Hello there!

[Fruchtpilz]

Hallihallo to everyone!

My name is Alexandra, I am 25 years old and I live in the north of Germany (sorry for any grammar mistakes). I am a medical student and I spend a lot of times with topics like minimalism, veganism, zero waste, activism, a simple lifestyle.. so I am very glad, that I found this forum because there is no equivalent for german people (at least I didn't found one).

I hope I can find here people with the same way of thinking and some good tips.

Alex :):)

[rosarugosa]

Welcome, Alex! We don't have any active members from Germany, so your perspective will be a great addition to our group!

[Teacher Terry]

Welcome!! My mom’s side of the family are German. I have been to Europe 4x’s but haven’t been lucky enough to see Germany yet.

[Fruchtpilz]

Oh I would not have expected, that here are no members who are based in Germany. The minimalism community here ist quiet big I would say and there are more and more frugalists too (at least on social media). :)

[Fruchtpilz]

Ah cool @teacher Terry ! Germany is really versatile, especially the nature. So I hope you can visit Germany sometime! :)

[catherine]

Welcome, Alex! I know that Germany has been taking a leadership role in environmentalism, so I'll be interested in hearing your perspectives on that!

[ApatheticNoMore]

The minimalism community here ist quiet big I would say and there are more and more frugalists too (at least on social media)

Cool. I may not visit Germany as I pretty much don't fly for environmental reasons (it is literally the least I can do). But it's cool.

[Fruchtpilz]

Welcome, Alex! I know that Germany has been taking a leadership role in environmentalism, so I'll be interested in hearing your perspectives on that!

Hello Catherine!

Puh, thats a hard topic here in Germany. It's interesting that other people think we have a leadership role in environmentalism. I am also a climate activist (Fridays for future, Ende Gelände, an other organizations).
I think we have some good ideas but the implementation is almost every time very problematic. Some politicians are blocking important changes (for example: investment in the public transportation system or the support for renewal energies. There are so many examples)

Furthermore a lot of the politicians aren't well educated on topics like climate change and environmental pollution. We have a party in our Bundestag (house of parliament) which contains members who deny that there is something like climate change. One of them said once: "The sun has to shine less." .. also the lobbyists from the car and coal industry are too strong..

We had an election on Sunday and just one party had a good plan on what to do against climate change and all the problems in their election program. Even the plan of the green party here in Germany wasn't good. (With not good I mean not sufficient and too late. For example climate neutrality by 2050).
In addition our society is I would say a little bis split. There are so many people who want to do something, they live sustainable in their private life but on the other side, there are so many people who deny what the scientists say and a lot of people don't want to do anything against climate change. An exuse a lot of people use is, that we are not China, we are not the worse.. that's really sad.
So I wonder why you think we have a leadership role? I mean it could always be worse, but it also can be waaay better, if the people and especially the politicians would fight for it!

It's really frustrating. :(

[Fruchtpilz]

But it's a good reason!
I have never flown in my life because I was so afraid the plane could crash, now I am older and I don't fly for environmental reasons too.

[frugal-one]

Welcome! Wonder what your name means?

[herbgeek]

Gut sich zu treffen und wilkommen!


Welcome! Wonder what your name means?
Literally it means fruit mushrooms. OP will have to tell the signifiicance of that.

[catherine]

Hello Catherine!


So I wonder why you think we have a leadership role? I mean it could always be worse, but it also can be waaay better, if the people and especially the politicians would fight for it!

It's really frustrating. :(

Well, I've heard that a lot of your energy is now coming from renewable sources, but I could be wrong. Indeed, it is frustrating in my country as well. And of course in our last administration, we completely opted out of the Paris Agreement--and our President rolled back 95 environmental regulations. I am hoping that things get better here with regard to basic understanding of how our actions are impacting the planet.

[frugal-one]

According to the translation site I used it said the name meant split fruit?

[Fruchtpilz]

Welcome! Wonder what your name means?

Hello frugal-one, its a german neologism: fruit + mushroom = Fruchtpilz.. as a teenager I used this name in chatrooms. I don't know where this idea came from, this word doesn't make any sense, but I think it sounds very nice.

[Fruchtpilz]

[QUOTE=herbgeek;393131]Gut sich zu treffen und wilkommen!

Hallihallo! :)
Kommst du auch aus Deutschland?

[Fruchtpilz]

Well, I've heard that a lot of your energy is now coming from renewable sources, but I could be wrong.

Oh that's interesting! Actually Germany is below the goal for renewable energies just about 19,3% of all the energy came in 2020 from renewable resources.. a big reason for this is that the coal lobby is so strong. We even led a new coal-fired power station (Datteln4) go on the electric grid.. :( (by the way, it was illegal to build it..) and the companies who mine for coal even get a loooooot of money for not doing it in the near future, but until then they continue with the destruction. They also dispossess some villages just for the coal.. that would't be necessary. And then there is the pipeline nordstream2 also not necessary..

And yes, we heard here what Trump did, while he was the president.. not good at all.

[herbgeek]

Kommst du auch aus Deutschland?

Nein (USA). Aber meine mutter ist in ost preußen geboren. Ich habe deutsch in der schule gelernt, damit ich meine Eltern verstehen konnte, wenn sie sich stritten. :)

English:
No,. But my mother was born in East Prussia. I learned German in school, so that I could understand my parents when they argued.

[Yppej]

I am also part German on both sides, but neither of my parents spoke the language in adulthood so I appreciate you writing in English. Welcome!

[Fruchtpilz]

Ah sehr schön! Bilingual aufzuwachsen ist bestimmt toll.

English:
Ah great! It must be great to grow up bilingual.

[happystuff]

Welcome, Alex. It was interesting reading about your take, as well as other opinions around Germany, on climate change. Thanks for sharing.

[SteveinMN]

Willkommen, Alexandra! Ich habe auch Deutsch in der Schule gelernt. Aber mein Deutsch schlect ist. Viele Jahre ha passiert und ich habe niemand wer mit mir kann sprechen.

(maybe not 100% translation: Welcome Alexandra! I also learned German at school. But my German is bad. Many years have passed and I have no one who can talk with me.)

I've been to Germany a few times, mostly around the Black Forest though I had a very interesting visit in Berlin about six months after the Wall came down. My grandfather was born in Germany, too, though I don't believe I ever heard him speak German, even among the adults when us kids were present.

I hope you enjoy the site!

[Yppej]

My grandfather was born in Germany, too, though I don't believe I ever heard him speak German

My father's side of the family stopped speaking German during World War I. On my mother's side upon arrival in Canada in 1947 she and my aunt were called "little Hitler" and stopped cold ever speaking German and have forgotten it. My aunt paid someone to translate her father's letters because she could not read them. He died during the war.