Introducing 'The Balaton Group.'

On Monday, I traveled via Maalev, Hungarian National Airlines to Budapest. The trip brought back good memories of how helpful Maalev staff members were on my last Hungarian trip, when I left my computer at airport security. How different from the indifferent treatment that is now provided by US ‘legacy’ airlines such as US Air and the carrier on which I flew to Europe, United. More about that later.

My ultimate destination was the Hotel Semmes, located in Balatonsemmes, a small resort village on the shores of Hungary’s iconic Lake Balaton. Hotel Semmes, a modest but comfortable Communist Era resort (not refurbished) is the site of this year’s meeting of The Balaton Group, the 28th.

Dennis Meadows, Donella Meadows, some other global modelers and a few others concerned with what is now known as ‘sustainable development’ founded the group in 1982. It was envisioned as a network of individuals, sharing a common vision and with professional backgrounds similar enough to facilitate communication. The group’s goal was simple: empower members through a culture of mutual support and intimate annual meetings in their endeavors to make human life on planet Earth more humane and sustainable.

I must off to dinner. More about the Balaton Group later. You can also find more in my blogs about the 2007 meeting.