TransRegINT at the sustainability market in Rees

Saturday morning in Rees: the town centre is packed with pedestrians and cyclists. Finding a parking space for your car in the town centre is almost hopeless because it’s the weekly market. On the last Saturday in August, the market area doubled in size as Fridays for Future Rees hosted its 5th sustainability market. For the first time, we had our own stand to present our TransRegINT project and our work.

Florian Gaisrucker, our Innovation Manager Society, is delighted about the opportunity to take part: ‘Transformation is not possible without participation. The sustainability market in Rees is therefore an ideal opportunity for us to engage in dialogue with people, gather ideas and get a general impression of what moves people with regard to the sustainable development of their region.’ One of the people he spoke to in Rees made a particularly memorable comment: ‘Yes, we’re already doing something, but it’s not happening fast enough.’

Miriam Drazek and René König from the LabLandscapes team accompanied Florian Gaisrucker to the sustainability market. “Our aim is to pass on knowledge and research to the outside world and pick up new ideas. At the sustainability market, we were able to provide information and listen in an informal atmosphere,” says Miriam Drazek. René König adds: ‘Not only have we been able to make TransRegINT better known – events such as the sustainability market also give us a more direct line to the population. This gives us new and important perspectives.’

Sustainability quiz encourages reflection

More than ten stands were on site. It was a colourful mix of nationally known associations and groups as well as local initiatives that provided information about the various aspects of sustainability on the square in front of the Rees Bürgerhaus. Despite the summer temperatures, there was a lively atmosphere. We invited visitors to take part in a sustainability quiz. The reward was a jar of regional honey.

Five questions from the TransRegINT sustainability quiz had to be answered. The adult version, for example, asked which city was the first in the world to introduce a city toll in 1975. The children’s quiz was about the circular economy, among other things. One question here was: What would no longer be necessary if all things in the world were reused and recycled? Some of the questions were perplexing and thought-provoking. The tenor of many participants was accordingly: ” You don’t even think about it normally!”

“When people understand what we are dealing with in our project, we get a positive response,” reflects Florian Gaisrucker. “The sustainability market in Rees has hopefully helped to close gaps in understanding and make our commitment to sustainability and change more transparent.”

By the way: Singapore was the first city to introduce the city toll in 1975. And if all things in the world were reused and recycled, then waste incineration would no longer be necessary. Would you have known?