Press Releases

Budapest, June 3, 2009 14:00

The world will focus on the state of the Earth on the World Environment Day (WED) on June 5. In Hungary, in the framework of the Earth Date events in Budapest's Millennáris Park Magyar Telekom and its offered brandsT-Mobile and T-Home will sponsor the showing at 8.00 p.m. on June 5 of the film entitled "Home" which was born out of the unique cooperation of Luc Besson and Yann-Arthus Betrand to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable development and the protection of the environment.

The film, whose showing is sponsored jointly by Magyar Telekom, Kultúrpart and Forum Home Entertainment takes us on an original journey around the planet, and gives us an insight into its everyday life through breathtaking photography from the sky. The unique creation emphasizes the importance of preserving our treasures, of sustainable development by projecting the future of the planet. The film will be presented in free showings in several cities around the world, thus connecting distant points of the Earth.

Before the film an interview will be shown with Luc Besson in which the producer shares with the viewers the background of making the film and stresses his personal commitment to the protection of the Earth. The organizers of the Earth Date are planning more programs for the event: from 7.00 p.m. prominent actors will read the climate poetry of Endre Kukorelly, Dániel Varró and Krisztina Tóth to guitar music accompaniment, and György Ferenczi, who earned the world's best harmonica player's award in 1993, will also appear. The moderator will be Péter Novák.

A remarkable, 3-meter-diameter, earth ball will also be launched at the Sustainability Day event, and it will reappear again and again at upcoming summer festivals. Visitors are requested to bring with them a potted flower which, in a collective gesture following the showing of the film, they will give to someone they like best or someone they hope will remember this evening and foster their relationship with the planet like the flower. Those who bring a flower with them may play free of charge in the Green Point exhibition in the Millennáris Park.

Magyar Telekom has, for years, been making serious efforts for the protection of the climate and, given its size and importance, and its leading position in the infocommunications market, it also urges others to follow suit. It has launched this program in the same spirit.

Climate protection is a key element of the sustainability strategy of Magyar Telekom, so this is not an issue on which the company only focuses for this special day. Two years ago Magyar Telekom launched a climate protection program with the involvement of its employees, to raise awareness of the problem and engage the stakeholders in a dialogue. The company has also implemented projects which help protect the climate: these include the use of free-air cooling technology in the base stations, hidrogen-powered energy cells (PEM), heat pumps and hybrid cars. Since 2005 Magyar Telekom has been managing the joint ETNO-WWF initiative called Climate Protection at the Speed of Light. This project studies at European level how infocommunications could contribute to the protection of climate, and it has recently received the support of the European community as well. The most important Hungarian initiatives in this line include the Switch Back! climate protection program launched in 2008, one of the authors of which is Magyar Telekom. In March this year the company joined the Earth Hour initiative for the second time, putting out the lights in its buildings and shops and doing voluntary work in the protection of the climate in several cities of the country.