Berlin is Green

There are more than one million automobiles in Berlin and the city produces over one million tons of garbage on an annual basis. Though it may seem like a lot, these figures are what make Berlin the ecological city that it is. Berliners know how pleasant it is to sit under a shady tree and enjoy some peace and quite. They also know how important the conservation of their health and environment is.

When you measure it out on a per capita basis, Berlin has the fewest cars in Germany. This is in large part due to the city’s perfectly developed public transit system. Berlin’s buses and trains drive to the moon and back on a daily basis so that their passengers can be transported around the city in an environmentally friendly manner.

Berlin is a green city. This is evidenced by the city’s countless number of solar-based businesses and the fact that the international “Solar Energy” trade fair will take place in Berlin for the 11th time this year. The fair will present new concepts based around regenerative energy production and efficient energy usage. The green side of Berlin can also reveal itself in the most unsuspecting places. “mitArt”, the first certified eco hotel in Berlin, is located in Mitte in an old heritage-listed building that’s been elaborately renovated. The hotel opened in 2005 and operates according to ecological guidelines: extensive energy saving measures have been taken, the food that’s served is organic and environmentally friendly cleaning products are used. It’s a concept that has since been adopted by a number of other hotels in Berlin.

There’s also Berlin’s ecological hairdresser. It may seem unusual at first, but it only makes sense when you realise that an increasing number of people have skin problems and allergies. The motto of Berliner hairdresser Bettina Molinari reads as follows: “It’s in your own self interest to be environmentally friendly.” You won’t find any chemical-based disinfectants, dyes and scents in her business, as she only uses pure plant-based hair dyes.

The foods that you choose to eat are just as important as the products you apply to your body. While eating can often be a rushed activity, it’s at least possible to make healthy choices in Berlin. For example, you can eat organic fries from one of Berlin’s four organic snack stands. It’s also of course possible to get the organic version of Berlin’s beloved currywurst (curried sausage). And don’t forget the organic döner. Three years ago, Ilker Halici, the owner of a small snack stand on Greifswalder Straße 32 in Prenzlauer Berg, decided to do something to counter a nationwide scandal that revolved around rotten meat in snack stands. Since then, he has been selling döners with organic meat that comes from farms that are both animal-friendly and environmentally friendly.

People have been buying organic groceries in Berlin for years now. You’ll find organic farmers from Berlin’s countryside selling fruits and vegetables at countless markets around the city. There are organic bakeries such as the “Brotgarten” (“Bread Garden”) in Charlottenburg where 30 different types of organic bread are baked on a daily basis. If you’re looking for shops or stores that sell natural products, you can find a large variety of them. Be it cosmetics, leather goods, furniture or clothes, everything that these stores sell is traded fairly and produced ecologically.
Arpopos fashion: Berlin is without a doubt the capital for green fashion. The city is not only home to countless labels like Slowmo that stand for ecological and fairly traded clothes, but it also plays host to “Thekey.to”. It’s described as “an international fair for green fashion, sustainable lifestyles and culture”. Berlin is simply green.
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Berlin Transport Services: www.bvg.de
mitArt: www.mitart.de
Slowmo: www.slowmo.eu
Organic Hairdresser: www.friseur-molinari.de
Organic Baker: www.brotgarten.de
Stores / shops with natural products: www.naturkaufhaus-gmbh.de / www.wertvoll-berlin.com
Fashion Fair: www.thekey.to
General info: www.berlingoesgreen.de