Eco Blog - St. George's Berlin

 This Summer could have deadly amounts of heat, especially for older people and for the very young.  Greenpeace (Germany) offers a number of suggestions about how cities can deal with this: 1) More green spaces in the inner city: trees provides effective shade and significant protection.  2) Sealed spaces like roads should whenever possible revert to being green spaces. 3) Cities should design and implement intentional "Cool Spots".  4) Cities should develop and implement action plans that address bio-diversity and climate change. (from unsplash.com)

The Eco-Church committee would like to make more vegan and vegetarian recipes available for readers. Here is a start. Other recipes are very welcome. Home made Hummus Hummus is vegan and surprisingly easy to make with the right tools. You will need chickpeas (Kichererbsen) and Tahini (a sesame paste readily available at LPG or other bio-friendly stores). Typically I drain the liquid from the can of chickpeas, reserving some for later use, and mix in a healthy spoonful of Tahini. My recipe also adds lemon juice, oil, and a clove of garlic (NOT essential, but I love garlic). Some salt and pepper and other spices are also good additions, though not essential.  I use a Stabmixer to grind the mix into a paste, and add liquid from the chickpeas to make it reasonably smooth. WARNING: be patient, since it takes some time to process the chickpeas initially. With refrigeration it can last for several days. <!-- LikeBtn.com BEGIN --> <span class = "likebtn-wrapper" data-iden...

Investing is one of those topics which may often feel like one is trying to navigate the St George’s Maze - you have various options in terms of direction, some lead to dead ends, others lead you around in circles, and some help you to reach your goal in the center of the maze. Some may have a more pessimistic outlook, viewing investing as the Harry Potter Triwizard Tournament maze, with a lot of unpleasant surprises and unexpected obstacles to overcome. Add in a twist to try to make investing sustainable, then it is no wonder that many people may feel lost in terms of what to look for or where to start. In this article, I will try to simply outline key elements to look out for, in case the reader is interested in Sustainable or Green Investing. “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start” - Sound of Music. The starting point to any investing is to select your stock broker. Compared to prior decades, this has been simplified by many brokers so that you can access a w...

According to a message from the Gewerkschaft der Polizei Berlin, over 3,250,000 people in Germany have signed a petition to ban fireworks. One reason is that fireworks release toxic chemicals, heavy metals, particulate matter, and various greenhouse gases that are bad for the environment. They also increase the risk of wildfire, and fireworks can harm the people setting them off. The danger is real: the US reports that fireworks injured 14,700 people in 2024 and killed persons.  According to the Guardian (9 Jan 2026): “Debates around banning end-of-year firework displays have heated up in several European countries. In Germany, which regularly reports firework-related deaths around the turn of the year, calls to ban private sales have gained support from doctors, green groups and police unions – with some environmental groups going further and calling for a ban even on licensed firework displays.”. ( LINK )  Now is the time take action to protect God’s creation!  Getty Im...

Green spaces are areas of land or vegetation within both urban and rural environments that are not developed with buildings and include features like grass, trees, plants, and water. These spaces range from small parks and community gardens to forests that harbour wildlife while offering an opportunity for recreation and other benefits.  How far are you from or close to a green space? Is it accessible, safe, or welcoming? Urban areas are far from forests and without a luxury of space between builds to create green spaces for recreation or a counter for the urban heat island effect . This exposes them to impacts of climate change like high temperatures among others.  The set-up of every city needs a balance between green spaces and other relevant infrastructure. These areas are core to our aspirations and inspiration for sustainable pathways. Like most innovations, nature ‘s inspiration is exhibited by biomimicry or just immersing oneself to its surroundings and create. One cou...

St. George's Anglican church plans to use heated cushions, heated backrests and an electric light called a "Strahler" in German. The device emits a bright, focused beam of light commonly using LEDs to provide ecologically efficient ambient warmth. The operating costs are expected to be a fraction of what it currently costs to run our inefficient and decades-old furnace that burns fossil fuel. In the end the parish will save a significant amount of money, and will do significantly less harm to the environment. But first the initial expenses must be covered.   The cost for the heated cushions, backrests and the Strahler will be  about € 78.000. The installation will cost € 22,000. The church still needs to raise € 14,000 €. Contributions should go to KD Bank DE78 3506 0190 1566 9230 21. The Church will issue receipts. Please contribute to help to protect God's creation.  

In March 2025 Russell Parton published an article ( link ) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences claiming: "Tree planting is still the best way to remove carbon, despite climate and economic risks, say researchers". Part of the economic impact comes from reducing the amount of land for crops, but reducing cropland is not the only option. The author notes that "a 'portfolio' approach to tree planting—diversifying species and planting locations—helps balance risks and moves beyond planting strategies that simply hope that everything will be okay." An important alternative to reducing farmland could be reducing the area cemerted over for highways and for parking spaces. Parton suggests that a balanced approach involving trees is "a far more cost-effective strategy for carbon removal than alternatives like biomass energy with carbon capture and storage or direct air capture technologies."  Children's book author Liz Pichon writes ...