On Tuesday 19 April 2022, the Präis Hëllef fir d’Natur 2021 was awarded to the cooperative society OUNI, in the presence of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development and the Minister for Culture.
The origin and purpose of the Präis Hëllef fir d’Natur award
The Präis Hëllef fir d’Natur, symbolised by a reproduction of a statuette in the shape of an owl by the sculptor Jean-Pierre Georg, was launched in 1985 and organised jointly by the Ministry of Culture, the National Museum of Natural History and the Fondatioun Hëllef fir d’Natur.
The award aims to reward an outstanding achievement or commitment in the following fields:
- Nature and landscape protection
- Management of nature reserves
- Close-to-nature forest management
- Preservation and restoration of remarkable trees
- Development projects in the field of nature and environmental protection
- Education and information on nature and environmental protection
- Scientific research and studies concerning the natural heritage
Winner 2021: the members of the OUNI cooperative society
OUNI, which means “without” in Luxembourgish, is an organic grocery shop without packaging, thus committed to waste reduction. OUNI runs two bulk food outlets, one in Luxembourg City (train station area) and the second opened a year ago in Dudelange. In addition to the outlets, OUNI informs its community about waste prevention, recycling and up-cycling through a program of workshops and meetings.
Whether it is the grocer at his wholesaler or the customer at the grocer’s, purchases are made without packaging, thus avoiding the production of waste in general and plastic waste most problematic for the environment. Each client must come to OUNI with their own packaging/container to fill at the grocery shop, allowing them to better quantify their purchases according to their needs and avoid food waste.
As a cooperative society, OUNI has set up a very democratic way of decision making, each member can participate in the functioning and each voice is heard in the assemblies.
The jury of the Präis Hëllef fir d’Natur wanted to honour the initiative taken by the members of the OUNI cooperative society for:
- the creation, implementation and management of bulk food sales outlets,
- raising awareness of the problem of waste for the environment,
- the promotion of packaging-free procurement,
- active prevention of packaging waste and cooperative spirit in achieving their goals.
Congratulations to OUNI for this award!
For more information: ouni.lu
Pictures: natur&ëmwelt
