Delineates a warning issued by Skelett about a potential delay in motion advancement
In the heart of Germany, the city of Münster is making strides towards a greener future. Three years ago, a citizens' application for sustainable daycare and school catering was submitted, aiming to make the city's food supply more organic and ecological. However, the decision on this application is still pending, causing a stir among local activists.
The Nutrition Council of Münster, Initiative "Münster Eats Veggie," and the Action Alliance "Pesticide-Free Münster" are the driving forces behind this application. The Nutrition Council advocates for healthier, sustainable, and socially responsible food options, while "Münster Eats Veggie" promotes vegetarian and plant-based meal options for sustainability and animal welfare. The Action Alliance, on the other hand, calls for food sourced without synthetic pesticides to reduce chemical exposure and support eco-friendly agriculture.
The delay in the decision can be attributed to several factors. Administrative and bureaucratic processes in public institutions, complexities in changing catering standards, and the engagement with multiple interest groups and coordination between municipal departments are likely contributing to the extended timeline.
Despite the delay, the applicants remain steadfast in their vision. They propose a central role for climate protection in the decision-making process and suggest a round table with various participants to accompany the implementation of the change in catering. This round table would include participants from different departments, caterers, management personnel, experts, and the initiators themselves.
The concept includes a drastic reduction of meat and fish, with these appearing on the menu a maximum of once a week. For unavoidable imported products like cocoa or spices, the organizations suggest considering only fair trade. Moreover, a coordination office is proposed to bundle responsibilities and ensure quality in the implementation of the change in catering.
Münster aims to be climate-neutral by 2030, and the applicants' ideas contribute significantly to this goal. Heike Lehmann of "Münster Eats Veggie" emphasized the importance of climate protection in the context of the application, highlighting that the consumption of meat accounts for around one-third of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
The applicants are not alone in their pursuit. Cities like Freiburg, Essen, and Copenhagen are cited as examples of cities that have achieved more in terms of organic share. Marlies Quittmann, a critic of Münster's current 20 to 30 percent organic share, called it "hopeless, unambitious, and not future-oriented."
In a symbolic protest, a three-meter-high skeleton was placed in front of the city hall in Münster, serving as a symbol of the long wait for a decision. The applicants and activists are hopeful that the implementation of the change in catering will soon take place, ushering in a new era of sustainable and climate-friendly food supply for Münster's schools and daycare centers.
- The Nutrition Council, "Münster Eats Veggie," and the Action Alliance are championing science-backed recommendations, advocating for healthier diets, climate-friendly foods, and pesticide-free agriculture in the city's health-and-wellness sector.
- The proponents of the sustainable daycare and school catering application are committed to environmental-science principles, pushing for a drastic reduction in meat consumption, promoting fair-trade products, and encouraging healthy-diets that align with climate-change mitigation.
- Munster's quest for a greener future extends beyond food supply, as it strives to emulate cities such as Freiburg, Essen, and Copenhagen, known for their high organic shares and commitment to health-and-wellness and environmental-science best practices.
