Dan Swartz, A.K.A. Treehugger Dan, is a familiar face in Budapest, not least due to the city’s literary and cultural institutions he’s behind – Treehugger Dan’s Bookstores. He’s also a dedicated environmental activist and has taken organic and fair trade coffee as far as the office of the country’s president! We thought it was about time for a chat with Dan about books, bikes and the theme of green.
The motto of Treehugger Dan’s Bookstore and Cafe is “the local bookstore with a global conscience”; can you explain the concept a little further?
I come from an environmental activist background, and that is still a major part of my life. When I decided to start a business (because environmental activists don’t get a salary and I needed to start thinking about the future), of course environmental and social justice issues had to be part of that. Not only do we “recycle” books, but we also send a couple thousand books to the refugee camps in Debrecen and Bicske each year through the NGO Menedék. More importantly, we are the premier commercial promoter of Fair Trade coffee and tea in Hungary. And of course, Greenpeace and Amnesty International’s Multi-Kulti Group and several other NGOs regularly have open meetings and information days in English at the stores. I have these resources; the space, the brand, my ability to get information out to the English-speaking community; so it is meaningful to me to be able to use these for good. Many people are used to volunteering back home, but since they do not speak Hungarian, they do not know how to get involved, say at a soup kitchen or a Habitat for Humanity build, or even where to donate used clothes or toys. We are able to help match these needs and resources.
You’ve been very involved in environmental activism here for a long time now. Can you tell us a little more about this?
I started out working as an activist fighting illegal waste trade in the CEE region, promoting reusable packaging systems and waste minimization, and fighting incinerator proposals and nuclear plants. Then I moved on to fighting genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food, and promoting organics and Fair Trade. Besides the campaigning, I also facilitate fully-participatory organization and management workshops for NGOs and companies on such topics as campaign planning, working with the media, fundraising, working with volunteers, effective decision-making…
Can people come to the bookstore for advice on how to become involved in environmental activism here?
Yes, but come with a concrete idea of what you would like to do. If you say “anything,” you will just frustrate me. However, local NGOs tend to put native speakers without Hungarian skills into fundraising or English teaching – which while important; these are not the juicy bits most people dream of. There are a couple NGOs here, like Messzelátó, that do actively recruit foreign volunteers to help with projects.
The bookstore’s one of the few places in the city that imports and sells fair trade tea and coffee. Where does it come from, and have you seen an increase in places beginning to do similar here?
I sell two kinds of coffee. Natura Equa is 100% Arabica, organic and Fair Trade, and just won the gold medal in international competition in Italy. The beans are a mix from Columbia, Peru, Guatemala and Mexico. This is the coffee that, for example, the Office of the Hungarian President uses. Kafequo is 55% Arabica and 45% robusta coffee from Peru and Tanzania. This Fair Trade (but not organic) coffee is used at, for example, the Arriba Mexican Restaurant and the Kis Hunyadi Vendéglő. The coffees are blended and roasted by Caffe Agust in Brecia, Italy. The entire factory is run by solar power, and they use an electric car to make deliveries.
How do you think Budapest rates as a “green” city, and how far do you think it still has to go? How does it compare to Vienna, where you recently opened a bookstore?
The “wall” came down in Hungary as a function of environmental protests against the buildings of dams across the Danube at Nagymaros and Gabcekova. Hungary has over 150 environmental NGOs, over 1,500 organic farms, and over 80 organic shops. It also has excellent public transportation, which is still (barely) reasonably priced. The national park system is also very good. That said, Budapest, to its shame, and in particular the 6th District, is destroying whatever green space is left. The 6th District is actively and illegally cutting down any mature trees by hook and by crook, and putting in parking garages. Local residents and NGOs are still desperately trying to save the trees on Hunyadi tér and Nagymező utca. The bike lanes, especially on Andrássy út – well, I almost get into accidents once, sometimes twice a day because people park in the bike lanes, people turn in without stopping at blind corners, scooters using the lane, etc. And now, of course, the long-awaited and desperately-needed bike lanes they were going to build during the Margit híd renovations have now been removed from the plans at the last minute. And although the public transport (BKV) in Budapest is good, the management are a bunch of idiots. Imagine, if you buy a yearly pass your name enters a lottery to win… a car!
The bookstore also serves as a performance space – can you tell us a little more about this?
At the Lázár utca, location behind the Opera House, we hold weekly concerts, wine tastings, book launches, poetry evenings, NGO meetings, and host The Bard Room. Of course, all the events are in English. We already have a notion of our autumn program, including concerts by Mookie Brando, The Random Chocolates, Michael Kentish, The Jazz Apples, Andrea Gerak, Marco & Kati, and Bob Pike. You can sign up for the electronic newsletter on the website http://www.treehugger.hu, or send an email to info@treehugger.hu.
Treehugger’s is a predominantly English language bookstore, right? Do you stock publications in other languages?
Stop the presses, you asked the right question. In late September, I will open a new shop at Sütő utca 2. (by Deák tér). This new shop will specialize in used books in German, French, Italian, Spanish, and other foreign languages I can get my hands on. Anything except English and Hungarian. We will also do book trade-ins there.
Which book do you think has influenced your life the most?
I would say maybe Bruce Chatwin’s Songlines, and Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael, and The Story of B.
Treehugger Dan’s Bookstore and Café
1065 Budapest, Lázár utca 16.
Tel.: +36.1.269.3843
Open: Mon-Fri 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Sat and Sun 10 a.m.-4 p.m., summer hours every day from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
e-mail: info@treehugger.hu
www.treehugger.hu
Treehugger Dan’s Bookstore
1067 Budapest, Csengery utca 48.
(first door down on the corner of Andrássy út)
Tel.: +36.1.322.0774
e-mail: info@treehugger.hu
Open: Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
e-mail: info@treehugger.hu
www.treehugger.hu