The range of topics covered by the festival organisers was as varied as the park landscape in northern Potsdam: “bite-sized” tips on zero-waste cooking and talks on balcony power stations alternated with information on medicinal herbs in winter, science slams and interactive theatre. The programme highlights were planned with the academic support of the University of Potsdam and, despite being held in late September, were presented in almost summer temperatures.
However, Environmental Festival attendees were not only provided with academic expertise by the local university. The German Environment Agency (UBA), which is responsible for establishing and developing the Basic Award Criteria for the German federal government’s ecolabel, also offered background information and insights into Germany’s oldest ecolabel in personal conversations around the Blue Angel cargo bike.
One festival day, two ecolabels on site
The German federal government’s ecolabel stand, which had already proven successful over the spring and summer months, was set up for one final time this outdoor season in the middle of the Volkspark to offer information sessions and quiz activities. There, many visitors, including a large number of families who had made their way to the Volkspark right at the start of the festival in the morning, were greeted by stands representing not one but two ecolabels: the Blue Angel had positioned its stand, featuring a specially created memory game, several quiz rounds and a paper-making station for children, right next to that of the EU Ecolabel. A look into the empty cargo bike at the end of the Sunday perfectly symbolised the close of this year’s outdoor season: all of the giveaway bags printed in spring, along with their environmentally friendly contents, had been handed out, and the cargo bike is now ready for its next outing in spring 2026.
This year’s Environmental Festival was presented by the state capital Potsdam, ProPotsdam GmbH, Stadtwerke Potsdam GmbH and Volkspark Potsdam.