Bonn. Can Bonn become climate neutral by 2035? "It's very ambitious, and I think we can do it. The most important thing is that we get moving quickly now and look at the measures that will bring a lot quickly now," says Monika Hallstein, head of the Climate Neutral Bonn 2035 program office. The roadmap for the administration will be the climate plan, which will be submitted to the political bodies together with the budget in December.

"The climate plan is as good as ready. We expect that it can be adopted by the city council in the first quarter of 2023," reports Mayor Katja Dörner. The plan is divided into two halves: a strategy section and an action plan that provides the administration with a great deal of information. "We're getting very specific in it," Dörner says. All of the city's departments are involved. The city's subsidiaries, such as the municipal utilities and the housing company Vebowag, are also involved via the "Climate Neutral Group" plan.

One focus of the climate plan will be on existing buildings. "Concrete measures include photovoltaic systems, insulation and heating," says the mayor. “We can also upgrade old buildings by replacing windows and insulation in a way that is appropriate for (historically) listed buildings," says architect Hallstein. After all, "The energy we don't use is the best energy." In implementing the climate plan, the city wants to focus on entire neighborhoods. Bonn has a particularly large number of post-war buildings from the 1950s and 1960s.

Hallstein added that the city already had a foundation on which to build when it comes to climate protection. For example, city owned properties are already being made more energy efficient and new thinking is being applied to the design of public spaces and green areas. Citizens are also encouraged to do their part, looking at their own consumption patterns and considering where they can reduce on energy use. Mayor Dörner says she sees a Bonn in 2035 like this: "We'll have an expanded cycling network and a cable car to Venusberg, plus a lot more photovoltaics on the roofs.”

Orig. text: Maike Velden, Bettina Köhl

Translation: ck

The city is holding a “Skatenight” event on Sunday, October 30, starting at 3 pm. Inline skaters, people on roller skates, in wheelchairs or on skateboards can participate. The event is free and open to everyone.

Starting at 2 p.m., participants will gather at the Alter Zoll in the city center. Then it goes on to Adenauerallee, Simrockstrasse, Kaiserstrasse, Katharina-Focke-Strasse, Strassburger-Weg, Joseph-Beuys-Allee, Oscar-Romero-Allee, Nahum-Goldmann-Allee, August-Bebel-Allee, Martin-Luther-Allee, Hochkreuzallee, Südstrasse, Sankt-Augustinus-Strasse, Elsässerstrasse. Then the route back to the Alter Zoll is as follows: Sankt-Augustinus-Strasse, Südstrasse, Hochkreuzallee, Martin-Luther-Allee, August-Bebel-Strasse, Nahum-Goldmann-Allee, Oscar-Romero-Allee, Joseph-Beuys-Allee, Strassburger-Weg, Katharina-Focke-Strasse, Kaiserstrasse, Simrockstrasse, Adenauerallee.

According to the city, the route will take about two hours and cover a distance of around 14 kilometers. The roads along the route and their side streets will be temporarily closed to other road users as participants make their way through. The organizers expect the closures to last only a few minutes.

Orig. text: GA

Translation: ck

After the Bonn municipal waste company Bonn Orange said it would no longer collect bundled paper waste next to blue bins, many GA readers reacted critically, saying the bins are too small. So how will people get rid of their paper waste when Bonn Orange no longer picks up bundled items starting in 2023?

From Bonnorange's point of view, there are enough containers, a total of 268 in the city area. A map with all the locations is available on the waste management company's website. In some cases, these are emptied several times a week. "We recommend using the recycling centers, especially for large, bulky boxes." In Bonn, there are two: first there is the recycling center at Immenburgstrasse 22, entrance via the street Am Dickobskreuz, opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Saturdays. The second recycling center is located at Weststrasse 11, entrance via Südstrasse, opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to noon. There is no charge for paper and cardboard there.

Landlords are not required to provide blue bins. "However, participation in the free collection system for paper, cardboard and cardboard packaging at each address is now only possible via the blue bin," says Jérôme Lefèvre, spokesperson for Bonn Orange. According to demand, a larger or second bin can be ordered, he adds.

It is possible to arrange additional collection times with Bonnorange. Billing is done separately by invoice. "For private households, you should assume a volume of 15 liters of waste paper per person per week," explains Lefèvre. In multi-unit dwellings, if there is only space for one blue bin and that is not sufficient, the property management company can add pick-up dates for an extra cost. According to Peter Kox, vice chairman of the German Tenants' Association Bonn/Rhein-Sieg/Ahr, landlords are required to provide suitable disposal facilities. "However, waste fees are pay-as-you-go,” he says. So if the waste is emptied more often, the landlord may pass it on costs to the tenant.

Orig. text: Maike Velden

Translation: ck

An 18-year-old was trapped between an underground train and the platform edge at the Friesenplatz subway station in Cologne early Saturday morning. He was seriously injured. The fire department freed the man and took him to a special hospital, it said.

The young man was apparently intoxicated and ran next to the arriving subway train, said a police spokesman. He fell into the gap between the train and the platform. His injuries were not life-threatening. There were no indications of foul play.

An alarm was received by the fire department at 4:44 am. Two passengers who witnessed the incident had to be taken to hospital because of shock.

Orig. text: dpa

Translation: ck