It is not only our bears who should be able to live a life close to nature. In the entire bear sanctuary, with its park and visitor centre, we also live a sustainable philosophy and make a point of using the resources available to us consciously.

The first aspect every company can take responsibility for is a conscious use of resources.

In addition to our photovoltaic systems and heat pumps, our own constructed wetland ensures that the water we use is treated and returned. Of course, we therefore have to make sure that our cleaning agents, which are mainly used in our organic bistro, are biodegradable - a good example of the complexity and foresight that are so important when making sustainable decisions. In 2022, cisterns were also built to collect rainwater, which will be used as fire-fighting water in an emergency.

In new construction and expansion projects at the park, we rely on wood as the main building material and always enjoy the wonderful green roofs on the visitor centre and on the bear house roofs, which contribute to a thermal balance inside, as well as a nature-oriented design on the outside.

Our bears benefit from our consciously sustainable approach as well. For example, they receive large portions of their food through donations from supermarket chains, which helps us to reduce the amount of vegetables and fruit that are thrown away. In addition, the bears much prefer to take their medicine packaged in a honey bun - with honey from our own farm and donated buns!

Our bears need animal fat and protein to build up fat reserves for hibernation, especially in autumn. To keep this aspect of their diet both as species-appropriate and sustainable as possible, our bears are fed with so-called fallen game - game that has died in road accidents and cannot be used for any other purpose. This solution gives us the opportunity to feed our bears according to their requirements, without having to kill an animal. We would like to expand our bear feeding with this type of game. We are therefore looking for more regional hunters and foresters who can support us with fallen game.

Sustainable bear feeding also includes providing the animals with fish waste, which fishermen from the region collect and donate to us.

With its environmental and animal welfare education, the park offers outstanding opportunities to communicate and encourage environmentally conscious behaviour to visitors. Setting a good example is particularly important and is reflected throughout the park.

More information about our Bear Academy is available here. 

Our visitors can especially look forward to our shop "Boulevard of the Region". Here we offer carefully and individually selected products of the region as well as sustainably produced "bear products". In addition to honey, crochet bears and products from the surrounding communities, we also offer notebooks made from sweet grass, self-designed jute bags and calendars as well as interesting books here - all with sustainability aspects in mind.

Our certified organic "Bäristro" serves fresh and lovingly cooked vegan-vegetarian dishes every day with selected regional and seasonal ingredients - some even from our own raised garden beds. There is something for the whole family! The award of the "Greentable" certificate also highlights the proven sustainable management of the "Bäristro". Especially the bear sanctuary tableware from the CJD production school is a real eye-catcher!

By investing in our own soft ice cream machine, we were able to save three large bags of rubbish in the form of individual ice cream packaging per day during the summer season! The ingredients for the ice cream are certified organic and are freshly mixed on site every summer.

The responsible use of natural resources originates from the sum of the individuals and continues to be promoted and demanded by our motivated team. A lively trade with regional products has developed within the team, which has only been strengthened by the beekeepers trained on the farm.

It is important to us that the bear sanctuary also works in a socially sustainable way. The yoga health programme for bear sanctuary employees is just as much an example of this as the three company-owned e-bikes that colleagues can use free of charge to get to work and home - as often and as much as they want.

The use of recycled paper where necessary, the economical use of electricity and water and the introduction of new sustainable ideas are already a matter of course.

We are proud of the measures that we have already implemented and that accompany us every day in our daily lives. At the same time, we want to go one step further and are always looking for innovative impulses from the team and from outside to do our part for climate protection.

In the near future, our goal is to provide visitors with another toilet block in the park, which will be complemented by a constructed wetland. In addition, we plan to analyse the expansion of e-charging points, as well as to integrate further photovoltaic systems and a possible car park roofing for events such as our sustainability market.