Reduce, reuse, recycle - the German way

While in Malta we are still contemplating how to separate waste at source, the Germans are light years ahead and are trying to find the best means to recycle used mobile phones.

But this comes as no surprise when speaking of one of the pioneering countries that has, over the years, adopted the best technologies for the environment.

Journalists from The Sunday Times and other countries were recently invited on familiarisation visit to Munich and Berlin to experience at first hand the German "globalisation, environmental protection and new technologies."

One thing that distinguishes the Germans from their European counterparts is their strict 'green' mentality.

In Germany there is broad consensus on the need for renewable energies and the vast majority of the citizens are prepared to abide by any new environmental regulation - unlike the Maltese, who seem so resistant to change.

Go to any village, town or city, and you will see the people carefully dumping their waste in the appropriate bin, be it glass, paper or household waste.

The majority are aware of the impact that development has on the environment and are convinced that something had to be done if they wanted to avert environmental disasters.

The reunification of Germany uncovered several problems in the environment, and the government had to deal with several new factors, such as air pollution. But several years on, Berlin now boasts the enviable title of Europe's cleanest capital.

The visit to Munich coincided with IFAT - the world's largest trade fair for waste disposal and the environment. The fair encompasses the areas of water, sewage, refuse and recycling, and provides a platform for discussions on environmental issues.

Following the deregulation of the energy and electricity market, the Germans are now moving towards the privatisation of local-authority water supply and sewage operations.

In a number of European cities like Brussels or Milan, raw sewage is either still being pumped into the rivers or they are burdened with inadequate sewage treatment systems, German officials explained.

The Bavarian Ministry of Environment has set up a technology transfer office, to serve as a contribution to improve drinking water supplies and waste water disposals in other countries.

An interesting concept currently being explored in Germany is that of hydrogen-powered cars. Journalists were given an idea of how this system works during a visit to the world's first public filling station for liquid and gaseous hydrogen at Munich International Airport.

In principle, the hydrogen engine is nothing other than a machine that uses water for its fuel to eliminate the emission of dangerous emissions. And what is more, many experts predict that in the long run fossil energy resources will run out, so the alternative hydrogen is an ideal option.

Another visit took us to the Munich traffic monitoring system where we were shown how the traffic on the roads, ranging over 2,000 km of highway, is controlled.

This system also focuses on finding the best ways and means to maximise safety and capacity on the roads - something we Maltese can learn a lot from.

Big electronic displays along the roads are an excellent means of instructing drivers about the weather and road conditions, to the extent that traffic accidents have been reduced by about a third since the introduction of this device.

During the visit to Berlin, journalists also toured the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and the Federal Environmental Agency which confirmed the environmental strategies.

At a meeting held at the Federal German Parliament, Green MP Winfried Hermann stressed the remarkable contribution his party had made to bringing about change to the environment.

The Greens in Germany form part of the coalition government and were the perfect "excuse" for the Schroeder administration to carry out all the environmental reforms.

Environmental protection in Germany now encompasses a broad spectrum of statutory rules, limits and regulations.

Mr Hermann said that despite the increase in traffic and machinery, the level of the pollutant CO2 in Germany had decreased drastically in the last 10 years.

Thanks to eco-taxes, which have raised the price of fuel, oil and electricity, the Germans have had no choice but to opt for cleaner energies.

The introduction of the Waste Water Charges Act, which imposed a charge on the emission of pollutants and nutrients into the water, was redirected towards water protection measures.

The German government promotes not just the use of energy-saving technology, but also invests intensively in renewable energy sources, especially solar energy and wind power.

For a country where the sun shines far less than in Malta, the Germans have worked wonders. Now, an estimated 100,000 households in Germany make use of solar energy.

The visit to Germany was capped by a visit to the Biospharenreservat Schorfheide Chorin, an ecosystem of unspoiled nature in the east side of the country, on the border with Poland.

The main concept behind the biosphere reserve is the consideration of human impact on the environment and is meant to encourage developers to work in a sustainable manner.

And what's more, the area is spared from any sort of hunters and birds of every kind can fly freely over the clear skies.

(The visit was made possible by the Goethe Institut, through the German Embassy in Malta).