Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland

The Association for Environment and Nature Conservation Germany eV ( BUND) is a non-governmental environmental and conservation organization based in Germany. He is the German member of the international nature protection network Friends of the Earth.

The club was on 20 July 1975 as the Federation of nature conservation and environmental protection of Germany twenty environmentalists, including Bodo Manstein ( first Chairman), Horst Stern, Bernhard Grzimek, Hubert Weinzierl, Gerhard Thielcke, Herbert Gruhl, Hubert Weiger and Enoch zu Guttenberg founded with the significant help of the Federal Nature Conservation in Bavaria in Marktheidenfeld. In 1977 it was renamed the Association in Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany. The current chairman is since December 1, 2007 Hubert Weiger.

BUND has approximately 496,000 members, donors and sponsors (as of 2012) one of the major environmental organizations in Germany. From the state of the club is recognized as environmental and nature protection association ( under the Federal Nature Conservation Act ) and therefore must be consulted during interventions in the natural environment. It also has from the Environmental Appeals Act on a class action law.

In contributions, grants and donations came in 2012 17.93 million euros ( 14.01 million euros in 2010, 2009: € 13.36 million ) together. Donations - the club is a non profit organization - and membership fees account for almost eighty percent of the total revenues.

BUND looks for years in the role of critical admonisher and observer, revealing environmental deficits, political lobbying and makes educating the public. He asks about on how renewable energy can be developed, such as rivers and lakes can be protected against pollutants, radiation exposure can be reduced and how nature conservation can be promoted. The association calls for a reversal in agricultural policy. Actions and campaigns at regional, national and international level led to the conservation of peat bogs, for mobilization against nuclear power and the promotion of environmentally- friendly and healthy products.

Organization

BUND is - as the Federal Republic - federally organized. In addition to the Federation, there are 16 national associations ( the Bavarian Association bears the name " covenant conservation in Bayern eV " ) and over 2000 regional district and local groups that deal with local environmental problems. Volunteer specialist working groups at the federal and state level to deal with some kind of biotechnology and genetic engineering, soil conservation, green energy, health and legal issues. In addition to the volunteer, there are some permanent employees, especially in the Federal office and the provincial offices.

The Federation as well as the state associations are each independent associations, while the regional and local groups are purely legal components of their national association. A member of the Bund is thus always both member of the Association as well as in the national association. In addition to the " full members " of BUND knows the " sustaining members " who donate regularly, but unable to attend the Association of democracy.

The Association is organized internally from the bottom up, ie the members of an association level select each from among the officers and representatives ( delegates ) for the next higher level; Members and delegate meetings are public. The State Officers and National Executive Board include its members directly elected also one representative of each BUNDjugend, the specialist working groups ( " Scientific Council ") and the Regional-/Landesverbände ( " Provincial " / " Federal Council "). At the federal level, the Board of Directors, Scientific Advisory Board and the Federal Council to coordinate the entire Trat.

Self employed within the BUND acts BUNDjugend with their sub-divisions in the federal states ( Bavaria in the " youth organization Bund conservation " ) and the various youth groups.

BUND is since 1989 the German section of the European Environmental Network, Friends of the Earth Europe and the global network Friends of the Earth.

BUND is the operation site for participants of the project year ( Voluntary ecological year ) and BFD ( Federal Voluntary Service); there are places within the Federation, at the regional associations, and at the Bund youth.

Chairman

Chairman of the association were:

• Jul. - November 1975: Bodo Manstein
• 1975-1977: Herbert Gruhl
• 1977-1983: Gerhard Thielcke
• 1983-1998: Hubert Weinzierl
• 1998-2007: Angelika Zahrnt
• Since 2007: Hubert Weiger

THESIS circles

There are 20 federal working groups, in which volunteer members - often renowned scientists - deal with current environmental issues. The tasks of the working groups include participation in hearings of the Bundestag, the testing of new laws and the elaboration of environmentally friendly concepts. In addition, the working groups organize seminars and conferences and share their knowledge in information brochures on. The associations have also specialized working groups related topics within their means.

The spokesman of the working groups form the Scientific Council of the BUND, which advises the Federal Executive professionally. The Chairman of the Advisory Board is empowered by statutory member of the National Executive Board.

In 2011 there were the following federal working groups are:

• Waste
• Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites
• Energy
• Leisure / Sport / Tourism
• Genetic Engineering

• Health
• Pollution Control
• International environmental policy
• Agriculture
• Sea and coast

• Conservation
• Right
• Environmental Education
• Environmental Hazardous Substances / Toxicology
• Environmental Ethics

• Traffic
• Forest
• Water
• Business / Finance
• Sustainable use of space

Memberships, partnerships

The Bund is a member of

• Friends of the Earth Europe, the German section of the European Environmental Network
• German Nature and Environment, the umbrella organization of the German environmental and conservation organizations
• Attac, a global justice network
• Natural Power AG, a green energy provider
• Green energy label, a club which offers eco- certified
• Nature plus, an association for the Eco- label for building materials
• Trustees Tree of the Year
• Wants to phase out nuclear power itself, an alliance, which provides information on green energy and motivation to change providers
• NEULAND, an association for the marketing of products from animal - and environmentally-friendly farming livestock
• Initiative Transparent civil society.

BUND cooperates or cooperated with

• The Association of Citizens' Initiatives for Environmental Protection
• The Episcopal Relief and Works Agency Misereor (for the study "Sustainable Germany " ( 1996), which strongly influenced the discourse on sustainability)
• Bread for the World and the Church Development Service (EED ) (for the follow-up study " Sustainable Germany in a Globalised World" (2008) )
• The European Nature Heritage Fund ( EUR nature ), which has initiated the BUND
• Constance Foundation, an international foundation for nature and culture based in Radolfzell
• McPlanet.com, an anti-globalization Environment Congress
• The German Animal Welfare Association

Objectives

The BUND is committed to the preservation of the natural foundations of life. Specifically, it is among other things

• The restructuring of the energy towards renewable energy sources
• The reconstruction of the transport system towards renewable fuels
• The promotion of public passenger transport and the bicycle and pedestrian traffic
• Sustainable tourism: cycle and walking holidays, long journeys by train
• An energy conservation and rehabilitation program of housing and housing stock
• The protection of ecologically valuable areas and landscapes
• An eco- friendly and animal agriculture and forestry

Activities and Projects

Activities

• The association is at intervening in nature - from plowing a protected orchid meadow on the designation of new building areas to the zoning of an airport - heard, so have to write professionally sound opinions. This work is mainly performed by volunteer members with appropriate expertise, partly also by the staff of the association.
• Many members are ( honorary) appointed to the Conservation Advisory Council on county, state or federal level.
• Local groups maintain local biotopes, pass on their knowledge through guides on and lead groups of children.
• BUND provides information in the form of brochures, arguments, background reports and studies.
• BUND is a member of the Green Power Label eV, which awards the same label for green power products.
• BUND is co-organizer of the demonstrations under the slogan We are tired of it!.

Examples of projects

Publications ( examples)

• 2013 The meat Atlas - Facts and figures about animals as food. In cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Le Monde diplomatique, BUND published the meat Atlas (Creative Commons License: CC -BY -SA ). The publication illustrated with the aid of text and graphics contexts in meat production and consumption of meat. With the publication of BUND also calls for a change in agriculture, is committed to reduce overproduction and promote small-scale agriculture.

Campaigns against large-scale projects

As stakeholders of environmental protection and nature conservation, the federal government is variously particularly tackled major projects.

Indeed, for instance for World Youth Day 2005, a closing Mass of Pope Benedict XVI. originally planned at Hangelar. BUND submitted an appeal against the regulatory approval. A previous ordnance on the site of the airfield Hangelar, the planned " Pope Hill " and the road construction for the big event would be in the nature reserve Hangelarer heath burden too much flora and fauna. The organizers moved the closing service on the Marienfeld in Kerpen.

In February 2003 the BUND presented together with NABU for the Hamburg Higher Regional Court dismissed an action against the planned offshore wind farm Butendiek one. For the location enough ecologically meaningful alternatives are available. The suit was dismissed on the grounds that BUND and NABU could make as Klagende no breach of its own rights. A spokesman for the Federal Environment Ministry criticized the action and said that the construction of the wind farm would rather have a positive impact on nature, as for example, the fishing will limited in its radius.

Criticism

The Bund was repeatedly accused the premature withdrawal of cases against nature threatening construction projects due to financial benefits. Thus, the mirror of the organization threw the first time in 1997 " indulgences " before. BUND Thuringia have dropped a lawsuit against the pumped-storage plant Goldisthal 1996 after an earmarked donation VEAG in the amount of DM 7 million. After presentation of the BUND the chances of success of the lawsuit were small, these stand the National Association of Thuringia the pumped storage plant from a nature conservation point of view more critically. The money was used for establishing the nature of David Foundation. In addition to the mirror and the NDR and the magazine Panorama criticized concessions BUND and other environmental organizations for financial compensation again as " indulgences " and " barter ".

Thus, the BUND Saxony had (along with the WWF) in 2006 withdrawn a lawsuit against the planned Emsvertiefung for the transfer of cruise liners after in comparing payment of 9 million euros was agreed in a newly created special funds Emsfonds. About the use of these funds for projects in the Ems - Dollard decided by a newly created six -member panel, which is occupied on a permanent basis with a member of the Bund. BUND Schleswig-Holstein had a 2008 action lawsuits against the expansion of the airport Lübeck ended after compensation benefits were negotiated in a conservation foundation for the " Grönauer Heide". In 2011, the BUND Saxony withdrew a lawsuit against the planned offshore wind farm " Nordergründe " before Wangerooge after in comparing payment of 800,000 euros was agreed that would subsequently flow into a dedicated, managed by BUND funds.

The co-founder of the Association of Enoch zu Guttenberg founded in May 2012 his resignation, among others, on suspicion of venality of the BUND. He was convinced that it had gone mainly to financial benefits, as the BUND withdrawn lawsuits against the wind farm in Nordergründe and the deepening of the Elbe and received endowments from the operators have. He also refused his opinion, landscape destroying wind turbines outside built-up areas. BUND had his goal - the nature and its protection - missed.

BUND dismissed the allegations of corruption back several times: In the context of comparisons meaningful solutions had been found that would have led to naturverträglicheren planning. Comparisons against money would also constitute only a minimal share of the collective actions of the BUND. The organization advocating the expansion of renewable energies in principle and go only in individual cases a legal case against overt bad planning. When Nordergründe wind farm next to a smaller number of plants significantly reduced environmental impact and extensive monitoring measures had been reached on the effects on bird migration. Also for - unrealized - Airport Expansion in Lubeck amount of interference impairments and compensation payments had been agreed, via a lawsuit could never have been achieved.

Ceremony of environmental awards

From 1980 to 1991, the BUND lent named after the first president of the Bodo Manstein Medal for outstanding services in the nature and environmental protection. On the medal the portrait Bodo Manstein was in his memory mapped; the physicians and environmentalists the first hour had already died at the time of the first ceremony.

Since 2003, the BUND NRW Conservation Foundation honors the butterfly of the year. It should therefore - as in many other species of the year - is drawn to the increasing threat of butterflies and their meaning.

Since 2009, gives the BUND Hesse the Eduard Bernhard Prize to people who are characterized by strong commitment to environmental protection and nature conservation. The Federal Government gives Conservation in Bavaria since 1970, the Bavarian Nature Conservation Medal for outstanding commitment in the BN. With the Karl Gayer Medal honors the covenant conservation Bavaria - in coordination with the Association of Natural Forest Management - Since 1977, those who made ​​outstanding contributions to the inherent forest management. The highest award of Bavaria in the conservation area is the Bavarian Nature Conservation Prize of the Federation Conservation, which has been awarded since the early 1970s.

BUND Berlin awards since 2005 the Berlin Environmental Award in the categories of " environmental commitment ", "Children and Youth" and "Business and Innovation".

BUND Baden -Württemberg is characterized since 2007 conservationist with the Gerhard- Thielcke Conservation price. The nature reserve price was the 75th anniversary of the BUND honorary chairman and co-founder Gerhard Thielcke who has also formulated the award criteria.

The Energy Working Group of the BUND Nordrhein-Westfalen awards since 2009, endowed with 1,000 Euro BUND energy price for environmentally friendly use of energy. For the price, preferably BUND groups can apply, but also citizens' initiatives, individuals and companies, unless the project has a direct benefit to the environment, is innovative and animated to follow suit.

Nature & Environment Service and Verlags GmbH

The Nature & Environment Service and Verlags GmbH was founded in 1977 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BUND. It is a service provider in the shipping and project management for the BUND, but also takes on functions for external clients. For example, they wound up since 2002 for the Federal Ministry for the Environment competition from Don Cato, which is to make children familiar with issues of nature conservation and environmental protection. In addition, it operates the federal government store, in its online shop and catalog beautiful ecological products are offered.

Corporate Design

The original name of League for Nature and Environmental Protection Germany in 1977 changed to the present form, so that the abbreviation BNUD the Apronym BUND was that part of the corporate identity of the association was. Its logo features to the left of the lettering BUND a graphical element to symbolize the globe, which is enclosed by two protective hands. BUND is the German member of the international nature protection network Friends of the Earth, which is why the addition of Friends of the Earth Germany (formerly Friends of the Earth ) element of today's brand of the organization is.