updates:
OUR TREES ARE HAPPY ABOUT WATER
INFORMATION ABOUT WATERING CAN BE FOUND HERE.
a tip: tap (a tip: tap water) is a non-profit association that campaigns for tap water and against plastic waste and thus for an ecologically sustainable lifestyle. With the project Wasserkiez (water neighbourhood) Neukölln, a tip: tap is making the northern Donaustraße tap water friendly. The densely built-up neighbourhood is home to 8,500 people with different cultural backgrounds. We are seizing upon this and will be campaigning for people's health and for urban green spaces until the end of 2025 with intercultural activities
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We have set ourselves a lot of goals:
Drinking tap water is healthy and cheap. That is why we want tap water to be available and accessible to all, even outside the home. We can achieve this with more drinking fountains in public spaces, drinking dispensers in daycare centres, schools and in the town hall or refill stations in local shops. To ensure that these offers are also accepted, we engage in exchanges with the residents. We clarify questions, clear up prejudices and share ideas on how to integrate tap water drinking into everyday life.
In Donaukiez, people with very different cultural backgrounds live in a dense space. There are original Berliners, people from Turkey, Serbia, Italy, Morocco or even Bavaria. In all cultures, water has an important role as a source of nourishment and a resource. Everyone can think of a story about water. We want to use this to strengthen the sense of community in the neighbourhood through the topic of water.
Along Donaustraße there are lots of trees with their tree grates. These green residents are important for quality of life and air, especially since there is no park in the neighbourhood. On hot summer days, they provide shade and moisture. If there is a downpour in the neighbourhood, trees and tree grates serve as rain reservoirs. Reason enough to value them. But trees also need care. Infrequent rainfall and sealed surfaces make our green neighbours thirsty. We want to create a watering culture to support them. Tree grates also offer the opportunity for much more greenery. That's why we plant and maintain them together with the neighbourhood and thus contribute to more time being spent on the streets of the neighbourhood.
Of course, we cannot accomplish this mission alone. A lot of partner organisations with many years of experience in the neighbourhood are at our side.
Drinking tap water is healthy and cheap. That is why we want tap water to be available and accessible to all, even outside the home. We can achieve this with more drinking fountains in public spaces, drinking dispensers in daycare centres, schools and in the town hall or refill stations in local shops. To ensure that these offers are also accepted, we engage in exchanges with the residents. We clarify questions, clear up prejudices and share ideas on how to integrate tap water drinking into everyday life.
In Donaukiez, people with very different cultural backgrounds live in a dense space. There are original Berliners, people from Turkey, Serbia, Italy, Morocco or even Bavaria. In all cultures, water has an important role as a source of nourishment and a resource. Everyone can think of a story about water. We want to use this to strengthen the sense of community in the neighbourhood through the topic of water.
Along Donaustraße there are lots of trees with their tree grates. These green residents are important for quality of life and air, especially since there is no park in the neighbourhood. On hot summer days, they provide shade and moisture. If there is a downpour in the neighbourhood, trees and tree grates serve as rain reservoirs. Reason enough to value them. But trees also need care. Infrequent rainfall and sealed surfaces make our green neighbours thirsty. We want to create a watering culture to support them. Tree grates also offer the opportunity for much more greenery. That's why we plant and maintain them together with the neighbourhood and thus contribute to more time being spent on the streets of the neighbourhood.
Of course, we cannot accomplish this mission alone. A lot of partner organisations with many years of experience in the neighbourhood are at our side.
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Why we do it:
Bottled water consumption has increased more than tenfold since the 1970s. We want to reverse this trend - for us, this is the water transition. We think it is absurd that people in Germany buy bottled water despite having top quality tap water. By switching to tap water plastic waste, CO2, and transport routes can be reduced and money can be saved. Drinking tap water is also so easy and healthy that everyone can join in immediately and make a positive contribution to a more sustainable world. In addition to more than 9 billion litres of water in disposable bottles per year in Germany (source: Federal Environment Agency 2019), around 3 million tonnes of CO2 can also be saved across Germany by switching to tap water - according to an extrapolation based on a study commissioned by us (GUTcert 2020), which has attracted nationwide attention. In Berlin alone, the climate can be relieved of more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2. Especially for children and young people, tap water is an important alternative to sugary drinks, which needs to be further promoted in educational institutions. |
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REASONS FOR DRINKING TAP WATER
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Tap water is of top quality Thanks to the Drinking Water Ordinance, tap water is very strictly controlled. In Germany, we have the privilege of getting some of the best water in the world simply from the tap. Independent tests such as those conducted by "Stiftung Warentest" regularly confirm this. |
