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Food distribution in the vegan cafeteria of the TU Berlin
Photo: Monika Skolimowska / dpa
On Mondays, meat is no longer on the table and otherwise schnitzel and meatloaf will be in the minority in the future: In Berlin canteens, the food is to become more ecological from the winter semester.
"The new nutrition concept was developed in particular because students repeatedly approached us with the desire to make the food in the cafeterias even more climate-friendly," says Daniela Kummle from the Studierendenwerk.
Meat and fish will only make up four percent of the menu in the future, the rest of the menu will be vegetarian or vegan.
According to Kummle, a vegan, so-called climate meal, made from fresh, seasonal main ingredients has been served in the large cafeterias for almost ten years.
"This is characterized by a particularly low CO2 footprint."
Climate protection is becoming more and more an issue at Berlin universities.
The Humboldt University wants to become climate neutral by 2030 and has now hired two climate protection managers.
The Technical University is planning climate neutrality by 2045. For this purpose, buildings are to be refurbished in terms of energy efficiency, among other things.
Hundreds of employees also want to forego short-haul flights on business trips and have signed a voluntary commitment to do so.
"We have pushed the topic of climate protection significantly forward over the past four years," says Hans-Ulrich Heiss, TU Vice President for Teaching, Digitization and Sustainability.
Outwardly, the commitment was particularly visible when members of the Presidium walked with the Fridays for Future demonstrations.
How much meat avoidance can contribute to achieving the climate goals is not yet known.
The cafeterias are currently closed anyway, food is currently only available to be picked up.
sbo / dpa