The City State of Bremen joined the Organic Cities Network Europe in March 2021. It is, however, no stranger to the organic cause. In this article, we present some of the projects that Bremen has initiated under the motto of “BioStadt Bremen”.
The Training Kitchen
The “Training Kitchen” is where staff from the communal catering sector are trained to cook fresh, regional and organic food. The idea is to create a “centre of excellence” in organic cooking, offering a broad range of training courses on site, converting catering kitchens to organic catering.
Annual BioStadt Bremen market festival
The fifth BioStadt Bremen market festival took place on 4 October 2020, with many organic exhibitors and initiatives from the region and a suitable supporting programme with, among others, Maike Schäfer, Bremen’s Senator for Climate Protection, Environment, Mobility, Urban Development and Housing; the Bremen Consumer Protection Agency and an organic bingo for all visitors. The aim of the annual event is to promote networking among the local players in Bremen’s organic scene, who also help develop the format further.
“House of the Reich” canteen
A pilot project is to be launched to convert the canteen in the “Haus of the Reich” at the Senate Department of Finance to healthy, fresh, minimally processed food with high organic content. A key factor is also the sustainability of the products used. The products offered should primarily be tailored to the needs of the employees working in the building as well as the employees in the surrounding departments. A concept for the canteen operation is currently in development, which will serve as the basis for the tendering process.
RIGE Project: “More organic for Bremen”
Development of educational programmes to enable learners to truly grasp how the processes of a regional organic value chain work. Although it is mainly aimed at children, students and educational staff, it also addresses the general public and interested professionals through supplementary information materials. Those materials are offered in different formats: mobile information stands, excursions, expert conferences or family events.
New guidelines for project funding
In order to ensure transparency and equal opportunity in the funding procedures for implementing BioStadt Bremen’s Action Plan 2025, funding guidelines have been created. Non-profits and associations whose projects/projects will help drive the implementation of the Action Plan 2025 can apply for funding.
The projects eligible for funding:
1. The International Garden Wall, which enables children and young people from educationally disadvantaged families to become active in gardening in order to promote an affinity for healthy and regional organic foods
2. The “More regional organic food in Bremen’s Daycare Centres,” in which the project organiser wants to switch to 100% organic food in 20 Bremen children’s daycare centres.
3. The “Living Regionally” project, which creates a platform for agricultural direct marketers and handicraft businesses to attract customers by presenting what they offer.
About the BioStadt Bremen
BioStadt Bremen
is a member of the BioStädte Network, where the nationwide BioStädte share information on projects and joint initiatives. Bremen’s State Councillor Ronny Meyer has been spokesperson of the BioStädte Netzwerk since 2020.
