We want to seize every opportunity to minimise our environmental and climate footprint.
What have we achieved so far?
Energy
We have installed photovoltaic panels with a total of 14 kWp to produce as much of our electricity as possible. We try to consume energy when the sun is providing it: in
particular, we can use the washing machine and dishwasher accordingly. The lawn mower, our car and most of the garden tools are electric, and when possible, the batteries are charged during the
day.
A big battery for intermediate storage is not yet economically viable, which is why we feed the surplus electricity into the grid.
Another photovoltaic system on the barn of the small farm that belongs to our property (24.75 kWp) feeds its electricity into the public grid.
Heating and hot water
During the heating period, we use the wood from our own forest and thus a renewable energy source. What is not usable as trunk wood is turned into wood chips. The heating system is switched off
in summer because it cannot produce hot water efficiently. In this case, photovoltaic energy is used to heat water.
Waste water
The wastewater is channelled into a sewage garden. There it is cleaned by reed plants and
bacteria – without any energy input.
Swimming pool
We use salt instead of chlorine. The pumps are set to run during the day when solar energy is available.
No use of chemical-synthetic pesticides
We work without chemical-synthetic pesticides in our vegetable
garden as well as on the gravel areas. On the gravel, the weeds are controlled by raking and hoeing, and sometimes thermally.
Forest
In our forest, we work with natural regeneration and harvest our wood only on a single-stem
basis – in other words, not in clear-cuts. In view of climate change, which has caused many oaks to die in recent years due to drought and heat, we carefully mix in additional tree species in
small groups. It is impossible to predict which tree species will grow well under changing climate conditions. In this way, we want to offer nature as many options as possible through
diversity.
Grassland and fields
We have no influence on the management of our agricultural land because it is
leased. We are all the more pleased that our tenant handles the land very carefully and practices species-appropriate cattle farming.