Birds chirp as my gears clack through the morning air. I need to get across town; the U-Bahn doesn’t get close enough, but every taxi ride plays on my mind, thinking about the Luftverschmutzung it might cause. Plus, when the weather’s this nice, a bike ride doesn’t hurt. My bike itself is second-hand, rescued from a Flohmarkt in Friedrichshein when I arrived, and now it’s my closest companion. I used a guide (http://google.com/url?q=https://mcipinska.com/vintage-voyage-through-the-flea-markets-of-berlin/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1781802526591687&usg=AOvVaw2tBCFi26s1fxnr310Cv3hh) to help me find the best places, and understand the rules. It’s a little old, and was in need of some TLC, but nothing that some Ecosia-searches (https://www.ecosia.org/) couldn’t fix. It’s a nice feeling knowing that each search plants a tree, rather than chopping one down.
As I weave through my Kiez, it’s easy to see where the UN’s sustainability goals have been implemented; especially 9 through 13, focussing on sustainability and infrastructure. Kilometers of tree-lined Radfahrwege and places to store bikes safely facilitate green travel. My phone connects consistently to 5G networks (Goal 9), allowing me to use the CityMapper app to navigate – the perfect companion for navigating through the city using public transport. Along the way, I spot various rooftop gardens on the sprawling apartment complexes: the perfect infrastructural development that helps keep buildings cool, CO2 levels down, and makes the city that little bit prettier. On my usual route to walk, there is a beautiful garden atop a building that houses some small businesses; each of them prioritises sustainability and responsible consumption and production (Goal 12) which means they see more of me than any other shops here. No takeaway cups, plastic free soaps and cleaning materials, and jar upon jar of locally sourced or homemade snacks to buy per gram, to make sure you only take what you need. The German government support them in their mission by providing the German Sustainability Index (https://www.deutscher-nachhaltigkeitskodex.de/en/), designed to help small businesses meet sustainability targets.
Cycling past the Glasbehälter nestled on each street, the importance of Recycling in German culture springs to mind; and the tiny joys of receiving Pfand when I return a bottle to the supermarket. The same rules apply at work: anything we bring in must be disposed of responsibly. We also don’t have a dress-code, to prevent specific workwear over-consumption. I prefer to use Vinted for clothes, to find something pre-loved, or borrow something from a flatmate: we all share as much as we can, to try and survive the Berlin housing crisis. Holiday rentals and price gouging make forced displacement a real fear, that the UN’s 11th goal tries to tackle. Rent isn’t the only high-cost item: even food is going up. But, this means that I often turn to vegetarian options, which are greener, and cheaper! To give myself a challenge, I often use an emissions calculator (https://myemissions.co/resources/food-carbon-footprint-calculator/) to find the least damaging Zutate to use! Speaking of which, I hope I’m nearly at my destination: I could really use some breakfast!
