Coverillustration
  • Planetopia – Space for World Change
  • Learning
  • About the exhibition 
  • No new materials
  • Experiences
  • Tips
  • On the question of ecology
  • Platform
  • Imprint
  • Agency for World Change Agreements

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Planetopia
Space for World Change

The ecological crisis is affecting us all. Environmental issues must be addressed now – which is why the Museum of Communication launched the Planetopia Project in the spring of 2020 – to create space for world change.  

The project’s aim is to bring together initiatives, ideas and people. The museum serves as a platform for numerous activities taking place before and during the temporary exhibition. At the same time, the museum initiates important internal processes. Its focus is on dialogue. 

The main message: every step counts. What is important is turning words into actions. The time to act is now.

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What does Planetopia mean for you?

Employees talk about the project
video, 13 November 2022, duration: 4 min. (German and French only)

 

We are many

blog post, 18 April 2023 (German only)

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Presentation for the Green Museums Summit

video, 27 March 2023, duration: 21 min.

 

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Learning

Finding solutions together, daring to experiment, and staying focused on the topic: sustainable action is an ongoing process of learning and negotiating.

In order to take action, we must acknowledge that certain problems do not have clear and easy solutions. The search for ecological perfection in our actions will sometimes cause us to stumble. To get things moving, you need to find a place to start.

If we want dialogue, we have to create the space for it to happen: with scope, time, and people who will listen.

Authenticity is the key to serious and effective discussion. That includes recognising your own shortcomings and inconsistencies.

Do not be afraid of starting small. Change always starts with a first step.

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And what did Planetopia accomplish?

blog post, 10 July 2023 (German only)

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About the exhibition

The exhibition “Planetopia – Space for World Change” was open to the public from 12 November 2022 until 23 July 2023. It attracted about 47,000 visitors who spent an average of one hour there. 

Alongside informative content in subject areas, it also offered numerous activities and interactive experiences. Our Communicators introduced various challenges: How much data could you delete from your cell phone right now? Are you comfortable with eating insects? What rules have you made for yourself regarding the environment?

 

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Digital 3D exhibition tour.

 

Planetopia exhibition report

video, 25 November 2022, duration: 4 min.

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A mural by Onur Dinc, August 2022

The contribution by Swiss artist Onur Dinc to our temporary exhibition is as poetic as it is stimulating. His assessment of the ecological situation can be read as grim, or as hopeful. We remain hopeful because it is in our hands!

 

What you think is important!

blog post, 13 March 2023 (German only)

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No new materials

How do you make an exhibition ecologically sustainable? Our goal is to use as little newly made material as possible, which is why we have teamed up with Offcut, a Swiss organisation that collects and sells used and surplus materials.

Cardboard packaging for Vespas, partition walls from trade shows and second-hand furniture: 90% of our materials and equipment are reused! We use green labels to make their origins transparent. And when we are finished with them, they are returned to the cycle for further reuse.

A surprising find: acquiring used materials does not cost any less. Instead of going towards the material, the money is spent on finding it, storage, and delivery.

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How do you make an exhibition ecologically sustainable?

blog post, 15 November 2023 (German only)

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Experiences

The Planetopia Project is in many ways a new direction for the museum. We are confronting and taking a stand on one of the most urgent topics of today. We are calling for action and are not limiting ourselves to pure knowledge transfer. We are thinking about: how a museum can get involved in socio-political topics.

We create workshops on fashion and circular economy, take part in meetings and discussions, and encourage an exchange of experiences with one another. Not just for our visitors, but for us as well. And that benefits us!

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Planetopia – Space for Experiences

blog post, 12 June 2023 (German only)

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Tips

The exhibition has four main areas dedicated to ordinary topics which have a major impact on the environment: clothing, housing, mobility and food. These are accompanied by the overarching themes of biodiversity and climate change.

Visitors move beneath clouds of white T-shirts, pass through the 46 square metres of average living space per person in Switzerland, pedal on an exercise bike to power a television with a game console, and stroll down aisles stocked with foods such as fish fingers, apples and vegan mince.

Along the way, they are given in-depth information and specific tips. They can also offer suggestions and share their own knowledge with other visitors or with the Communicators, who then pass this knowledge on to others.

Clothes

Read the labels when you shop for clothes and where possible opt for natural fibres. That way, no microplastics are shed when you wash them.

Clothes

Do not buy new clothes all the time but rather limit your purchases to between 10 and 20 good-quality items. Make sure you can mix and match them easily. 

Clothes

Mend your clothes! Or try to find out, when you buy them, where you can bring your clothes to have them repaired.

Clothes

Wear your trainers as long as possible. If you no longer want them, pass them on, until they are worn through. Then you can throw them away.

Living

Find out how you can replace your heating system. Write to your landlord and try to convince them to make the change. Or benefit from a support scheme yourself.

Living

Architects, bricklayers, site supervisors: the Swiss construction industry employs several hundred thousand men and women. Are you one of them? Talk to your team about sustainable construction and about how you can make changes.

Living

Clear out your emails! Delete anything you no longer need and unsubscribe from all unnecessary newsletters. This will reduce your energy consumption without you even realising it.

Living

Buy second-hand furniture. Sand it, paint it, decorate it – and, voilà, you have the ideal piece to match your house or flat!

Mobility

Plan ahead and try to do your shopping once a week instead of every day. This will help save many car miles.

Mobility

As an experiment do not use your car for a month. This will help you to determine when you really need it and what other options there are.

Mobility

Long-distance coaches can also be a good option. In many cases they have a similar carbon footprint per individual to train travel. Moreover, coaches cover certain destinations that are not served by trains.

Mobility

Bring less luggage on your holiday. That means less weight has to be transported and you can be more relaxed when travelling. Cots or sports equipment can be hired at your destination.

Food

Do not rely solely on the best-before date but trust your senses: if a yoghurt looks and smells good, it is usually still good to eat. 

Food

Buy fruit and vegetables at the farmers’ market. Talk to the traders about their products. Where do they come from, how are they produced and are they from certified organic production?

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Tips from the exhibition for downloading

Download to PDF

 

Educational materials (German only)

Download to PDF

 

The trouble with cars

blog post, 14 December 2022 (German only)

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The world’s largest residential community

blog post, 18 January 2023 (German only)

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Would you like some more cream in your fajitas?

blog post, 13 February 2023 (German only)

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Don’t buy new clothes – rent them

blog post, 23 May 2023 (German only)

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On the question of ecology

Another important question: As a museum, how can we be more ecology-minded? The discussion group “Planet MfK” was created to bring all employees on board: the team convenes for a 45-minute session four times a year. Many ideas have emerged from these meetings, including signs with a reminder to switch off lights, hedgerows for small animals, moving the graphic collection to the more suitable basement level, and the vision of rooftop solar panels. They have led one employee to switch to cold-water showers. 

“Planet MfK” sessions will continue to be held in the future to discuss internal matters: follow-up is also important, after all. Our museum has a long way to go before becoming fully ecological. And we must accept that we may never be completely CO2-neutral. 

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Ecological museum of communication – it’s a long way...

blog post, 14 January 2022 (German only)

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Marketing seeks ecology

blog post, 18 July 2022 (German only)

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Green is more than just a colour

blog post, 10 May 2023 (German only)

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Air and water instead of heating oil – using heating substitutes for museum storage rooms

blog post, 15 May 2023 (German only)

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Platform

We launched a dialogue programme to implement the vision of the museum as a platform. This includes the use of pop-ups at the Langnau market, at Adrianos Coffee & Playground at Bern railway station, and at the Badi Reiden. We have staff on site to speak with people there – and above all to listen. On two weekends during the summer of 2021, we also set up stations on the Furka Pass to engage in dialogue with people there about glacial melt.

The exhibition includes two large workshop zones with boards and walls to write on, cushions, tables, and chairs. The museum provides these spaces for its own and external events. This also enables us to offer physical space for world change.

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Dialog Wohnwagen
Spiel mit der Welt
Popup Furkapass
Stand
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Pop-up at the Furka Pass

video, 28 August 2021, duration: 3 min. (German only)

 

Who was at Planetopia?

PDF to download (German only)

 

Ten commandments for a sustainable future

blog post, 11 August 2021 (German only)

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A dying whale at the Furka Pass

blog post, 4 October 2021 (German only)

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Planetopia pop-up: discussion, soup and warped preconceptions in Langnau

blog post, 23 August 2022 (German only)

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This summer was too hot for me too. Planetopia at the Badi pool

blog post, 28 September 2022 (German only)

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Imprint

Planetopia was made possible through team spirit, close cooperation and the energetic support of many people. Thank you to all those who have participated! 

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Agency for World Change Agreements

From the start, our aim has been to encourage people to act. During preparation in the summer of 2020, an idea emerged from a play on words: “Weltwandelsabkommen” (“world change agreement”), that could be incorporated into the exhibition.

A counter was soon built from waste materials, and stamped certificates were created from cardboard packaging. We set up the agency first in front of the museum, then at other sites. A digital track was later created for the exhibition: on four screens, we ask visitors about everyday behaviours, and at the end we propose that they sign a world change agreement. By the end of the exhibition, we had collected 500 handwritten signatures and 10,000 digital signatures.

Weltwandelsabkommen
Weltwandelsabkommen
Sommerfest
Pflanzenparade
Weltwandelsabkommen

 

"Over the next six months I will preferably buy clothes from eco-friendly production."

"Over the next six months I will have three of my clothes items mended instead of replacing them." 

"For the next three months I will not buy any cheap items 'made in Asia'."

"From Monday I will have one streaming-free day every week."

"I will refrain from using my car on two days every week."

"I will not be travelling abroad on my next holiday."

"I will try three new vegetarian dishes next month."

"From Monday, I will have one meat-free day every week." 

 

Do you want to sign a World Change Agreement?






 

Do you want to open an Agency for World Change Agreements?

To the Instructions (PDF)

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Where our visitors want to take action

blog post, 4 July 2023 (German only)

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