Neustrelitz (dpa/mv) - The city of Neustrelitz (Mecklenburg Lake District) is the first municipality in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to join an initiative to protect water - the Blue Community. By joining, cities have committed themselves, among other things, to keeping water services in public hands and giving preference to tap water over bottled water. At the same time, access to clean drinking water and sanitation with water is recognized as a human right. The alternative Nobel Prize winner and water activist Maude Barlow presented the certificate for joining the initiative to the Neustrelitz city administration on Friday.
In Germany, several major cities such as Hamburg, Berlin and Munich have joined the Blue Community. The international initiative wants to promote the resource-saving use of water, it was founded by the Canadian Barlow. During her visit, Barlow also toured the State Center for Renewable Energy, where, among other things, an installation to protect the oceans against plastic waste was set up.
Neustrelitz also covers about 90 percent of the demand for electricity and heat from bioenergy. The organic share, which is high in comparison to other municipalities, is achieved through a biomass cogeneration plant operated by the public utility company, in which wood chips are burned, solar parks on former military areas, as well as biogas plants and private photovoltaic systems. The state eco-centre was opened in 2012, is supported by the public utility company and recently had around 10,000 guests a year.
