Caring for the Environment....how important is it for Germans?
Germany is known for its commitment to protecting the environment. Before I moved here, I heard and read that Germans are really good at recycling and they are passionate about environmental issues. And according to DW news, Germany was named recycling world champions in 2017 by the World Economic Forum. Wow! That is pretty impressive, I would say...
The full article is interesting and speaks to how challenging it is to truly recycle all the materials and that not all can be recycled completely with lots of materials ending up in the landfills. I am sure this is a problem in many other nations too.
https://www.dw.com/en/plastic-waste-and-the-recycling-myth/a-45746469#:~:text=Germany%20is%20hailed%20worldwide%20as,a%20national%20pastime%20in%20Germany.
When I first moved here, Marc had to educate me and the kids on which bins to use and where to sort out different materials. You have the garbage bin, usually black, then the green Bio bin, where all the compost materials end up, i.e. veggies, fruits, some food items, yard waste and more, and the yellow bin. The yellow bin is the Gelbe Tonne literally and it is for collecting all plastic and package materials. However it can get confusing and I made tons of mistakes trying to figure out which plastic item goes in there or not, and do I need to look for the special sign for this bin. I remember getting group messages from our first rental townhouse where our neighbors would complain that one of our families dumped the wrong thing in the yellow bin! That was a bit stressful and confusing! I think I am better about this now....but it sure was a bit complicated! Then there is the blue bin, which is for paper and cardboard.
In May 2020, I wrote about my confusion about the recycling system on Facebook.
This morning, I signed us up for a Run4Green 3 year anniversary plogging event. Which means that we jog or walk and clean up by picking up garbage. I was so impressed with this environmental/fitness organization founded by a Nigerian man and his Japanese wife in Nuremberg. I joined this group via Facebook when I was new and looking for people and communities to join. I joined an outdoor zumba class in one of the city parks and it was a lot of fun! Then I learned more about their garbage cleanup events around the city, especially along the parks.
Everyone signed up for 30 minute slots and we collected tons of garbage during this short period. We started by the parking lot at the park and the litter was overwhelming! Marc found drink bottles, vodka bottles, Gummy Bear packages and more. I found tons of napkins, tissue, fast food containers, plastic cups, plastic bags and so much crap! It was really disheartening and shocking. The worst part was finding all the cigarette butts everywhere in the parks, in the parking lots, sidewalks and more.
I was so shocked that Germans did not pick up after themselves and littered everywhere....Marc also said he was disappointed and that there are stupid people everywhere! Fino, our founder, said that in his experience doing this the past 3 years, he found that some of them were also non native Germans, some foreigners or immigrants.
I don't think it is only foreigners or immigrants, to be honest. I think it is anyone who does not care about others or the environment around them. Some folks think it is probably young adults after socializing and drinking. Whatever the case, it was just so sad and not great to see.
This group and its founders and members were truly inspiring to me. They do this work every weekend while jogging, running, walking and promote so much positive action. It is interesting that a foreign couple saw the need to create a group like this in Germany. Hopefully more locals and internationals living in Germany will work together to help protect our environment.
It truly was an interesting, eye opening experience!
So, getting back to my original question here, how important is the environment to Germans and German society? I think it is very important and it seems like so many folks here are concerned and passionate about this issue. But like any social and political issue, it is not easy and challenging, not easy to get everyone excited about it. I attended a Fridays for Future Climate Strike in September of 2019 in Erlangen, two months after we moved here. The city market place was filled with so many people young and old and it was energizing! So I know that so many here are committed to the environment. And especially around the university towns, it is so popular to see so many programs about the environment. Germany is doing more than other countries, too, so I hope things will become more action oriented and change for the better!
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