Ecology at Hessentag: from sheep breeding to straw house construction

At the Hessentag in Pfungstadt there are numerous environmental tips and lots of nature to marvel at. It opened on Friday. Here is the program for the coming days.

Building a single-family house out of straw, creating a barefoot path out of seagrass, jute, sheep’s wool and cork, building a beehive out of cans, breeding a sheep – these are just a few examples of green and environmentally friendly projects that can be found at the Hessentag in Pfungstadt. The 60th state festival opened on Friday and lasts until June 11th. People looking for ecological inspiration have come to the right place. Especially in the special show “On the trail of nature” you will find a lot of input in a small space.

The site of the special exhibition “On the Trail of Nature” covers two hectares and was opened by Hesse’s Environment Minister Priska Hinz (Greens) on Friday morning. Whoever enters the large white tent in the middle of the special show area cannot help but be amazed: A small forest has been laid out there with paths, sandy meadows, ferns, reeds, a trickle, wooden benches, a wooden bridge, aviaries for little owls and barn owls as well as a feeding shelter. Informative yellow signs along the paths show, for example, the consequences of climate change for the forest.

The Beekeepers’ Association provides information along the way about the life and work of the honey bee, and the Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology shows visitors what they can do to protect insects. Free audio samples included, where you can listen to the voices of the insects. The tables and chairs at the food station in the tent are on a real lawn, the counter is made of wood, as are the benches in front of the tent.

Sheep graze on the outdoor area, chickens peck, chainsaws are started: nature conservation organizations and associations present themselves there in creative designs. With a mini stream, for example, the Hessian Landgesellschaft draws attention to its project “100 wild streams for Hesse”, with which it supports municipalities in the renaturation of watercourses. The animal protection association asks to look for the fawn in a real knee-high meadow. and thus draws farmers’ attention to wildlife-friendly mowing.

The rural women give “eleven tips for a more sustainable everyday life”, show how to prepare fruit and vegetables according to the seasonal calendar and how to “use food instead of wasting it”. “Most food waste is not generated in the catering trade or in retail, but in our private households,” explains Andrea Göbel from the Darmstadt district association. You can even take recipes home with you if you want.

NABU has instructions for upcycling projects: owls made from toilet paper rolls, bee houses made from cans, bird feeders made from Tetra-Paks. In addition, the conservationists also advise on near-natural gardens and nesting aids. The Hessian Farmers’ Association has created small flower strips with grain and thus shows the difference between barley, wheat, rye and oats. The topic of solar energy is a big thing at Entega. Here everyone can learn how to produce solar power themselves.

The sawmill association, on the other hand, is very modern. There, everyone can sit in a chair with joysticks and screens – a sawmill simulator usually available to aspiring woodworking mechanics. “The only one in Germany,” says the stand. The association has a massive problem with apprentices and wants to use this to attract junior staff.

The topics of ecology and the environment are very important at the Hessentag, and the city as organizer has also made its ecological contribution – even if such a mass spectacle cannot be organized in an environmentally friendly way. “We’re trying to make everything a bit greener,” says Mayor Patrick Koch (SPD). The traffic planning is designed for a 30 percent public transport share, he explains. There are almost no chemical toilets on the site, the toilet facilities are “compost toilets or other toilet systems”. 90 percent of the electricity requirement is covered by green electricity from the Darmstadt provider Entega, but the remaining ten percent have to be generated by diesel-powered generators because the power grid is not sufficient for the power peaks that are required in the Sparkassen-Arena. The city has created a lark window so that the skylark has a retreat that they would otherwise have in the field areas that now serve as parking lots. An area on the Modau was closed because the dragonflies have their refuge there. Two years ago, the city commissioned farmers to sow grass on the fields that were needed for the Hessentag. “They were cooperative, although they were not enthusiastic and would rather grow grain,” says the mayor, and speculates that the 60th Hessentag in his city is the most ecological of all time.