Summer is hot, thirst is often paramount – so people reach for a cool drink of water more often than usual. And it can come from the tap – not only at home, but also on the go: in the German Blue Community / Blue City of Marburg, ‘drinking water to go’ is available at 17 fountains in the city. A sign with a cup indicates where you can simply place your own bottle underneath and fill it with drinking water.
Since the summer of 2018, Marburg has been part of the international Blue Community and has committed itself to its principles. These include recognising water as a human right, keeping water services in the public domain, drinking tap water instead of bottled water and maintaining partnerships with international partners.
Unlike drinking tap water, consuming packaged mineral and table water from plastic or glass bottles consumes large amounts of resources and releases carbon dioxide. Raw materials and energy are not only consumed in the production of the reusable and disposable bottles themselves. Their transport, cleaning and subsequent recycling and disposal also have a negative impact on the environment and climate.
The use of plastic bottles in particular is an unnecessary burden on nature and the environment. This leads to problems such as the proliferation of microplastics in the world’s oceans, which threaten not only our ecosystem but also human health.
As a sustainable, environmentally and climate-friendly city, Marburg wants to convince everyone of the benefits of drinking tap water instead of packaged bottled water. Tap water is one of the best controlled foodstuffs in Germany and is of first-class quality. What’s more, it’s unbeatably cheap.
This good water is also available to everyone in Marburg at the city’s drinking fountains. Of the almost 70 public fountains and water features, 17 are designated as drinking water. This means that the same water that comes out of the tap at home flows from bear, lion or wild boar heads and more or less artistically designed taps. The same goes for the drinking fountains in Marburg’s schools. Nine out of ten schools in the city have such a fountain, which provides drinking water. They are all labelled: A sign with a cup symbol indicates that the water is safe to drink. If the cup is crossed out, the fountain water is not suitable for drinking.
The council itself has switched almost entirely to tap water. There are water dispensers in several administrative buildings that can also add carbon dioxide to the water. This is to the taste of many people. Carafes can then be filled from these water dispensers or directly from the tap for daily use or for larger events.
The background
The Blue Community initiative originated in Canada. It was launched by the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest civil society organisation working for social and environmental justice. In 2011, the City of Burnaby became the first Blue Community in Canada, followed in 2013 by the City of Bern and the University of Bern, the first Blue Communities outside Canada. Other universities, churches, trade unions and institutions have since joined the Blue Communities movement in Switzerland.
In the European Union, the city of Paris has been the largest Blue Community since March 2016. In Germany, Munich, Berlin and Marburg have so far joined the Blue Initiative.
As a Blue Community, a city or municipality makes a voluntary commitment to work towards the goals of the Blue Communities. To achieve these goals, Blue Communities bring together city administrations, local water suppliers, universities, schools, politicians and civil society.
Marburg has its own Blue Community Round Table, which includes representatives from Marburg’s municipal utilities, Philipps University, the university’s Blue Community student initiative, city councillors, the volunteer project Refill Marburg, Unicef Marburg, and the Marburg Public Health Department.
Information translated from the City of Marburg’s news release. Here you also find a list of all fountains and more pictures.
The locations of the drinking fountains can be found in BürgerGIS: the geoportal of the city of Marburg. The Blue Community flyer is also available for download.
