Ökolöwe – Umweltbund Leipzig

Ökolöwe – Umweltbund Leipzig e.V. is a non-profit registered association based in Leipzig, Germany, dedicated to nature conservation and environmentally sound, ecologically sustainable development of the Leipzig region. It describes itself as a regional platform for environmentally friendly ideas, projects and actions, and it works to influence Leipzig environmental policy. The association has roughly 11 employees and about 1,500 supporters. The organisation's roots lie in the German Democratic Republic. It emerged at the end of 1989 from environmental groups of the church and the Kulturbund. One component of the Ökolöwe is the Umweltbibliothek (environmental library), founded in 1988 within the "AG Umweltschutz" of the Leipzig youth parish, which had been established in 1981. On 23 November 1989, Leipzig environmental groups from the church and the Kulturbund joined to form the Ökolöwe association, and it participated in the Round Tables at the district and city council. In January 1990 it moved into its own rooms in the Haus der Demokratie. The association provides information, advice, education and active support on nature and environmental topics. It operates the Umweltbibliothek Leipzig — described as the largest public institution of its kind run by a free provider in Germany, with around 22,000 media items and about 2,000 users per year — and the Stadtgarten Connewitz, a public display, advice and recreation garden. It also cooperates with other regional environmental associations and citizens' initiatives. Its work spans sustainable mobility, agriculture and nutrition, environmental policy and nature conservation. Notable engagements include the campaign against the clearing of the Leipziger Auwald (riparian forest), the "Mach's leiser" noise-action-planning model project, the "Bio-Bauern über die Schulter geschaut" environmental education project, and the "Essen mit Stil" campaign. The association is supported by donations and Förderer (supporters) and runs a newsletter and online donation channels.

The Ökolöwe – Umweltbund Leipzig has its roots in the German Democratic Republic. It emerged at the end of 1989 from environmental groups of the church and the Kulturbund. One component of the Ökolöwe is the Umweltbibliothek, founded in 1988 within the "AG Umweltschutz" (working group for environmental protection) of the Leipzig youth parish, which had itself been established in 1981. On 23 November 1989, Leipzig environmental groups from the church and the Kulturbund joined together to form the Ökolöwe association, and it worked at the Round Tables at the district and city council. In January 1990 the Ökolöwe moved into its own rooms in the Haus der Demokratie. In its first year, together with the citizens' initiative "Stop Cospuden '90", the Ökolöwe achieved the end of lignite mining in the Cospuden open-cast mine, thereby saving large parts of the southern Auwald (riparian forest). On 9 April 1994, residents and the association opened the Stadtgarten Connewitz with a joint planting action. In mid-September 1997, the City of Leipzig started a one-year traffic experiment on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße with single-lane traffic, parking strips and cycle paths, based on a concept by the Ökolöwe. In autumn 1998 the association accompanied the spatial planning procedure for the Staatsstraße 46. In 2001 the Ökolöwe launched the statewide campaign "Essen mit Stil". A dominant theme in 2002 was the planned felling of trees on the dykes within the Leipzig city area by the Talsperrenmeisterei. After various protest actions and demonstrations through the city centre, a lawsuit in 2003 brought the felling actions to a halt. The prevention of the Staatsstraße 46 and first results of the "Grüne Tore" project followed in 2006. On the association's initiative, the Klima-Allianz Leipzig was founded in 2007. The association continues to operate the Umweltbibliothek Leipzig, described as the largest public institution of its kind run by a free provider in Germany, with around 22,000 media items and about 2,000 users per year. It is supported by the Amt für Umweltschutz, the Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung, the Bürgerstiftung, Stadtwerke Leipzig, Sparkasse Leipzig, the European Social Fund for Germany, the State of Saxony and further donations of media, subscriptions and money. The Stadtgarten Connewitz, originally laid out in the early 1930s as the school garden of the Hildebrandschule, has been transformed since 1993 into a public display, advice and recreation garden, with herb, farm and vegetable gardens, various bed types, a standard orchard area, a pond and a dry stone wall, as well as "insect hotels" and a campfire site. In sustainable mobility, the association runs the model project "Mach's leiser – Mitwirken bei der Lärmaktionsplanung in Leipzig" in cooperation with the offices CivixX and StadtLabor, identifying protected quiet zones and concrete noise problems together with Leipzig residents, with the Umweltbundesamt, the Saxon State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Deutsche Bahn and Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe involved. In agriculture and nutrition, the project "Bio-Bauern über die Schulter geschaut" is part of the association's environmental education offering, visiting kindergartens and schools and organising project days with excursions to organic farms and organic processing businesses, funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture within the Federal Programme for Organic Farming and Other Forms of Sustainable Agriculture (BÖLN). In environmental policy and nature conservation, the association campaigns for the preservation of the Leipziger Auwald, criticising the city's and the Landestalsperrenverwaltung's approach to the flood protection concept that provides for tree felling in the Auwald, and demanding that the rivers in the Auwald not be opened to motorboats and that the expansion of waterways be stopped.

• 2007

  On the association's initiative, the Klima-Allianz Leipzig is founded.

• 2006

  The Staatsstraße 46 is prevented and first results of the "Grüne Tore" project follow.

• 2003

  A lawsuit brings the felling actions to a halt.

• 2002

  The planned felling of trees on dykes in the Leipzig city area becomes a dominant theme.

• 2001

  The Ökolöwe launches the statewide campaign "Essen mit Stil".

• 1998

  In autumn the association accompanies the spatial planning procedure for the Staatsstraße 46.

• 1997

  Mid-September: Leipzig starts a one-year traffic experiment on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße based on an Ökolöwe concept.

• 1994

  On 9 April, residents and the association open the Stadtgarten Connewitz with a joint planting action.

• 1990

  In January the Ökolöwe moves into its own rooms in the Haus der Demokratie; together with "Stop Cospuden '90" it achieves the end of lignite mining at Cospuden.

• 1989

  On 23 November, Leipzig environmental groups of the church and Kulturbund join to form the Ökolöwe association.

• 1988

  The Umweltbibliothek is founded within the AG Umweltschutz.

• 1981

  The "AG Umweltschutz" of the Leipzig youth parish is founded.

Regional non-profit platform for environmental protection and sustainable development in the Leipzig region.

• Umweltbibliothek Leipzig

  The largest public institution of its kind run by a free provider in Germany, with around 22,000 media items and about 2,000 users per year.

• Stadtgarten Connewitz

  A public display, advice and recreation garden with herb, farm and vegetable gardens, orchard, pond, dry stone wall, insect hotels and campfire site.

• Mach's leiser

  A model project on noise action planning in Leipzig, in cooperation with CivixX and StadtLabor.

• Bio-Bauern über die Schulter geschaut

  An environmental education project visiting kindergartens and schools and organising excursions to organic farms.

1. 1Home - Ökolöweoekoloewe.de
2. 2Netiquette - Ökolöweoekoloewe.de
3. 3Ökolöwe – Umweltbund Leipzigwikidata.org
4. 4Ökolöwe – Umweltbund Leipzigde.wikipedia.org