Why do I start my tour in Freiburg?
Freiburg is a good starting point for a journey across Germany following stories about renewable energies, not just geographically. The idea that the way energy is supplied using nuclear power and fossil fuels, needs to change, also has a long history in the area around Freiburg. Already in the 1970s the people in this region said „Nai hämmer gsait“ (= „We said no“) and successfully protested against a nuclear power plant in Wyhl. But the region is not only know for protesting but also for developing new solutions. More about that later.
I had to realise that the world famous Vauban quarter of Freiburg and the Solar Settlement the PlusEnergy houses and the Heliotrope have been presented in various media and visited by tourists to an extent that I can understand it has become too much for the people there. So I just assume that everyone reading this has a picture in mind of what the Sun Ship and the Heliotrope look like and that I don’t have to take the one 1 000 000th picture.

Tomorrow I’ll see how many people will join a demonstration for the „Energiewende“ and what they have to say about the current plans of the government to reform the Renewable Energy Act. As the demonstrations in seven provincial capitals are rather far away from Freiburg, a small group of committed citizens also announced a demonstration in Freiburg for the 22nd of March.