Greenme Berlin Podcast | Meet The Heroes Of The Urban Green Scene

„We have to make it mainstream. Like there is no other way" - Anna Wohlrab, DingsDumsDumplings The topic of food waste - or better anti-food waste - has popped up a lot in my life lately - and I’m so grateful that (apart from all the daunting numbers of how much food is being wasted) it mainly came up with a positive solution in tow. Usually in the form of a dedicated group of people, who tackles this issue, without waiting until governments or the big players out there do something. They have an epiphany that there’s just too much food waste and we gotta do something about it. Baaam!  That’s exactly what happened to today’s interview guest & her co-founders. And I’m so excited that we finally make this interview happen with Anna from DingsDums Dumplings (@dingsdumsdumplings)! Saving food alone is great, but then there’s the question what to do with all these 5 million tons of edible food that us Germans throw away each year? How to turn them into something that’s tasty and extends its shelf life even fur

The wait is over! After a little summer break we’re back with a brand new episode. And I'm 100% sure that it’s going to switch on your inner light and belief in the good people in this world! What do you think: How can something so simple as a tiny sun-shaped solar lamp the impact the lives of billions of people ? Why can micro-entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa be much more powerful than financial aid? How can anyone of us leverage the connections we have to be part of something that matters? And how can we keep up our flame of motivation when things get tough? That’s just a mini-preview of all the inspiration bombs Felix drops in this episode. Extremely proud to present you another Berlin-based certified B-Corp with a fascinating story. If you haven’t heard of it yet, Little Sun (@ilovelittlesun) is a social business spreading clean, affordable solar energy around the globe. Just a couple of mindblowing numbers to get you into the scene: Since Little Sun started in 2012, it has Sold 661,578 lamps sol

Making up for the long wait for a new episode, Claudi got Raphael Fellmer (@sirplus.de) in front of the mic. To many of you, especially those German-speakers, and those who are following the anti-food waste movement a bit, I probably don’t have to introduce him: He is one of Germany’s biggest food activists, he went on a money strike, he’s written a book called “Happy Without Money”, given tons of talks, co-founded the platform foodsharing.de - and now founded an amazing new startup, Germany’s first food outlet called SirPlus. Raphael and I only met last November at the re:Blog conference "re:MIND", that brought together around 100 influencers who care about sustainability, to discuss what sustainability actually means and how it could possibly work in big multinational companies... Raphael gave this super inspiring talk, loaded with passion, emotion, gratitude and just so authentic and powerful… I think everyone was totally captured. He’s someone I truly admire for his values, his beliefs and his perseveranc

For this kick-off episode of 2018, Claudi sat down with the inspiring Vera Günther, co-founder of Mimycri (@mimycri). Mimycri is a social startup that is really one-of-a-kind and totally expanded my awareness of what is possible in the field of circular economy - which, as you know, I’ve been diving in a lot lately through our circular economy tours. A new year is usually kicking off with lots of hopes, plans and dreams - and if you are dreaming of a greener future, where people are just kind to each other, smile more, love and respect one another and love and respect our beautiful planet - be assured that you’re not alone in this. If you still think that we’re not enough to truly matter: trust me, everyone of us has the power to move things out there. Even if it’s just you or a small group of people. The best proof is my guest on the show today, an incredible female social entrepreneur and passionate environmentalist: Vera Günther, the co-founder of Mimycri. SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT MIMYCRI Mimycri consists of

For our final episode in 2017, Claudi visited the wonderful Alexis Goertz, co-founder of Edible Alchemy (@ediblealchemy.co), co-founder of Mother Kombucha (@mother.kombucha.berlin) and quite a lot more. She is Berlin’s queen of fermentation, a self-proclaimed probiotic warrior and without a doubt one of the most energetic, positive, bubbly and charismatic woman I know. If she’s not in Berlin she’s travelling through the lands with the Microbial Circus, she’s an avid adventurer, a culture dealer, bacteria barista and, and, and... Before we really dive in, our very last tour in 2017 is running on Saturday, 16th December at 3pm - it’s our final "Conscious Gifts & Glühwein" session in creative Kreuzberg. Check out all the details, routes and prices and sign up here. Of course, you shall be rewarded for listening to the podcast! We’re giving you a special discount of 5 euros off the ticket price. To redeem it, just enter the discount code 'greenmexmas' when booking your spot on Eventbrite. Back to today’s epis

For this juicy episode, Claudi ventured out to meet Martin Elwert, co-founder of Coffee Circle (@coffee_circle), who are a certified B-Corp. We've been on a bit of a B-Corp tour in Berlin lately - in episode no.13 we chatted to the co-founder of soulbottles, which happens to be a B-Corp, too. If you’re not sure what a B-Corp is, there’s a cool video explaining the whole concept in the shownotes for you… QUICK FACTS ABOUT COFFEE CIRCLE Coffee Circle is all about high-quality coffee that’s delivered right to your doorstep. They personally source top single origin coffee directly, from the highlands of Ethiopia, and meanwhile also from lesser known coffee nations like Laos or Myanmar. They follow strict principles and pay the farmers prices far above the world market. And they invest 1 Euro per kg of coffee into social projects in the growing regions, with 100% of all donations going into the projects. So far, Coffee Circle had a positive impact on more than 39.000 people in the growing regions, raising 490.000

This time I unpacked the brain of Paul Kupfer, co-founder and CEO of soulbottles (@soulbottles) - an amazing Berlin-based social startup. What they do? soulbottles produces the world’s cleanest drinking bottles and is on a mission to give people all over the world access to clean drinking water and sanitation. How they do it? Well, by offering soul-lutions through making sustainability cool, fun and sexy. They basically create colorful designs that rock and put them on beautiful glass bottles. On top, soulbottles are 100% made in Germany and 100% free of plastic. I’m very very passionate about clean drinking water, because it is a global issue absolutely solvable! There’s no technology barriers whatsoever, it’s linked to giving access to resources - and everyone of us can really help to make it happen... soulbottles is not only encouraging people to drink tap water & eliminating plastic waste. They also give 1 euro for each bottle sold to Viva Con Agua - a really cool charity that is improving access to c

Finally, I'm releasing the mysteriously missing show no. 4 - an episode from the early days that has never appeared in iTunes before...! I'll explain you more about the story behind that in the intro. Tune in as Claudi spoke to a super bad-ass guest: Benedict from Standert Bicycles in Berlin Mitte. Benedict is a very essential part of the Standert team, a total road bike & fixed gear devotee - and a real Berliner! How about that?! Since they started out in 2012, Standert Bicycles have created an awesome Berlin brand around bicycles they want to ride themselves. Their combo of Since they started out in 2012, Standert Bicycles have created an awesome Berlin brand around bicycles they want to ride themselves. Their combo of store, showroom, workshop and café works super well and has kind of become an open & chillaxed meeting place for the Berlin bicycle tribe. Bicycles are such an essential part of our lives. Of Berlin life! We could not imagine to live in this city without our bikes. For us, it stands f

My guest today is Lisa Jaspers, a passionate social entrepreneur that inspires me so much! She ditched her secure job at one of the worlds biggest charity organizations to follow her heart and start her own ethical brand, FOLKDAYS. FOLKDAYS is a Berlin-based fashion label that empowers artisans from some of the remotest corners in the world to make a living through their handmade crafts. Each time I walk into the store here in Kreuzberg, it’s like going on a little journey to far away lands and cultures. It’s spreading a very positive, colorful, dreamy vibe and takes me to places like Turkey, Cambodia, Nepal, India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Palestine, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru - in total there are 26 artisans from 18 countries involved. Every team member of FOLKDAYS is happy to share the unique stories behind each piece. Lisa even knows all artisans in person, as she travels out to those hidden corners, searching for the most talented craftspeople - and gives them a reason to believe into themselves and their in

Lars Zimmermann (@bricktick) is the founder of the OSCEdays (Open Source Circular Economy) in Berlin. What are the OSCEdays? Well, I think these guys are really creating our future here. From 29th June to 2nd July, they’ll explore how a city without waste would look like. That includes one of my favorite topics: food. Plus, it’s about zero-waste consumption, upcycling fashion, circular design, architecture and so on… The program is full of panels, talks & hands-on workshops on issues like package-free shopping, growing your own mushrooms on waste, compost worms, dying clothes with leftover food, making your own soaps from old frying fat - I know sounds weird - and SO much more. Some of my favorite projects in the city are part of it, too, like Original Unverpackt, the Guerilla Architects with their MehrWert zero waste restaurant, the Tempelhof Community Garden Allemende-Kontor, the guys from Restlos Glücklich, the passionate team of Isla Coffee and and and… Good news: I got 5 FREE 4-day tickets for you. M

This is a very special day - why? Because we are at episode NO 10 of the GreenMe Berlin podcast, yeah!!   Now what’s happening on todays’ show? Well, what would be more fitting to celebrate this special episode than getting the organizer of a very, very unique event in Berlin in front of the mic?   It’s Stefanie from the Green Market Berlin!   The Green Market is Berlin’s first and no. 1 green lifestyle market. It’s running 4 times a year, one for each season. And for the summer edition, it’s moving to a brand new location (which we gonna tell you more about in a bit). There’s usually around 3000 people per day (which could rise quite a lot this year). You can check out around 60 vendors: a whole world full of original vegan street food, fashion, cosmetics, crafts, creative gifts, music, live presentations, workshops, cooking shows, film screenings and so much more. Promise, there’s no activism, no preaching - just heaps of flavor explosions, beautiful products and positive people.   And I’m so excited to hav

A warm welcome to session no. 9 of the GreenMe Berlin podcast. And warm is desperately needed right now - it’s been snowing here in Berlin this week. In the middle of April! That my friends, drives me even more to do the best that I possibly can to stop climate change and help keeping this planet healthy. But, when I think about this dedicated social entrepreneur duo that I’m introducing you to today, my heart is instantly getting much warmer. I cannot wait to share the story of Conflictfood with you. Through one single ingredient, that is grown in a global crisis region, they are opening our eyes for a different story about countries like Afghanistan or Palestine. One that the media don’t tell. And at the same time, help small local farmers to earn a living in a sustainable way. The interview with Conflictfood really touched me, as it deeply links to what I believe in. They show us another side of the world, tell us positive stories of joy and lust for life! If you want to support Conflictfood, the easiest t

Today’s episode is one of those stories, when you hear about them you gonna have your mouth wide open and think “how is this possible”? You know that I love projects that really challenge the status quo, so I made my way to Friedrichshain, walked into the backyard behind Berlin’s famous electro club Watergate, right by the river Spree - to visit Jan Edler, one of the founders of Flussbad Berlin. If you haven't heard of the project, Flussbad is about to create a natural swimming pool in the river Spree, just along the UNESCO site of Museum Island, so in a very static, historic area of the city… you can imagine that some people get excited about - and some throw their hands up in despair. It’s been incredible to meet Jan. He is such a fascinating character & he was so open about everything. He made me see the project in a completely different light: It’s not just gonna be the world’s biggest swimming pool... The swimming is the side effect, but what it’s really about is re-accessing a lost part of our city.

This time, Claudi got Leo from MealSaver in front of the mic for you. What an exciting project! MealSaver is a Berlin-based startup that is passionate about stopping food waste in the gastronomy world. How they do that? With an app that helps food businesses to sell their leftovers & helps us to get a tasty meal for very little money - win, win! From the small bakery around the corner to big hotel chains… the amounts of food that are going to waste every single day are mind boggling. MealSaver only launched in October last year, but what they’ve built up since then is simply amazing. And Leo was such a great person to talk to - he spent time researching about food waste at the uni in Berkeley, California & also got the chance to get a taster of the startup community in Silicon Valley. We chatted about SO many facts, for example: Why a young passionate startup can change something today, while politicians take years The biggest issues around food waste in our society How generation y is developing a n

For the first episode of the year, Claudi checked out a place that you have to put on your list if you’re looking for alternatives to green up your wardrobe: The Upcycling Fashion Store in Berlin Mitte. Chatting to Carina Bischof, one of the 4 owners and founders of the store, Claudi got such deep insights into how our clothes are being made and what upcycling fashion actually means! It stands for more than eco-friendly production: instead of taking new materials, the most forward-thinking designers are now using “waste” - like leftovers from the big textile factories - and turn it into the most stylish, time less pieces ever. There’s so much creativity flowing. It’s about changing perspectives. Using what’s already out there. You learn what it takes to build up a sustainable fashion brand & store in Berlin, why an online store doesn’t replace real customer interaction, how the store built up a movement and became the home base for an entire scene, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right peo

For this episode, Claudi visited Julian Lechner who is the founder and inventor of Kaffeeform - a Berlin backyard startup that is producing reusable coffee cups from recycled coffee grounds. The idea and the story behind it is so brilliant and unique that Kaffeeform is getting a lot of attention and requests from all over the world, from Oslo to Korea. Julian started his business Berlin style: Without money, from a garage, pretty DIY - but with a big portion of passion and belief in his idea. He gave me a tour of the Kaffeeform headquarters in a Kreuzberg backyard and showed me how the production works. If you love coffee, this is adds a whole new level. And if not, I'm very sure you’ll still be inspired and get lots of good take-aways out of it. We talk about how living in Italy changed his life and what it takes to convince doubters of a brilliant idea. Walking back all the way to the first trial and error sessions, we chat about what happened before finding the perfect organic recipe for turning the coffee

I set out to meet passionate tea maker Manu Kumar in his laboratory of goodness, tucked away in a Kreuzberg backyard. We chat about the his secrets for healthy living and why Berlin is so exciting for people with sustainable ideas, visions and dreams. If you're enjoying this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave me a short review on iTunes to help me spread the word. And also send me your feedback to claudi@greenmeberlin.com Do you want to live a greener, healthier, happier life? Then join my 10 Day Challenge: Green Up Your Life. Starting on 10th January 2017. Let's rock this! Lots of love, Claudi    

In this episode of the GreenMe Berlin Podcast, I visited Jonas at himmelbeet, a revolutionary urban garden project in the Wedding neighborhood. He tells us what it takes to create an open green space to meet, share & learn for everyone. If you're enjoying this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave me a short review on iTunes to help me spread the word. And also send me your feedback to claudi@greenmeberlin.com Do you want to live a greener, healthier, happier life? Then join my 10 Day Challenge: Green Up Your Life. Starting on 10th January 2017. Let's rock this!

For episode no.1, I visited Christina Wille, owner & founder of LOVECO - Berlins biggest concept store for eco-fair fashion. Had a great talk about her shop, her passions, beliefs, the fair fashion scene and what it means to go green in Berlin. If you're enjoying this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave me a short review on iTunes to help me spread the word. And also send me your feedback to claudi@greenmeberlin.com Do you want to live a greener, healthier, happier life? Then join my 10 Day Challenge: Green Up Your Life. Starting on 10th January 2017. Let's rock this! Lots of love, Claudi