How can climate protection become lifestyle? This was the topic of discussion for representatives of the media as well as the political, business and academic world who gathered at the first climate forum ClimeAid in Offenburg on Tuesday. “Climate change is an issue that is going to keep us busy like no other issue in the history of mankind,” the new public TV news anchor and presenter of the afternoon conference, Tom Buhrow, claimed when he introduced the speeches of managing directors, editors-in-chief and celebrity guests.

Following the first shock about the effects of global warming, everything was now about the future course of action. “We need drastic changes,” Buhrow continued, “but the conversion will only be successful if it becomes a mass movement.” So the main question was how environmental protection could become cool. “Live green and enjoy it,” is how Reinhold G. Hubert phrased the discussion’s motto and guideline.

In his speech, Tom Kessinger from the Aga Khan Foundation let the audience know how global warming mainly hurt poor people in fragile mountain regions. In order to keep the biological system in balance, Professor Hans-Peter Dürr, laureate of the Alternative Nobel Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize, called for an energy diet and introduced “energy slaves” as a new calculation unit.

Anton Reiser, Vice President of the BMW Group’s Clean Energy marketing team, presented the BMW Hydrogen 7, a hydrogen-powered car that has already been showcased at the Digital Life Design Conference and at Davos. Andreas Renner, Head of Regenerative Energies at EnbW, represented the energy utility companies and talked about ways to implement the EU’s climate protection targets.

That climate protection can already become a mission very early in life is shown by the initiative “Little kids on the road – Children collect green miles”. Together with project manager Stephanie Müller, the children introduced the pan-European initiative sponsored by the Climate Alliance: For one week, students do not take the school bus and collect the miles they save this way. The children also write messages on green cardboard feet which they hand over to politicians at climate discussions. The little climate activists’ request at the Media Park: “Just walk!”

Politicians and business people had to cooperate in order to facilitate the implementation of climate protection targets, Baden-Württemberg Environmental Minister Tanja Gönner, Greenpeace Managing Director Roland Hipp and Professor Carlo C. Jäger from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research agreed. In their speeches, they talked about the emission certificate trade and the subsequent opportunities for companies arising from this growth market.

“There is no long-term alternative to climate protection, even from an economic point of view,” according to Tanja Gönner. She stressed that the measures paid off: Environmental technologies were future technologies, and the export country Germany could be a pioneer. In the concluding panel, speakers called for the closer cooperation of politicians and business people as well as a stronger commitment of private households. A start: Turn off stand-by functions, buy energy-saving light bulbs. These are not new tips, but if they become a part of daily life, they are a first step towards a greener lifestyle.