The Network becomes active

Sofia Karlberg: On the one hand, we contribute on a local level, and on the other hand, we do our best to reduce the environmental footprint of the embassies. We are involved in joint activities, such as active cooperation with the NGO Trash Hero, where 60 diplomats collected waste on UN World Environment Day, or by organising activities for World Bicycle Day.

The German Embassy has replaced all it’s all its lights with LED bulbs, which has reduced electricity consumption by 25%. That’s a lot! Some embassies have installed light sensors, improved their recycling, got rid of plastic bottles and now drink tap water and use a SodaStream for sparkling water. Many embassies have bought bicycles and e-bikes because it’s the easiest and fastest way to get around in the city of Bern.

The green transition and the fight against climate change are important issues for us. We replaced our old fossil-fuelled embassy car with an all-electric one, the first of all Swedish embassies to do so.

The network is open to all embassies, whether they have already implemented measures or are just starting out. What is important is a commitment to reducing our environmental footprint. The network aims to bring together embassies that are ready to put their money where their mouth is.

Introduce green habits in your embassy. One of the things we like to emphasise is that going green also saves money! Using less paper when printing or reducing your electricity and water consumption will have a positive impact on your overall expenses.

A highlight this year will be World Bicycle Day on 3 June. And, as with every other event, we will be using our internal checklist for sustainable events, developed in cooperation with the city of Bern.

Carlos Alonso Villalobos: We were surprised by the recycling culture in Switzerland and the way the authorities ensure the flow of information. And of course, we were delighted to hear about the Greening Embassies Network, whose members share our values when it comes to sustainability.

Our first action was to get our four embassy staff members to commit to using Bern’s public transport system, which provides an excellent service and produces very low carbon emissions. We travel by bus, tram or on foot to all events and diplomatic activities in Bern.

We have already implemented the following measures:

• We switched to dual-flush toilets to reduce the water consumption,

• we only use cloth instead of paper towels in our bathrooms,

• and we use environmentally friendly toilet paper.

Many of our actions are based on the Ecological Blue Flag Program, which is one of the most important environmental programmes in the Republic of Costa Rica. In line with this, we have recently provided the Costa Rican community in Switzerland with tips and recommendations on how to reduce their impact on the environment.

People sometimes think that there is nothing left to improve, but there is still a lot that can be done. That’s why it’s important to highlight even small things. We have received a lot of positive feedback from our community, and we will make sure that this information continues to grow.

We want to achieve what 12 Costa Rican embassies around the world already have: the Ecological Blue Flag. However, our efforts will not stop when we receive this flag. On the contrary, once you have the flag, you have to demonstrate your ongoing efforts to keep it. And like Sweden, all Costa Rican embassies also share their best practices with each other.