The experts on our team regularly bring you a selection of recommendations and insights related to environmental and social responsibility. Whether it's an enticing book, an intriguing article, a project supporting a great cause or a helpful tool, we'll share our thoughts on why this particular piece spoke to us and why we think this particular topic is important.
Let us know what you think about our recommendations and insights, or whether you’d like to share some of your own tips with us - we’d love to hear from you.
Even in summer, I look for places that support local farmers and producers when I travel. I enjoy discovering farm-to-table restaurants where ingredients are sourced responsibly and food is prepared with care and transparency.
This year, I have a few places on my list: Sůl a řepa in Strakonice, which focuses on seasonal menus and local farm partnerships. Then U Štěpána in the Šumava region, where they serve meat from their own small-scale livestock. In the Vysočina region, I plan to visit Mitrovsky Angus, known for their pasture-raised beef and regenerative farming approach.
I’d also love to visit Svobodné hory, a farm growing vegetables and flowers with a strong focus on biodiversity and soil health, and support the organic elderberry farm in Křížov, which is facing difficulties after pesticide contamination from a neighboring conventional field.
I don't have much time to watch TV and when I do have the time and the desire to watch something, few things interest me enough to actually put it on and maybe come back to it the next night. However, I highly recommend a documentary series produced by Czech Television called Potížistky (Troublemakers), which is about "women who are not afraid to make trouble and the men who cheer them on". By trouble they mean, for example, when women wanted to study, have the right to divorce, or just decided not to have children and to prioritise their careers. Each of the seven fifteen-minute episodes reflects on a theme in Czech society by juxtaposing the stories of historical and contemporary figures. What do one of the first Czech female doctors, Anna Bayerová, and contemporary scientist and surgeon Barbara East have in common? Visually and especially in terms of content, a very hilarious series that shows that the equality that feminism strives for is a win-win for all. The entire series can be viewed on iVysílání here (unfortunately only in Czech): https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/15859651488-potizistky/
Spending time in nature is my favourite way to recharge over the summer - it's free, energising, and good for all of us. With school holidays lasting two full months, even with help from the grandparents, there’s still plenty of time to keep one child happily entertained. We’ve been making the most of simple pleasures: picnics and dinners in nature, forest walks, and hikes in the mountains. One of our favourite shared activities is baking a nectarine cake (or other fruity treats such as fruit dumplings) together - it’s simple, sweet, and always disappears fast. Nectarines are in season now, and the abundance of local summer fruit is one of the things I love most about this time of year. Choosing local produce not only supports farmers nearby but also helps reduce food miles and packaging waste. Fresh air, seasonal flavours, and mindful living help us slow down and enjoy summer with a little extra care for the world around us.
“I don’t have time, so I just eat at my computer.” How often do you hear this sentence around you? I hear it quite often myself, and I must admit, I have said it more than once. Eating in front of the screen might seem productive, but in the long run, it’s not healthy for either the body or the mind. When we eat stressed or distracted (for example, while reading emails), the body stays in fight or flight mode instead of switching to rest and digest. On top of that, it’s harder to notice feelings of fullness in such moments — which often leads to overeating. That’s why I made a simple commitment: always eat without screens. And whenever possible, I add a short walk afterward. Lunching at a restaurant can be an option, but it’s not always the most convenient choice. However, even a lunch brought from home can be enjoyed outside or in the kitchen with colleagues — combined with a little walk, even if it’s just around the block. Moving after a meal helps the body better regulate blood sugar levels, supports digestion, and refreshes the brain. It also helps prevent back pain and general fatigue. Work-life balance isn’t just about setting boundaries between work and life; it’s about the small choices that bring balance to each day.
For me, sustainability isn’t about making complicated decisions or radically changing my life. It’s more about reflecting on what I truly need. At the beginning of the year, I got interested in minimalism, so I started regularly going through my things and passing on what I no longer use. I was surprised how much it helps—not just to keep my home more organized, but also to clear my mind. After just a few days or weeks, you really notice how both your space and your thinking change.
One thing I’ve personally committed to is supporting local farmers and reducing food waste by shopping at Prague’s farmers’ markets, like Náplavka or Jiřák, and bringing my own reusable containers and bags. It’s a small shift, but it helps cut down on packaging waste and supports sustainable, regional agriculture. I also plan my meals more carefully to avoid throwing food away - leftovers become lunches, and vegetable scraps often go into broth.
A story recently made the rounds online about a fungus from the Amazon that can digest plastic — presented as a revolutionary breakthrough. In reality, this fungus was first described over 13 years ago, and yet the plastic crisis remains. Many plastic-eating organisms have been discovered since then, but their natural ability to break down plastic is far too slow for industrial use. That's why attention has shifted to the growing field of bioremediation — using living organisms to remove pollution. A breakthrough came with the discovery of Ideonella sakaiensis, a bacterium that can break down PET plastics, and companies like Carbios have since accelerated the process through genetic engineering. Today, their engineered enzymes can break down 90% of PET in under a day — yet their recycling plant is still not built, and the project faces financial and regulatory challenges. Even more concerning, many of the organisms we hope to use are parasites or highly adaptable species that we genetically modify for technical use, often without fully understanding the potential ecological side effects.
This story highlights two fundamental issues of our time: first, we crave fast, simple solutions to complex problems but shy away from the real costs and complexity they entail. Second, even the most promising environmental technologies are often overlooked unless they come with a profitable business model — as if solving environmental problems must be economically viable to matter. If we truly want to address ecological crises, we need to be ready to support solutions that may be less "attractive" but get to the root of the problem. Real transformation doesn’t begin in the lab — it starts with how we, as a society, choose to face the problems we’ve created.