SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING.

How can we shop more sustainably? Where can you actually shop packaging-free in Regensburg? We recently asked ourselves these questions again. Even though we make it a point to go to the market every week, sometimes we just don’t have the time and end up shopping at the supermarket again. And the mountains of waste grow and grow. In Germany, each inhabitant produces an average of 37.4 kilos of plastic waste per year. Put an end to it! We have collected a few tips for you (and for ourselves) to help you shop more sustainably in future.

Here are RegensburgNow’s tips for more sustainable shopping:

The Organic Donaumarkt Regensburg

An organic weekly market has recently opened at Donaumarkt (where there used to be a market for many years). Between 2 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. every Friday, you can now shop sustainably from regional and certified producers in front of the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte. In addition to fruit, vegetables and eggs, there is also cheese, meat, wine, oil and many other everyday products. Food truck and coffee stand included. We were there for the opening on March 18, 2022 and are already big fans!

The eco box

We have been receiving the Kößnach organic box of fresh vegetables once a week for two years now – and we are absolutely delighted. The organic box is delivered directly to our front door. You can check online in advance to see what’s in the box and, if you want, you can simply reorder. You can also decide which vegetables or fruit should always be included or which you don’t want in the box at all. You can also order cheese, milk, sausage, meat and more. On the homepage www.oekokiste-koessnach.de there is also a section “Too good for the garbage can – Together against food waste”. There you can order 2nd choice vegetables or fruit. A great thing!

Weekly markets

The large weekly market takes place every Saturday from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Alter Kornmarkt. You can find almost everything you need there: fruit and vegetables, cheese, sausage, meat, eggs, bread, honey, wine and much more. There is also a small farmers’ market on Bismarckplatz on Saturdays from 9.00 am. Every Wednesday there is the Katharinen market in Stadtamhof from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. There are also the following markets: – in Kumpfmühl (Kumpfmühler Straße 48-50, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 6.00 to 12.00) – the Altmühlstraße farmers’ market on Thursday from 13.00 to 17.00 – in Burgweinting at the BUZ (Friedrich-Viehbacher-Allee 3-5) Wednesday from 13.30 to 17.30 – the potato market at Unterer Wöhrd (Wöhrdstraße 48 – 54) on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7.00 to 12.00 – and the aforementioned organic dona market on Fridays from 14.00 to 19.30 in front of the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (House of Bavarian History).

Fruit and vegetable stands

Fruit and vegetables are available from Monday to Saturday at Neupfarrplatz, on Sundays you will find a stand in front of the main station. Simply take a shopping net or a cloth bag with you and save waste.

Farm stores

Farm stores are also a great way to shop without packaging. For example in Ostengasse at the farm store Obsthof Geiger (Ostengasse 23) or in Nürnbergerstrasse at Gemüse Graf (Nürnberger Str. 351A) or at Josef Köstlmeier (Nürnberger Str. 342 ) or in Graß at Biohof Biersack (Brunnstrasse 31).

Packaging-free store

You can find almost everything in unpackaged stores that is available in traditional supermarkets. All you have to do is bring your own containers, such as screw-top jars, stainless steel boxes or cloth bags, and fill them with pasta, lentils or other items. In Regensburg, “Füllgut – Die Mehrwegerei” in Obere Bachgasse 21 is the store where all goods are unpackaged. Furthermore, the food is certified organic and sourced from regional producers wherever possible. The toiletries are washable, contain no microplastics and are mostly vegan.

Bulk shopping

The English word “bulk” means mass or quantity and the term “bulk shopping” simply describes buying large quantities of certain foods at once to reduce the amount of waste. For example, you buy a large canister of oil and pour some into a smaller bottle. Pasta, rice, cereals, flour, tea and all other dry foods are ideal for stockpiling. Simply seal the packaging airtight or transfer it to containers with lids so that the supplies last a long time.

Food Coop

Among other things, Transition Regensburg offers a food cooperative. If you join this group, you can purchase eggs and honey as well as vegetables. Every foodcoop member can collect their weekly order from the “vegetable store” in the Transition Base. Apart from additional orders such as eggs and honey, members pay 5, 10, 15 or 20 euros, depending on their requirements. A price list for the individual vegetables is available in the vegetable cellar.

Vantastic Store in Regensburg

A purely vegan grocery store has also recently opened in the old town. Under the Schwibbögen 13.

Solidarity agriculture

If you want to do even more, we recommend joining a community-supported agriculture (SoLaWi). In a SoLaWi, a fixed group of customers share the work, costs, risk and harvest of farming. In Regensburg, for example, there is the SoLaWiR e.V. association, which cultivates a field in Kareth.

“It always seems impossible until it is done.” (Nelson Mandela)

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