Earthworks were temporarily discontinued at several worksites at Liszt Ferenc International Airport to allow sand martins to start their annual journey to Africa. The small migratory birds nested in the earth walls of a trench that had been dug out for a district heating pipe and a construction pit of a cable substitution job back in the spring. The young ones also have taken wing by now. The Budapest Airport team wished them a nice trip, fully appreciating their amazing flight performance: the fragile 13-gram birds cover 4000 kilometers to reach their sub-Saharan wintering grounds.

The sand martin is the smallest swallow species in Hungary. Unlike the rest of the swallow varieties, they do not build mud nests under eaves gutters or beams, but instead drill holes into river walls, loess walls, and sand-pits. Nestlings leave the nest after 22 days on average, but their parents continue to feed them for some time subsequently, persistently collecting flies, mosquitoes, and plant louses for them. For their annual migration they form bigger groups before flying out to Africa in the middle of September.

Experts did not know for a long time where exactly our sand martins spend the winter. Rung specimens have been difficult to capture, and songbirds are too small to carry satellite tracers. It became possible only a few years ago to map their route with the help of light level geo-locators. Recorded data of Hungarian sand martins equipped with tiny backpacks showed that marked specimens wintered to the south of the Sahara, in the region of Lake Chad.

Mapping of their route and wintering grounds is quite significant from a nature conservation angle because the swallow populations have been shrinking dramatically all over Europe, and a deeper understanding the reasons behind it may support their effective protection. Climate change, intensive agriculture using insecticides, and disappearing habitats are the main factors contributing to the radical reduction of the number of swallows.

In addition to sand martins, Liszt Ferenc International Airport is also home to house-martins. About forty nests can be found under the passenger boarding bridges that were refurbished and relocated last spring, and artificial nests were also installed onto the building next to the fire water reservoir of the airport, available for the birds next year.

From the perspective of aviation safety, the presence of birds is undesired at the airport, but swallows, fortunately, live in areas that are at a greater distance from runways, thus they do not represent a safety risk.

Sand martins moved into the trench next to the Cargo City construction site back in the spring, therefore earthworks in the affected area were rescheduled for completion at the end of the summer, by the time the birds successfully brought up their nestlings.

As the operator of Liszt Ferenc International Airport, Budapest Airport is making great efforts to protect the environment, including wildlife in its area, as several protected species of animals and plants can be found at Ferihegy, whose presence is monitored on an ongoing basis.

In 2019 the certified B Corporation Biofilter Co. is scoring in the top 10% of all B Corps across the Globe as became a ”Best For The World: Governance” honoree.

We vote everyday for the world we would like to live in with our purchase, the food we consume, the partners we cooperate with and with our loyalty to our workplace. As we make our decisions day by day we become tiny but determining part of a global system full of sensitive connections in which we as consumers in the full awareness of our personal responsibility can use our resources.

Be the change!

With this idea in mind the B Corp certification inspires 3,000 Certified B Corps in over 150 industries and 64 countries to be more mindful of their employees, partners, suppliers, the community and the environment in which they operates.

The Interdependence of the B Corps says:

„As B Corporations and leaders of this emerging economy, we believe:

• That we must be the change we seek in the world.
• That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
• That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
• To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wFokAxFTKs

How can your company become one of the best companies in the world?

The free available B Impact Assessment is the key tool of the successful application in which B Corp measures applicant companies primarily in the areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The requirements of the 200-scores certification criteria offer an excellent self development path both for the companies with and without B Corp certification as we have always the opportunity to take one more step in aim of doing something great for our society, micro and macro environment. The B Impact Assessment is available below: https://bimpactassessment.net/?_ga=2.236857281.1744616629.1568808566-2024448056.1548236028

Biofilter, the ”Best For The World” Honoree

In 2019 September B Lab recognized honorees „for having the highest environmental, community, customer, worker and overall impact by earning a score in the top 10% on the B Impact Assessment, as well as a list recognizing B Corps with the greatest impact improvement (the changemakers).”

“These inspiring companies represent the kinds of business models and impact-driven business strategies that are building a new economy – one that is inclusive, regenerative, and delivers value to all stakeholders, not just shareholders.” – said Anthea Kelsick, Chief Marketing Officer of B Lab.

The Biofilter Co., honored in Governance won the appreciation with the following ongoing actions:

• it operates and contribute to the realization of the circular economy;
• it treats its social/environmental impact as a primary measure of success for its business and the employees receive orientation, training about the company’s social and environmental mission and goals;
• it measures social and environmental outcomes over time which it includes in a sustainability report to inform partners and the society;
• through its inner process control, measures and Ethical Codex it guarantees the proper and transparent operation of the organization.

The list of such brilliant honored companies like the American TOMS or Patagonia is available at https://bcorporation.net/2019-best-for-the-world where at the same time there are much more exciting informations to discover.

We congratulate to every BFTW 2019 honorees and we wish more and more great companies to be charmed by the B Corp experience!

Moving into the 21st year of their partnership, Siemens and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) are expanding their cooperation: several partner companies of Siemens Group are joining the framework contract extended for another five years. At the signature ceremony of the agreement the leaders of these companies also shared their plans and objectives regarding the partnership.

The partnership between the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and Siemens started 20 years ago, in 1999 with the aim of providing the opportunity for professional development to the next generations, supporting the training of future engineers. The two organisations renew their cooperation every five years so with this present, i.e. fifth contract they have 20-year experience regarding their partnership.

This occasion is special as several partner companies of the Siemens Group have joined the cooperation this year, emphasizing that it is of utmost importance for the company to contribute to the further improvement of engineer training. Siemens Mobility Kft. engaged in traffic systems, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Kft. dealing with renewable energy and evosoft Hungary Kft. operating as a software developer are all committed to the professional support of engineering students.

The framework agreement concluded for the period of 2019-2023 was signed today at the signature ceremony by Dr. János Józsa Rector and Attila Kotán Chancellor on behalf of BME; Dale A. Martin, CEO of Siemens Zrt.; Dr. László Ludvig, Managing Director of Siemens Mobility Kft.; István Petényi, Managing Director of evosoft Hungary Kft.; and Péter Albrecht, Managing Director of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Kft.

“I am happy and proud that BME and our group make the mutual decision year by year to continue this exemplary cooperation, benefitting not only the organisations concerned but also the students and the whole country. We are placing great importance on the infrastructural support of university and student projects also this year, helping students to obtain internship positions and employment in order to enable them to develop their talent, and we are still supporting innovative student ideas and programmes,” said Dale A. Martin, the CEO of Siemens Zrt.

“Without strong, reciprocal industrial cooperation, the University of Technology would not experience this expected, satisfying, steady progress. In all this, Siemens has been our key partner for two decades now. Our joint results speak for themselves but we need to relentlessly establish the grounds for future success today as it is not born of its own accord. The ongoing maintenance and expansion of relations for the development of new technologies and methods guarantee the success of our joint innovation activity,” said Dr. János Józsa, Rector of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

“Siemens Mobility Kft. was the first to support the programme of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology providing a dual degree. Our company awards scholarships to six talented computer engineer and electrical engineer students winning Mobility’s competition for one or two semesters. We know that tomorrow’s professionals are sitting at the school desks; it is worth finding and supporting them even during their training. We are proud that we can make it possible for these young people to gain experience in the latest technologies even during their university years thanks to our scholarship; we count on them during and after their studies to participate in the research of innovative solutions,” highlighted Dr. László Ludvig, Managing Director of Siemens Mobility Kft.

“As a knowledge-based company, we consider it an essential part of our mission to pass down the expertise of our engineers and computer scientists to the future engineers. We believe that it is a mutually beneficial cooperation to support the students’ practical education and provide them with state-of-the-art technologies to help them gain knowledge. They may drive our company in the future and they hold the promise of our future,” pointed out István Petényi, Managing Director of evosoft Hungary Kft.

“Our key strategy is to bring activities with increasing added value from the international arena to Hungary. To ensure its best implementation, we must keep an eye on the future generation of engineers and make every effort to guarantee they have the knowledge that later on may be important to, apart from the Hungarian society, our company. We also strongly support the cooperation and are happy to be part of this initiative,” said Péter Albrecht, Managing Director of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Kft.

The two parties took their partnership to a higher level in 2016: Siemens was the first in Hungary to start a dual technical master’s degree programme in cooperation with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. The theory is taught to the participating students at the university, while they become acquainted with the practical expectations of the labour market at Siemens. Siemens will continue to concentrate on supporting the professional talents of the next generation of employees in the most possible areas.

In the presence of János Áder, President of the Republic, and László Palkovics, Minister of Innovation and Technology, the first research and development program of ALTEO, worth EUR 3,2 million, was completed. The Hungarian listed company was one of the first companies in Central-Eastern Europe and Hungary to build an industrial-scale battery storage facility. The innovation was supported by  the National Research, Development and Innovation Office with nearly EUR1,5 million.

The implementation lasted from July 2017 to June 2019, and since August last year the test run and minor improvements have been implemented. The facility has been successfully connected to the domestic electricity network by ALTEO, which can greatly contribute to the utilization of weather-dependent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.