Climate change and increasingly frequent periods of drought are putting growing pressure on urban green spaces, while trees play a vital role in creating cooler, more liveable urban environments. The FŐKERT and BeEco Volunteer Watering Programme provides a community-based response to this challenge, with E.ON Hungária Group joining the initiative this year as its title sponsor and supporting it with its own awareness-raising campaign. Running from 1 July to 30 August, the initiative engaged local residents in caring for young urban trees: using the BeEco app, anyone could locate trees in need of watering and nearby water access points. Last year, the programme mobilised 1,500 volunteers, who watered 10,000 trees with more than 500,000 litres of water; this year, the initiative expanded beyond Budapest to include Pécs and Veszprém.

In addition, E.ON Hungária Group carries out tree-planting initiatives at its own sites and places particular emphasis on protecting trees, creating green corridors and choosing solutions that minimise disturbance to forested areas when developing its electricity networks. For example, the new transmission line currently under construction between Zirc and Litér is being built along the route of the existing 400 kV network rather than creating an entirely new corridor. Where tree removal cannot be avoided as part of network development, E.ON compensates through replacement afforestation: following network construction works in the Bakony region, for example, the company is planting a new contiguous forest near Lake Balaton.

The Hintalovon Foundation and SPAR Magyarország have launched a unique awareness-raising partnership aimed at providing practical support to parents through everyday shopping situations. The “Everyday situations, real answers” campaign is designed to help families turn the often-challenging moments experienced in shops into learning opportunities rather than sources of tension.

Shopping with children is rarely just about shopping. Queueing, decision-making situations or unexpected conflicts can all test parents’ patience. The year-long campaign offers clear, practical and immediately applicable guidance for these real-life situations. As part of the collaboration, experts from the Hintalovon Foundation will create educational content every month for SPAR Magyarország’s social media platforms. The topics specifically focus on situations that arise in stores: what parents can say instead of simply prohibiting something, how conflicts can be prevented, how children can be involved in shopping, or what parents can do when faced with a difficult situation at the checkout with a tired and frustrated child.

One of the campaign’s greatest strengths is that it addresses familiar, everyday situations experienced by families and offers professionally grounded yet easy-to-understand solutions. The aim is not merely to “manage” these situations, but to help parents and children learn from them together, encouraging a more conscious, child-centred approach in the long term.

“Our foundation’s mission is to make children’s wellbeing part of everyday life, and this partnership is exactly about achieving that. Shopping is a regularly recurring situation in which the relationship between parents and children can truly develop – it can become a source of tension, but it can also become a shared learning experience. We are delighted that SPAR Magyarország is a partner in this change of perspective and that we can share the Hintalovon Foundation’s professional expertise with families through such a widely accessible platform,” said Kinga Rohrböck, managing director of the Hintalovon Foundation.

“For our company, it is particularly important not only to support families through our products, but also through initiatives connected to everyday life situations. This collaboration demonstrates that a supermarket can also function as a learning environment, where experiences gained during shopping can contribute to children’s development and parents’ confidence,” said Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR.

Through this initiative, SPAR Magyarország goes beyond the traditional role of a retailer by actively contributing to making everyday shopping not merely a routine task, but a shared

experience through which families can develop and discover new ways of dealing with challenges. The collaboration also demonstrates that partnerships between the civil and business sectors can create genuine social impact. Over the coming months, the social media channels of SPAR Magyarország will feature numerous practical tips and inspiring pieces of content to help families handle shopping-related situations in a more conscious, calm and cooperative way.

About the Hintalovon Foundation

The Hintalovon Children’s Rights Foundation is dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of children living in Hungary.

Since 2016, the Foundation has been working to ensure that every child is well and feels safe. Its goal is to encourage greater attention to children in all areas of life and to help adults and institutions respond appropriately to children’s needs.

Its key activities include protecting children from abuse and violence, strengthening children’s online safety, and increasing awareness of children’s rights. Through the NEMECSEK Programme, the Foundation creates safer communities and supports the operation of the child protection alert system. The Hintalovon Academy strengthens responsible adults through training programmes and provides practical tools and examples. During its Children’s Rights Advice Days, the Foundation offers guidance to parents and professionals seeking support. Its professional materials make children’s rights more widely known and easier to understand. Each year, its Children’s Rights Report summarises the most important events, legislative changes and children’s rights issues that have shaped public discourse during the year. Through its Child Participation Programme, the Foundation incorporates the opinions and experiences of its child volunteers – known as Junior Colleagues – into as many aspects of its work as possible.

The Foundation is a member of major European child protection organisations and civil cooperation networks, and since 2020 it has represented ECPAT in Hungary – the world’s largest organisation dedicated to combating sexual exploitation of children.

The team consists of a diverse group of highly qualified professionals, as well as Junior Colleagues aged 13-17 and 70 volunteers.

For the first time, MBH Bank presented its “Journey to a Sustainable Future” Award (Fenntartható Jövő Útja), recognizing corporate and agri-food sector clients that have implemented exemplary sustainability initiatives. This year’s award winners included companies that have achieved outstanding results in sustainable hospitality, social responsibility, ESG-based corporate governance, and the circular economy.

The awarded projects clearly demonstrate that sustainability has become a key driver of competitive business operations, innovation, and long-term value creation. MBH Bank views the transition to a sustainable economy as a shared responsibility and, as a financial partner, aims to play an active role alongside its clients in promoting future-proof and responsible business solutions.

Physical activity is becoming an increasingly important part of everyday life for many Hungarians, but a healthy lifestyle does not end with exercise. According to a recent survey, people who exercise regularly are not only more active but also tend to make more conscious dietary choices, while most Hungarians still struggle with snacking and irregular eating habits.

According to a representative survey[1] conducted jointly by Nestlé and SPAR, 75% of Hungarians aged 18-65 take part in some form of sport or exercise. Many are highly active: 38% of respondents exercise at least three times a week, while a further 23% work out once or twice weekly. The findings also reveal significant differences in motivation by age and gender. For the youngest age group, improving performance, pushing personal limits and making time for themselves are the main drivers. People in their thirties are primarily motivated by the mental wellbeing benefits of exercise, while for those aged over 50, maintaining good health is by far the strongest incentive. Overall, women are most commonly motivated by weight management and body shaping, whereas men are more likely to be driven by personal improvement, achieving results and enhancing performance.

Running’s popularity lies in its simplicity

It is no surprise that running ranks among the most popular forms of exercise, alongside walking, cycling and home workouts. Its appeal is largely down to its flexibility: 65% of respondents said one of its greatest advantages is that it can be done almost anywhere, while 62% highlighted how easy it is to fit into their daily routine. For many, running provides not only physical exercise but also an important source of mental wellbeing.

Running and jogging are particularly popular among 18–39-year-olds, although their appeal declines significantly after the age of 50. Among those who exercise at least three times a week, running is especially common. Nearly one-third of regular exercisers run, and the same proportion have taken part in at least one organised running event. This is particularly significant, as international research[2] has shown that people who have a race or event to train for are generally more committed and better able to stick to both their training plans and broader lifestyle goals.

Good health depends on more than just exercise

The survey found that only 5% of Hungarians follow what could be described as a genuinely health-conscious diet. Meanwhile, 10% do not eat any vegetables on a typical day, and 14% consume no fruit at all. Most respondents, however, eat vegetables or fruit once or twice a day. More conscious consumption of fruit and vegetables is most strongly associated with running, gym-based workouts, and activities such as yoga and Pilates.

Sport can be the first step towards more mindful and balanced nutrition. People who exercise regularly are more likely to believe that regular physical activity and mindful nutrition go hand in hand. Interestingly, Generation Z is less likely to see this as self-evident. The biggest pitfalls in Hungarians’ eating habits continue to be snacking, sugary and fatty foods, and irregular eating patterns.

But how much do we actually know about health-conscious nutrition that supports physical activity? According to the survey findings, not that much: although half of the respondents consider themselves well informed on the subject, 37 percent feel particularly uncertain, and even among those who exercise regularly, one in three feels there is still more to learn.

“Regular physical activity is inconceivable without a balanced diet: adequate nutrient intake plays an important role not only in improving sports performance, but also in achieving lifestyle goals and supporting recovery. At the same time, our research also highlights that there is still room for education on the fundamentals of Hungarians’ eating habits, as mindful nutrition is one of the most important pillars of a health-focused lifestyle. At Nestlé, we are committed to helping consumers develop a balanced diet by providing credible information, and this year, together with SPAR, we also aim to encourage them to engage in regular physical activity, as both are essential for maintaining good health in the long term,” said Lili Fülöp, dietitian at Nestlé.

The Community Gets You Moving

The survey findings also clearly show that more and more people see sport not as a one-off challenge or a seasonal resolution, but as a fundamental component of everyday wellbeing, mental balance and long-term health.

This shift in mindset is the foundation of the 12-week campaign by Nestlé and SPAR, which aims to help as many people as possible find a form of physical activity they can sustain and provide support from the very first steps through to achieving their goals. Whether the goal is to complete one of the distances at the 41st SPAR Budapest Marathon® Festival in October or simply to lead a more active everyday life, the campaign’s free online publication offers training plans for beginners and more experienced participants, nutritional advice from a dietitian and practical tips to help make physical activity and more mindful eating a natural part of everyday life.

“Physical activity truly becomes part of our everyday lives when it also provides enjoyment and a sense of community. SPAR aims to support its customers through initiatives that both encourage a more active lifestyle and help them make more informed nutritional choices. We hope that the campaign and the collective kilometre challenge will inspire many people to commit to a health-conscious lifestyle at their own pace and for the long term,” said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communications at SPAR Magyarország.

For many people, sport is not only about individual achievement but also about the sense of community. The survey findings also show that 39 per cent of respondents consider friends and the community to be the most important source of motivation. The power of community also plays an important role in the campaign: one of the most exciting elements is a nationwide challenge in which participants can collect kilometres in a Strava club until the day of the 41st SPAR Budapest Marathon® Festival and together try to “run around” Hungary. The goal is to complete the nearly 2,246-kilometre distance as many times as possible by the start of the October marathon.