This can happen if you want to travel in a sustainable way.
For example, in Freiburg, a city that likes to claim to be a leader
in ecology and sustainability in Germany.
Well, let me start from the beginning.
This is the train that takes me straight to Freiburg.
Traveling and filming in a sustainable way — that's what we’re trying to do on Check-in this time.
We are paying special attention to our energy consumption.
For example, taking the train instead of traveling by plane.
It takes longer, but it also means we get to see more of the countryside.
I'm on my way from Leipzig to Freiburg.
The city in the extreme southwest of Germany is considered to be particularly eco-friendly.
Freiburg is also called the Green City.
Well, what does that actually mean?
And what are the consequences for me as a traveler?
That's exactly what I would like to find out today.
Of course, here in Freiburg, I want to be eco-friendly too.
In addition to public transportation, there’s a good network of bike paths across the city.
Check-in editor Andreas and our camerawoman Elisabeth borrow bikes too.
Since we don’t rent a car, we save big on fuel.
Bicycle traffic in Freiburg has priority over cars!
That has a long tradition here.
But cyclists also have to be considerate, because pedestrians have the right of way
in the historical city center.
I get a little city tour from Ulrike Peissl.
She first leads me to the square in front of Freiburg’s historic town hall.
Here, as everywhere across the city, you can find a narrow brook.
I’ve noticed this little tripping hazard in the city.
What’s it all about?
Our “Bächle” are really important.
The main reason these gutters were built back in the 12th century
was to have water in the city to put out fires.
Do other cities have them too?
Lots of other cities had them.
But most places have filled them in, because of course they’re a hazard.
But Freiburg wanted to preserve its Bächle system and really fought for that in the 1970s.
This lovely building from the 16th century is called the Whale House.
It became so famous because Erasmus of Rotterdam lived here for two years.
Erasmus, the great philosopher and freethinker.
The everyday sustainability that is almost taken for granted in Freiburg can be found on Münsterplatz.
Here you will find many regional products from farmers in the area at the weekday market.
Right next to the market stalls at the entrance to the minster,
you could measure whether the goods were appropriate.
This isn’t for a pizza; it’s the unit of measurement for a container with this circumference and this height,
and was used to measure grain.
This is the measure for a wooden beam.
And this one’s interesting: it’s a forearm.
You can measure yours here.
People in Freiburg had really big forearms.
Look. It fits!
The next stop on my sustainable trip to Freiburg is a guided tour through the Vauban district.
Alternative, sustainable housing has been built on the site of former military barracks
since the 1990s.
It took a lot of initiative.
The buildings here were actually founded by students as an association.
They organized it completely on their own, got the financing going themselves,
and still manage it themselves.
The residents must balance their own budget.
They see how high the rents must be in order to have enough money coming in,
what needs to be done for the building’s upkeep…
Sounds interesting!
So I choose how high my rent is?
Yeah…!
How many people actually say Faubahn instead of Vauban?
Surely there are some!
The name of the district goes back to a French fortress builder who also worked in Freiburg
in the 18th century.
Vauban!
Vauban. Exactly!
While strolling through Vauban, I notice that the houses are very different from one another.
In addition to the converted barracks, there are many new buildings that allow a wide variety
of living and working conditions.
It is also noticeable that there are hardly any cars.
They’re stowed away in a parking garage.
Solar panels on the roof help to generate energy.
And directly opposite you’ll find the heart of the district’s largely self-sufficient energy supply.
This is a block-type thermal power plant.
That’s good because it produces not just heat, but electricity too.
So it has a dual function.
And it runs on renewable raw materials — in this case, woodchips
— finely chopped wood as biomass.
There’s a lot of wood in this area, being in the Black Forest, which can be used for that.
It shows that it really is possible to source renewable raw materials locally.
It generates heat as well as power for all the households and homes built in this quarter,
so it really is the local power plant.
Why are the chickens here?
That’s a good question…
I think they’re the residents who are happiest to be photographed.
With the other Vauban "residents," I’m not so sure!
Freiburg even has a sustainability manager since autumn 2020.
Sebastian Backhaus is supposed to ensure that the city does not rest on the laurels of the past,
such as the showcase district of Vauban.
Freiburg has been a pioneer in Germany in terms of sustainability for years.
Cycling, solar energy, the Vauban district.
Well, what's next?
Three years ago, Freiburg’s city hall reopened, as the world’s first public building
to meet the net PlusEnergy standard.
We also have the construction of the new SC Freiburg soccer stadium,
which should be a climate neutral operation.
Then there’s a huge project: we’re planning a completely new district called Dietenbach.
It will be a fully climate-neutral quarter with a very innovative climate and mobility concept.
That’s a huge undertaking.
In Freiburg we still have a way to go, since affordable housing is so scarce.
We must ensure something happens there.
Much thought is going into that with this new district.
Thank you.
This is one of the tourist offerings in Freiburg: A longboard tour.
Of course, you can rent these too.
Sightseeing in a different way.
The important thing is to put your weight on the front leg.
Through this hip here, you feel your way onto the board.
But I also want to look cool, I mean, we're filming.
That’s what it’s all about in the media today: playing it cool.
Here it’s about the feeling.
Once you feel it, you can play around with it.
Hip forward… axis of rotation…
Don't surf, don't look cool, don't have fun.
Anyway, I can do it, I'll just try it.
Okay, here we go.
I tried the longboard a little before my trip to Freiburg, but I'm actually a complete beginner.
The tour from the Himmelreich train station to Freiburg — around 15 kilometers —
leads through the natural landscape of the Black Forest.
I'm getting brave, I could do a trick.
Oh, this is too fast…
To travel in a sustainable way means, above all, to plan a little more time.
I just love riding the bike!
But that's also what traveling is about!
Not only about reaching the destination as quickly as possible,
but also embracing the journey.
You see more and you’re moving.
We are now bringing back the bikes and taking the train home.
And maybe this is also THE occasion right now.
So we can use this break during the pandemic to reflect on our own travel behavior.
So: Less energy wasting and more appreciation.
Don’t you think so?
Well! Bye, bye.
See you next time, here on Check-in!