Everyone’s green journey starts somewhere. While it's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the information, it's also simple for individuals to begin making a positive impact.

Embracing a greener lifestyle isn't just about helping to plant trees and preserve biodiversity, it can also mean improving health, saving money, and, ultimately, improving overall quality of life.

Many of our team members were already eco-conscious in their personal lives well before CEPA launched its climate initiative in 2018, which aligned perfectly with our organization's new goals. 

Goal in 2024:

• The CEPA team in Germany has transitioned to a paper-reduced environment across all of its departments, if something needs to be printed, we will start using recycled paper, the water in the office will be delivered in recyclable bottles, and organic trash will be picked up for composting.
• The CEPA team in Strasbourg is participating in climate awareness training and the facility operations will be offset starting this year.

Francesca

Growing up I was educated to waste recycling and my family uses exclusively hybrid cars to reduce emissions.

Personally, I tend to choose public transport over the car, and where it´s possible I move by bike. I purchase almost exclusively in thrift stores, and I avoid flying, often opting for longer night trips instead.

Julia

In the past I used to fly from Berlin to cities like Brussels or Paris, but now I mostly take the train or bus to travel through Europe within reasonable distances. I often buy second-hand clothes, books as well as household items as they’re much cheaper and still in great shape, sometimes you can find rare treasures this way. And if I don’t need something anymore, I sell it or give it away. Depending on availability in my location, I use apps like TooGoodToGo or foodsharing options.

Julia

Conny

We are using a photovoltaic system to produce our own electricity and barely have to use electricity from other sources. Additionally, we also have a solar system to produce hot water. We are having a rain cistern to collect rain water, which we use e.g. for doing our laundry.
In our garden, we use a compost and the yield is again used in our garden to plant flowers, vegetables and herbs. We are also trying as much as possible to less use the car and do more by foot or bike.

Marion

Myriam

I use energy saving lightbulbs and don't heat up the rooms when I'm not home. I make sure to turn down the heating when I open the windows. I recycle garbage as best as I can. I buy organic products when it comes to meat or dairy products.

Lena

At home, I use green powered electricity and energy-saving lightbulbs. When it comes to food, I only eat little meat and buy organic products, especially for eggs and dairy products. Additionally, I try to avoid the use of plastic bags as much as possible and buy products that have recyclable packaging.

Heide

We have solar panels on our roof which heat our water tank and have different solar panels to produce electricity for our own use. Our house is insulated and most electrical appliances are energy efficient. We air dry all of our laundry and don't own a dryer. We try to buy as much of our food from local farms. We look for organic and Fair Trade products at the store. We walk or use our bikes whevever possible instead of the car. 

We recycle and buy used as much as possible, whether it is clothes or items in the house and garden. We also think consciously about investing in quality goods and using them as long as possible, repairing instead of replacing them whenever possible. We also consider how much we really need and avoid "fast-fashion" and unnecessary purchases. The less, the better.

Silke

During the renovations of our house, we added special solar panels to our roof to heat our water (incl. water for the heating).
We built a new roof with additional isolations, installed triple-glazed windows, and added special isolation to our outer walls.
The energy we buy from our electricity provider is produced from renewable energy sources. All electrical appliances, as well as light bulbs we use and buy, have a very low power demand. We also try to support the local production of foods as much as possible and have a little garden where we grow vegetables and fruit.