Essay and Photos by Ino Manalo
When I learned through the internet that there would be an international Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) conference to be held in Bonn, Germany I decided to apply for the few scholarships being offered. Miraculously, I was one of those selected. I was given free board and lodging plus a round trip airline ticket!
After my initial euphoria, some anxieties began to arise. I would first be landing in Frankfurt with only a small window of time to find the airport train station and catch my rail connection. I would then be arriving in Bonn at about two in the morning at which point I would still have to take a subway and find my hotel.
How was I to manage all this in a strange new city?
I knew very little about Bonn. I vaguely recalled reading somewhere, how, in an effort to jazz up its image, this erstwhile German capital adapted a logo that featured its name with the letter “o” formed by a kiss. I am not sure whether this campaign worked. Did it generate a surge of lovesick tourists? I got the impression that only a metropolis which was so prim and dour would have resorted to such a public relations effort.
It turned out that I needn’t have worried. While I was trying to extract my prepaid train tickets from an automated consul in Frankfurt, a woman came up who offered to help. And when I was deciphering the instructions for the dispensing machine so I could get on the subway in a completely deserted Bonn station, a couple suddenly materialized, volunteering assistance.
Reaching my stop, I was met by the sight of a street that was eerily empty. Fortunately I found a store that was still open where I could ask for directions. Soon I was at my hotel where the manager had very graciously stayed up for me despite the lateness of the hour. Not long after, I was safe in bed. I was beginning to like this place.
Bonn was a delightful surprise. Knowing that, with the reunification of Germany, it would be losing to Berlin its status as capital, this modest sized city set about reinventing itself. It exerted a lot of effort to attract international agencies by offering buildings that had formerly been occupied by State offices. The move must have paid off. Today, there is no hint of having been deprived of past privileges. The town is comfortable and vibrant.
Among the city’s resources is its splendid setting beside a major waterway. What is significant here is that Bonn has embraced the Rhine. There are parks that run along the banks. There are docks so that people can go boating. Sleek vessels offer dinner cruises. How unlike Manila that has shunned its Pasig. What is it that has conditioned us to treat our rivers as dumpsites?
It was so easy to move around. Paths were well marked, orderly, and free of garbage. There was a city service that operated on tracks laid right in the middle of the roads. It was so convenient to ride unlike dark subways or sky trains that required one to negotiate endless steps. There was a lot of magnificent heritage architecture as well as broad swaths of green lawn which people clearly appreciated. I spied more than one carefree citizen who had removed his shoes, touching the grass with his feet.
Bonn boasts of a number of fine museums. Among those which I fully enjoyed were the science centers. The Deutsches Museum had displays of German inventions including computer components and the air bag. Meanwhile, the Natural History (also known as the Alexander Koenig) had huge stuffed animals arranged in life-like tableaux. I must confess that I have never been too fond of such recreations. They usually present historical events as stiff spectacles populated by macabre zombie-like figures. But admittedly, I did get a kick seeing these immense displays of mummified wildlife in Neo-Classical settings. How often does one glimpse an elephant beside a Corinthian column?
In honor of my late father who had been a violinist, I decided to check out the Beethoven House. Though the exhibits were quite ordinary, the real attraction was just to be in the same space that had once sheltered a great genius.
Even more entertaining was the district where the composer’s former residence is located. This is one of the hippest areas of Bonn. Many chic shops have creative sidewalk displays to lure costumers. I laughed at a table set with oversized cups and the statue of a cow with its head buried beneath the pavement. At the center of this bohemian neighborhood is the City Hall. Belying its officious functions, it was painted a lighthearted pink. Its rosy hue set the tone for the sunny square which it dominated.
By the time I entered the conference hall, I was relaxed and in high spirits. I was able to listen attentively as lecturers explained that ESD can have a liberating effect on students. For instead of the dumbing down that often occurs with more cliché educational approaches, ESD provides the novelty and the nuances that young people crave. After the plenary sessions and the discussion groups I made a beeline for the publications booths. Hundreds of teaching kits and books were being distributed for free. I picked up quite a cartload of materials knowing how useful these would be back home.
Perhaps the best part of the whole symposium was the field trips. I signed up to see an ESD teaching park out in the suburbs. It was a magical place. Our party of ten adults totally enjoyed playing with the interactive exhibits. The hands down favorite was a display that showed how much energy was saved by putting off an appliance. What was conserved could then be transferred to batteries which in turn could fuel a fascinating array of toys.
Returning to Bonn that evening, I fell to thinking that it is all very well to train students about sustainable development. Yet young people can only think about safeguarding resources for future generations if they feel secure about their own present. They need to be nurtured in an environment that respects their humanity,that allows them to understand themselves and their place in society while having fun in the process. This is where towns like Bonn have so much to teach us. It is a privilege to be in a place where the citizens are friendly and helpful because they know that they have little to complain about. It is a joy to be able to move around freely, see stimulating exhibits, sip coffee in front of a pink municipal hall, or bike beside a fresh stream. Yes, it is a pleasure to visit or even to grow up where everything works!
I understand that immeasurable differences in economic histories and population pressures are part of the reasons why Bonn can deliver such a high level of services to its people while many Philippine cities can not. Yet, we should still ask ourselves: would it have required a lot of money to watch over the Pasig so that it would not become the cesspool that it is today? Would it have required a lot of money to plan for and implement proper garbage disposal and recycling before the situation got out of hand?
Is it possible that what our leaders really need is more foresight, vigilance, and political will rather than funds?
Whatever it is, one can only say in the meantime: Good job Bonn!
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