such products in their product range, and it requires critical educated and confident consumers whose decisions are value-based. Solar energy and the many diverse ways it can be used in everyday products is an excellent forum of education, for younger people in particular. I therefore welcome and support the Systaic company’s commitment to combine in its exhibition both the sale of solar products as well as programmes aimed at schoolchildren, who can even earn a commendation and a ”solar expert” certificate.”
Jochen Flasbarth, President of the Federal Environment Agency, said, ”This exhibition demonstrates how we all can do something real to protect the climate with the simplest of means. The technologies already on hand are trend-setting, and along with renewable energies, we are on course for sustainable ecological development.”
Systaic AG’s chairman, Olaf Achilles, is also pleased. ”It is nice to have Systaic act as host of the exhibition again this year as we see it as a sign of the times. It is our philosophy that ecological solar technology should be an integral part of buildings and vehicles, and it is accurately reflected here in these small everyday products. I am also pleased that the pupils of the Free Evangelical Schools Berlin have cooperated with their teachers to show school projects that focus on the environment and energy.”
”Teaching environmental awareness- along with a willingness to act accordingly- is a core element of the Christian values embodied at our schools. Far in advance of this year’s climate negotiations in Copenhagen, we launched our energy improvement project according to the „think global act local” motto. The energy improvement of our school building has once again drawn the attention of parents, teachers and pupils to the topic. Many of our pupils are very enthusiastic, which is why we are planning an environment workshop after the Christmas holidays for classes 8 and 9, and will also seriously consider offering these classes a complementary lesson on environmental technologies, climate protection and renewable energies. Many other smaller-scale projects in school life are laying the groundwork for maintaining pupils’ awareness of the subject”, said Clemens Volber, Chairman and Managing Director of the Free Evangelical Schools Berlin e.V.
The exhibition at the Energiedesign-Center Berlin, Friedrichstraße 136, 10117 Berlin, is open 20 November 2009 til 17 January 2010, daily Monday-Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The exhibition will remain closed on: 25-27 December 2009, and 31 December 2009 til 1 January 2010.