The Four Week Experiment

In June-July 2011, five MEG 6 students participated in a self-organised sustainable living experiment in Freiburg.  The aim was to live for a month with the smallest ecological footprint possible.  The students set up a set of rules and followed them through for a month. By eating only locally produced food, becoming vegetarian and denying themselves hot water whilst showering, they tried to limit their resource and energy use. The initiative went so far that they even build a solar-powered oven (pictured below) to use at barbeques instead of a traditional coal-fired grill.  The students’ purpose was to assess just how much of a challenge it is to transition to a more ecologically sustainable way of living in Freiburg.  Parts of the experiment were recorded to create a documentary film, which will be screened at the 2012 Freiburg Forum on Environmental Governance.  To read more about the students’ experiences on their blog-site:


http://4weekexperiment.blogspot.com/