We support Umweltinstitut München e. V.
The festive season approaches again, and Christmas is just around the corner. In addition to a festive atmosphere and great Christmas parties, this also means that it’s time again for the traditional Christmas donation at jambit. As every year, our jambitees put their heads together, collected ideas and democratically decided which social project or organization will receive our financial support next year.
We are happy to announce that the jambit Christmas donation 2023 will benefit the Umweltinstitut München e.V., which is an Environmental Institute in Munich.
Umweltinstitut München e. V.: independent - critical – engaged since 1986
After the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl in April 1986 and many uncertainties among the population of many countries, a group of engaged citizens and scientists began to work on their own independent measurements of radioactive contamination. In July 1986, they founded the Environmental Institute in Munich.
Since then, the local initiative has grown into a professional environmental organization, which successfully intervenes in the German and European environmental politics. It gets to the bottom of environmental pollution and organizes campaigns and projects for more environmental and climate protection. All those involved always have the goals of 100% organic farming without pesticides and factory farming and an energy transition towards a completely renewable energy production in mind.
The Environmental Institute in Munich is financed by donations and sponsorship contributions to be able to act independently of politics and economy. With our jambit Christmas donation, we enable the Environmental Institute to continue its research, investigate, stay tuned and provide information based on independent measurements and scientific findings. Becoming strong together for future-oriented changes!
How did we discover the Environmental Institute in Munich?
European citizens' initiative "Save bees and farmers"
We came across the European citizens' initiative "Save bees and farmers!" because of our interest in biodiversity and bee mortality and conservation.
Within 30 years the biomass of flying insects shrunk by over 75 percent. One of the main causes of species decline is industrial agriculture, which destroys habitats and endangers the survival of many insect species through the high use of pesticides. The referendum "Save the bees" started in Bavaria in 2018 with the goal of stopping species extinction and ecologizing agriculture. Thanks to the great response, a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) was formed in 2019 together with other organizations from all over Europe with the motto "Save bees and farmers!".
In addition to the survival of insects, the survival of farmers and small farms was also clearly on the agenda. The ECI therefore called for a change in the profit-maximizing system of industrial agriculture, from which small farms suffer just as much as biodiversity:
- Phasing out synthetic pesticides by 2030 and completely by 2035
- Measures for the recovery of biodiversity, such as the revitalization of biotopes in agricultural areas
- Support for farmers by, among other things, expanding sustainable agricultural structures and organic farming
What was achieved thanks to the ECI?
Although the EU Commission didn’t fully accept the ECI's demands, the ECI could play a key role in shaping the EU's agenda in favor of pollinators, biodiversity, and sustainable agriculture. Plans include halving the use of pesticides in the EU by 2030, banning pesticides in protected areas and the planned law on "restoring nature". The ECI also succeeded in bringing the issue of species extinction more into the public eye.
What remains now that the ECI has been completed?
The ECI was supported by an EU-wide alliance of over 240 organizations and led by a core group of nine organizations. This so-called steering group also included the Environmental Institute in Munich. All these organizations, which supported the initiative together, of course continue to work towards the implementation of these and other goals.
It was therefore clear for jambit that we would choose one of the organizations from the steering group for our Christmas donation. The Umweltinstitut München e. V. could score points with its professionalism, exciting and valuable projects planned for 2024 and its regional connection and field of activity. Therefore, the choice wasn’t difficult for us and we are happy that we can support current and future projects with our donation.
What exactly do we support with our jambit Christmas donation?
Pesticide transparency campaign as a goal for 2024
In addition to ongoing campaigns on agriculture, biodiversity and glyphosate, next year the Environmental Institute will focus on the use of pesticides in protected areas and working towards the establishment of a publicly accessible pesticide transparency register.
Since 2011, the occupational use of pesticides must be documented throughout the EU, but Germany has so far failed to record and evaluate this data. The project of the Environmental Institute in Munich aims to eliminate this lack of transparency by disclosing all relevant information on pesticide use in German agriculture. Until now, there has been a lack of knowledge which pesticides are released in what quantities and combinations, when and where. The initiative is committed to ensure that existing data is comprehensively recorded, evaluated and published in a public database. A planned inquiry tool should enable civil society to gain easier access to information on pesticide use in agriculture.
Transparency about pesticide use forms an important basis for a sensible and effective risk evaluation and reduction of pesticide use in general. Therefore, the Environmental Institute wants to reveal the actual exposure of humans and the environment for the first time and thus highlight the need to switch to organic farming without synthetic chemical pesticides. The primary goal remains to reduce environmental and health risks effectively and drastically from pesticide use.
Be like jambit and support the Umweltinstitut München e. V.!
