Wheels of fortune with quiz characters, memories, films, interactive question and answer games all served to call to mind these goals. Many visitors came to the Marktplatz especially. Karen Beuke is very interested in sustainability for professional reasons. At the NRW State Network stand “Education for sustainable development”, the waste advisor from the Euskirchen district and her husband paused curiously. Beuke found a microscope and took a look at the Petri dish underneath containing sand from the Rhine. She was astonished to discover that minute plastic particles, which are not visible to the naked eye, could be seen between the fine grains.

On a pinboard at the City of Bonn stand, visitors wrote down what they want in terms of sustainable goals in their city. “Using empty buildings” was on one note, “for every tree cut down, planting a new one,” on another, or “finally decent cycle paths.”

A lot of interest was also shown in the UN Refugee Aid’s refugee tent, set up at the edge of the square. The entry flap was rolled up and in the middle a mosquito net hung from the ceiling and warm blankets, cooking utensils and pots were round the edge. There were photos of refugee camps at the entrance to the tent. The two staff members, Bettina Kroll and Damaris Odenbach, talked to curious passersby and answered questions.

“Everyone is coming, children, young people but also older people, who tell us how they were once displaced,” says Odenbach. It is important to remember at an event like this, how many people are displaced and how you can support UN Refugee Aid with a small donation. This is how the “Refugee Housing” project is being financed, which offers people a solid roof over their heads and a little more privacy than a tent.

(Original text: Susanne Wächter / Translation: kc)