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Climate | Energy

Electricity made regionally

Windpark, Rapsfeld und unbestellter Acker

Starting 1 January 2019 every household has the opportunity to drive the transformation of the energy system. The new guarantees of regional origin register makes it possible to issue guarantees of origin for electricity produced from renewable sources of energy. End customers will be able to verify that their electricity is produced in their region, for example by the nearby wind turbine.

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Environmental impact of software is now measurable

Binärer Code auf einem Bildschirm.

Software has a significant impact on the resource efficiency of IT hardware and on how long it is used. Programs which execute the same functions can have very different levels of energy consumption depending on how they are programmed. The German Environment Agency (UBA) has developed criteria to assess the environmental impact of software products.

Chemicals

Rodent control involves risks for man and the environment

ein Rattenschatten an der Wand

The use of poisonous bait to control rats and mice can lead to an unintentional poisoning of pets and wild animals. In addition, most of the chemical substances used are very persistent in the environment and accumulate in organisms. A large number of risk mitigation measures must be taken to prevent these occurrences, for example the use of bait stations.

Soil | Land

UBA-Paper: The need for soil protection legislation at EU level

Golden paragraph mark surrounded by grey and white paragraph sign

The Position paper begins by discussing options on how to further develop EU soil protection law. Compared to the status-quo, strengthening the existing soil protection legislation at EU level would preserve transboundary ecosystem services of soils and also help to effectively implement the ‘land degradation neutrality’ objective.

Economy | Consumption

“To-go coffee" with the Blue Angel

zwei „Coffee to go“-Becher auf einem Tisch, daneben zwei Papiertütchen mit Zucker

The Blue Angel is now available for resource-saving reusable cup systems. The aim is to cut down on disposable cups and promote environmentally friendly reusable cups.

Waste | Resources

Higher quality plastics recycling is necessary

Das Wort Recycling vor schwarzem Hintergrund, darauf auch ausrangierte Kühlaggregate.

Now available in English: UBA's biannual "What Matters" magazine covers current topics in environmental protection. The first edition “Recycling” takes an in-depth look at the circular economy in Germany with a special focus on plastics. The magazine offers data and facts and discusses current problems and possible solutions in Germany’s circular economy.

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

International Mountain Day 2018: Sustainable Alps

A lake with mountains around it and blue sky.

December 11th is the designated International Mountain Day. The day was designated by the UN to show the important role of mountain regions for sustainable development. In line with this, UBA has published a background paper describing the Alpine region on its way to becoming a model region for green economy.

Economy | Consumption

First national competition for sustainable urban logistics

Lieferwagen in der Stadt

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze presented awards to the winning projects of the National Sustainable Urban Logistics Competition which the Federal Ministry for Environment launched together with the German Environment Agency. The competition distinguishes innovative logistics strategies that foster environmentally and climate-friendly transport in urban areas.

Waste | Resources, Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Another toy awarded with the Blue Angel

Bioblo-bausteine vor einem Logo des Blauen Engel

The Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) awarded the Blue Angel ecolabel to the Bioblos children's construction blocks from Austria at a ceremony in Berlin today. It is the second toy to be awarded the Blue Angel.

Short link: www.uba.de/t50en