We asked the WF participants about trust — see these two previous posts. But what about us? What does trust mean to the WF bloggers?

“Trust is believing that something you think is true.. is true.” - Margit

“I don’t trust anybody don’t ask me” - Coralie

“Trust is the bond that keeps people together” – Manasi

“The relationship you build between you and people. It is the basis of all relationships to me.” - Camilla

“Trust is confidence and be aware of the other and expect the other to be aware about you.” – Ivonne

“Feeling that  are shared values with somebody.” - Annachiara

“Confidence without fear” - Bonnie

“Honoring your commitments” - Natiq

“ Trust is believing in another person, taking a chance and seeing their potential”– Joysy

“Trust is the cornerstone of human relations. Trust is such a subjective notion that it requires the most personal feelings” – Louis

“Trust has to be something pretty like a personal demanding state of mind.” – Jonathan

“Trusting someone is knowing you can rely on that person, on his honesty or competencies.” – Gersende

The luncheon event on A Good Story Can Change The Way We See The World featured two dynamic women. May Chidiac, a media reporter whose story changed the way we see the world and Tania Rakhmanova, a Russian film director who tells stories that has changed the way we see the world.

May Chidiac, is a television reporter in Lebanon whose candid reporting resulted in her being a target of a terrorist attack. While her life was saved, her friends were not so fortunate. She has now taken up the cause of making people aware of the situation in Lebanon using her story.

Tania Rakhmanova is a documentary filmmaker whose hard-hitting work on President Putin and Chenchnya has moved several people including Colin Powell.

The discussion began with May’s comments on how media today is influenced by shareholders of the media company. She said, as a journalist, one has to report within the policies of the organization one works for and this can taint the truth. She went on to advise that in order to get a truer picture of the goings on, it is important to gather your information from various sources.

The other interesting topic discussed was the lasting power of the stories. May gave the example of how a car bombing in Iraq a few years ago was breaking news that concerned the world, and today is mentioned in passing.

On Tania’s arrival, the conversation shifted toward the commercialization of television news. The women stressed that to get a full picture, we have to turn to documentaries, the Internet and print media. Tania gave the example of television programming in Russia being “influenced” by the administration with Putin having commented that real people don’t need to know the truth.

From listening to these two women, it is clear that no matter what or who tries to stop them, they will be heard.

Living Tomorrow is a house museum with a twist- It provides a glimpse into future in contrast to a walk down memory lane, which a more tradition house museum offers. However, there is as much to learn and experience here. The Living Tomorrow project, presented at the WF by Suez, is a platform that showcases home innovations that maybe available in the not so distant future. The general theme of the project combines convenience of technology with the benefits of energy efficiency. So far, there have been three such model homes and the latest one was completed last year. Do visit LivingTomorrow for more information on the project.

What we see in the discovery area is a sample of the latest model home in Vilvoorde near Brussels. Below are some displays in their exhibit that I found to be interesting for their simplicity, cleverness and benefits.

Who needs a toothbrush that only cleans teeth:
On display is a toothbrush that measures your body temperature and blood pressure while you clean your teeth. It then sends the information wirelessly to a display screen in your bathroom and to your doctor. The doctor can use these vital signs to check your health and accordingly adjust your medication, which by the way is also displayed on the screen. With the increasing aging population, such systems that integrate health management into daily routines are positioned to be clear winners.

A simple way to heat up your shower:
This is a very simple solution to save up to 40% of heat calories used for a shower. Basically, this system re-circulates the wastewater from your shower and uses it to warm-up the fresh water. While you will still need a water-heater there is considerable saving in energy, as this solution can increase the water temperature by about 10C. The system was developed by Suez as part of their partnership with Living Tomorrow.

A super solution for super-moms and dads:
Living together along with Microsoft has developed an integrated computer system that helps with the organization of your home. From directly sending your grocery list to your local supermarket to confirming the freshness of food, this system helps in your daily kitchen routine. In addition, the system can teach you how to cook! Yes, you read that correctly. This solution was developed in conjunction with Delhaize that provides menus for the week in a bag. With a touch of the screen, the system will demonstrate via a cooking show on TV, how to put these meals together. The system has several other interesting features that should be checked out.

Mother nature to the rescue:
Suez with Clima Cialing has developed an energy efficient water-based heating/cooling system for your home. The system consists of a series of pipes that runs water through the ground, which cools the water to 12C. This cooled water is then circulated through the home for cooling. The heat in the home in summer is harvested similarly by warming the water, which when circulated through the ground increases the ground temperature to 18C. Therefore the warmer ground now provides warm water to supplement heating in winter. It may sound complex, but the good news is: it works. A hotel in Northern Italy that is currently using the system reported a gas bill of just 5000 euros for the entire year.

All in all, this exhibit shows how simple solutions can make our lives more efficient and also demonstrates that some large corporates are indeed working to solve the looming environmental crisis.