Sustainable Düsseldorf? Say what? When you arrive in Düsseldorf and Google ‘Life in Düsseldorf’ (if you don’t come to this website first), you may often find a lot of information about art, culture, and shopping. What many people don’t know is that there’s an entirely new side to Düsseldorf that focuses on green living and sustainability.
We have Bianca Zvorc Morris with us today, owner of BeeZeeEcoLand.com writing about the 8 reasons she loves Düsseldorf’s growth in sustainability. It is her hope that she can show others how to explore a more sustainable Dusseldorf.
Shopping Tip: If you’re a sustainability fanatic, you’ll need to check out Green Picks, it’s an amazing eco and upcycling market online – they make something out of everything! Even if you’re not a shopper, it’s a really cool website to check out.
Energy Tip: If you want to do a little more for our sweet earth, consider switching to biogas. Naturstrom can actually be a lot cheaper than normal electricity providers, so if you’re saving money and being more sustainable, why not?
1. Düsseldorf Parks
I truly love the fact that the city has so many parks and water spots. A couple of my favorites include Schlosspark Benrath, the grounds around Schloss Kalkum, watching the green parrots fly by in the Hofgarten, and taking my dogs for a walk in one of the cities wide-open meadows.
Tip: Please respect nature. Any rubbish you leave behind in the summer in the bushes will be extremely visible in the winter. Help protect the wildlife around the parks and avoid loud noises (fireworks, yelling, etc.)
2. Beaches on the Rhine
Going for a walk is a pleasure in this city because of the beautiful beaches and ample green space. I go out daily for walks with my dogs for about 1-2 hours towards Paradiesstrand, in winter and rain, it is wonderful there.
Tip: It’s lovely to be able to drink, eat, and be merry along the beaches edge, but please take your trash with you and avoid smashing glass bottles. Yes, the city cleans much of it up on the main stretch but leaves a lot of it behind in the more remote areas.
3. Leash FREE Areas
It is truly wonderful to have a leash-free zone for your dogs in Düsseldorf, especially since I am used to having the dogs off the leash at certain times in the old city (Central Park in NYC).
Here are some fantastic areas to let your furry babies run free in Düsseldorf:
- Alter Bilker Friedhof
- Grünanlage Raüscher Weg
- Merkurstraße
- Muarice-Ravel-Park
- Hanielpark
- Schillerplatz
- Zoopark
- For more information, click here
If you want to learn more about the best dog walking spots in the city, check out Life in Düsseldorf’s recent post: 5 of the Coolest Places for Dog Walking in Düsseldorf
4. Sheep instead of Lawnmowers
I find this a truly neat solution to the problem of grass overgrowth around the Rhein coastal areas. It is a neat way to keep the city green and nature alive.
Question: It would be cool to write a feature about the owner of the sheep. Do you know more about the story? Are they fed extra in the winter? Do they get water and shade in the summer?
5. Vegan Restaurants
Almost every restaurant in Düsseldorf has some sort of vegan option. Düsseldorf is apparently the second biggest vegan-friendly city in Germany.
Are you vegan? Here’s a great list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the city: HappyCow
Some of my favorites include:
- SattGrün: Nice ambiance, friendly staff, fast self-service and fantastic prices.
- Our family enjoys vegan yogurt at Yomaro!
- We also enjoy Hans im Glück for vegan burgers,
- and the vegan burritos at Chidonkey
6. Local Mini Markets and Stands
I love to support local farmers and Düsseldorf is truly great with that. Every neighborhood has few and if you look around (especially on Fridays) you’ll likely find plenty of farmers markets around your area! Not to mention, these products are also often much fresher and taste better.
7. Cheap Organic, Natural and Vegan Cosmetics, Detergents, and Products
In many commercial stores, you can find decent vegan, organic and natural cosmetics and detergents (like EcoWear, Frosch, Method, Lavera, Alverde, Weleda, P2 nail polishes, and much more), even superstores such as Edeka and Rewe carry a decent selection.
If you have a little one a home, Mabyen, a local business here in Düsseldorf, sells some amazing natural creams and oils for babies.
Tip: a great idea is to buy a reusable bottle to avoid the usage of one-time plastics being spread all over the city.
8. Sustainable, Ethical Clothing Shops
Being an ethical (fair trade+vegan+social) and healthy (organic+natural+healthy colors and prints) fashion guru myself, it was important for me to find brands like this in Düsseldorf.
I like Hessnatur, while they are not 100% vegan-friendly, they are a more sustainable and stylish shop in the city.
Germany has been flooded in the last few years with new sustainable fashion shops.
Give a helping hand: Many shops in Germany still aren’t completely fair trade, vegan, organic, and natural. If you shop in sustainable and ethical clothing shops in Düsseldorf, give them a nudge and let them know that you’d love it if they offered more variety from these collections.
