365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge

🚬 5,000 cigarette butts in just 2.5 hours. But the most encouraging part wasn't the 5,000+ cigarette butts we removed: ☠️ Cigarette butts may be small, but they're the world's most littered item. Their filters are made of plastic and contain toxic chemicals that can pollute soil and waterways for years. 🙏 Together, we cleaned the area around the central bus station last Saturday during the global No Butts Day. We had countless conversations with passers-by. Many thanked us for our work, and many were genuinely shocked that people still throw cigarette butts and other litter on the ground without a second thought. 💚 These conversations matter. Every cigarette butt picked up is one less polluting our environment, and every discussion helps raise awareness. A huge thank you to everyone who joined and everyone who puts their butts in a bin! #NoButtsDay #CigaretteButts #LitterCleanup #PlasticPollution #CleanCities  

🤩 I went to a festival for a casual stroll and somehow ended up being interviewed on the radio! This is how that happened: ☀️ Last weekend, I visited a festival in my city with no plans other than to wander around and enjoy the great weather. As I was enjoying myself, I had wonderful conversations with people I had never met before, and some of them turned out to be surprisingly fruitful. 🎤 For example, I asked the local radio station what the word "frei" ("free") in their name actually means. This simple question led to a conversation about other topics and eventually in an invitation to talk on air about the litter-picking initiative I'm currently leading. 💚 It was a lot of fun. And it reminded me how valuable the skills we build in one area of life can be in another: the professional speaking experience I've developed through my work helped me communicate a cause I care deeply about without any preparation. 🔗 If you're looking for a speaker f...

 🥳 I'm happy to see that our recent #litterpicking event was mentioned in the newspaper, as it has inspired others to join our initiative and help keep our city clean!

  🌱 Today showed again that one person can spark real change: 💭 People often think a single action by one individual won’t make much of a difference. Today proved the exact opposite. 📩 A few weeks ago, a neighbor reached out about her street and the nearby park being overwhelmed by litter. Instead of accepting it as “just the way things are,” she took action. Together, we decided to organize a community litter-picking event. 🤝 Today, that idea became reality. 👥 She invited her neighbors, and I invited our litter-picking community. In the end, around 15 adults and 15 children showed up, and even more children joined in after seeing what we were doing. ✨ What started with one email turned into something much bigger: a clean park, a cleaner street, happy faces, new friendships, and a powerful learning experience for the children. We also spent the afternoon outdoors, active, and doing something meaningful together. 🏡 This is what community looks like. This is what happens...

  💚 What an incredible day! Last Saturday’s river #cleanup I co-organized was a huge success: with over 70 amazing volunteers joining at different times and locations along the Neckar river. 💪 Together, we removed over 30 bags of waste and a lot signs/bikes/trolley from both the river and its banks, making a real, visible difference. ❤️ But beyond the cleanup itself, what truly stood out was the energy: people coming together, connecting, and genuinely enjoying the experience while caring for our environment. It was inspiring and honestly heartwarming to witness. 🌱 Organizing this alongside three dedicated fellow citizens made it even more special and seeing so many others step up and join reminds me that far more people care than we might think in our day-to-day lives. 🙏 Even after a full day of non-stop action, I'm full of energy. Feeling so incredibly grateful and motivated… I know many more events will follow. Stay tuned for the next one!

  🧹 Today, I organize a #litterpicking event together with a local school. What felt special was that moment I walked in, I was greeted by around 60 children, buzzing with excitement to get started. ❤️ In fact, I barely made it through my explanation before they were already on their feet, ready to take action. That was so heartwarming! 👧 And the great think was that the idea came from two girls who simply decided they wanted to make a difference. And while the playground at first glance looked clean, we in the end had collected five full bags of trash. 💪 To me, this is a powerful reminder that anyone - no matter what age - can turn ideas into action with teamwork. And we will repeat this event at some point in the future!

  🎤 Today, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dennis Brunnecker for a radio documentary on plastic pollution. 💚 We spoke about the litterpicking initiative I’m leading, as well as my work in communicating the science behind this growing environmental challenge. 🧹 It turned was a wonderful conversation with great questions. I’m really looking forward to continuing our conversation in a more hands-on way when he joins the river cleanup this Saturday. Conversations are important but action is where change truly begins. #cleanup #environment #sustainability

Today we were interviewed by the local newspaper about the river #cleanup we’re coordinating this Saturday. We expect a lot of people and I’m sure their report inspires even more to join. I’m excited and really looking forward to it!

Recently, I went litterpicking with a friend, filling 21 bags in 2 hours. But we weren't finished yet, because a few meter further down the bushes, we found this spot. What a relief that's now done too: another 15 bags.

This week, I went #litterpicking with a fellow Sch(m)utzengel. In 2 hours, we filled 21 bags of waste! We were shocked and happy to make a huge difference: https://youtube.com/shorts/bhQn4isyJQU?feature=share #müllsammeln #cleanup  

💚 One of the most rewarding things I have do in 2025, was continuing leading the local litter-picking initiative I started three years ago with a neighbor. 🤩 What I love most is how tangible the impact is. I don’t have to wonder whether it matters; I can see the difference immediately. Cleaner streets, greener spaces, and constant reminders from passers-by that our efforts are noticed and appreciated. 🧹 This year was especially exciting. Together, we organized 92 clean-up events, filled more than 265 bags of litter, and removed over 107,000 cigarette butts from our city. Even more powerful than the numbers is the ripple effect: people joined us, people started picking up litter on their own, and similar initiatives popped up in other cities. That’s how real change spreads. 🚮 We also focused on stopping litter before it hits the ground. Through awareness campaigns and by helping get waste bins installed in key locations, we worked on prevention just as much as clean-up. 💪 This...

✨ Today, I had the pleasure of joining an online meeting with our local hospital to explore ways we can work together on sustainability. I shared the story of our local litter-picking initiative and was thrilled to see it spark interest and inspiration. 💪 When we come together as a community, even small actions can create a much bigger positive impact. Every piece of litter removed, every small effort shared, adds up and the ripple effect can be incredible. 💡 PS: Thinking of starting a litter-picking initiative in your city? Feel free to reach out as I’m happy to share how we organize ours and make it easier for you to get started. Together, we can make our cities cleaner and greener. #sustainableLiving #litterpicking #makeADifference

  🥵 Last Friday, I stepped out of my routine and tried something new. It felt like a risk, but it taught me a lot. 🥇 Last year, I won a prize for a presentation on why #cybersecurity and #sustainability matter for long term company success. One piece of feedback was to focus on one topic. Since I had already given a very successful talk on cybersecurity recently about how KI chatbots can be hacked, I chose sustainability this time, with a spotlight on litter picking. 🎤 I felt like repeating the presentation I held for the United Nations in September, as the reactions afterwards were incredibly uplifting. People came up to me and told me how inspired they felt. But only my voice was recorded. 🫢 During the slam, my presentation was filmed. But this time, it didn’t flow the same way. The clicker distracted me more than I expected. I usually speak with my hands free, and having something in my hand threw me off a little. I also sensed that a few people were disappointed because...

🚀 Yesterday felt like a true beginning. 💡 A few weeks ago, I joined my litterpicking friends for a clean up along the river and we came across far more waste than expected. I shared what we found, and that sparked something. Someone reached out with the idea of creating a much larger clean up event. We had an early brainstorm, and yesterday we sat down to turn the idea into a real plan. 📅 We now have a date: 21 March 2026. Seeing it on the calendar makes it feel alive. 💪 I’m excited for what this day can become. With many hands and kind hearts, we can create a meaningful boost for the river and its ecosystem. Every bottle removed, every piece of plastic collected, brings nature a little more breathing space. If this speaks to you, stay tuned for the event or consider small steps you can take to care for the river in your own neighborhood. #cleanup #riverCleanup #sustainableLiving #litterpicking

💪 Wow, today’s litter picking event turned into a full-body workout! 🚲 This time, most of what we found had been washed into the riverbed and trapped behind branches. The water level was low. Pulling up three bicycles, a large iron grid, and plenty of other debris was no small effort, because the hill up to the street was steep! 🌬️ I’ve never been out of breath from litter picking before, but today I definitely was. And honestly? Totally worth it. 💦 Let’s keep our waterways clean!

🌿 Yesterday, I co-organized an incredible litterpicking city tour! 🤝 Together with the Kompetenzzentrum für Nachhaltige Entwicklung (Competence Center for Sustainable Development) of the University of Tübingen, we organized this event during the German Sustainable Action Days to raise awareness about healthy, eco-friendly food and reducing litter. Along the way, we visited shops promoting sustainability, for example a zero-packaging store and a bakery selling “day-old” bread to prevent food waste. 🧹 Between stops, the group of 19 picked up every bit of litter, including over 3,500 cigarette butts. This prevents more than 175,000 liters of water from being poisoned (that’s enough for 70,000 people to drink for a day!) as one cigarette butt can poison 50 Liters. ✨ Even though I already do as much as I can to live sustainably, this event inspired me to do even more: especially further reducing packaging and cutting food waste. 💚 By the end of the day, I went to sleep feeling deep...

🌍 Today is World Cleanup Day, so of course, me and my litterpicking friends were out and active again! 🚬 This time we filled one full bag of trash and collected more than 500 cigarette butts. Since we started about 2,5 years ago, we have filled nearly 400 bags of waste and over 147,000 cigarette butts, all trash removed from nature. 💚 And encouraging is that more than 600 people have personally thanked us, and countless others have started conversations about caring for our environment. 📈 The initiative is even spreading to other cities! This shows again that small actions inspire big change. 🙏 Thank you to everyone who takes part in keeping our world clean – whether you pick up a piece of litter, reduce waste, or encourage others to care. Together, we make a difference!

  💭 Do you feel that, as an individual, you can’t make a big difference? I’m sure this will change your mind. 🧹 Recently, I organized a local cleanup in our market square with my litter-picking friends. Our goal: to remove every cigarette butt we could find. After a few scorching hot days, the evening blessed us with perfect weather. 🚬 By the time we were done, we had collected 3,500 cigarette butts. 📰 A local journalist wrote a fantastic article about it, which was soon picked up by several other newspapers. Suddenly, our little cleanup was making waves far beyond our city. 💬 Hundreds of people reacted to the article and related social media posts. Even better, a few reached out to say they want to start the same initiative in their own cities. ❄️ What began with me, and then a handful of people is now inspiring many more to take action. That’s the snowball effect in action and proof that one person really can make a big difference. 🌱 So, if you’ve ever doubted that y...

🧹 Yesterday’s cleanup was something special and actually pretty exciting: 🖼️ Our goal was simple: clear the marketplace of cigarette butts. 12 volunteers showed up, but we weren’t the only ones. A journalist from the Stuttgarter Zeitung, which has about half a million readers, joined too, taking powerful photos, asking great questions, and he afterwards interviewed me as the initiative’s lead two more hours. 🚬 In just 1.5 hours, we picked up over 3,500 cigarette butts. The place now looks cleaner, and even more importantly, it got people thinking. Many thanked us, one person even handed me 10 euros, and we had a lot of great conversations. 💡 The action raised awareness: one tiny cigarette butt can poison 50 liters of water. That’s about how much one person drinks in a month! 💚 I'm so grateful for everyone who joined and look forward to making more positive waves when the article is published, showing how small actions can have a big impact.

  🌍 I often feel the urge to do even more for a healthier planet. But like everyone of us, my time is limited to 24 hours a day. That’s why I’m so glad I can also support others who are creating real, tangible impact. One project I’m happy to have supported is this powerful initiative by Planet Wild and everwave to stop plastic pollution before it reaches the sea: Every single year, 570,000 tons of plastic enter the Mediterranean—the equivalent of 625 garbage trucks every day. Because the sea is almost enclosed, this plastic doesn’t escape. It entangles wildlife, breaks down into microplastics, and turns one of the most biodiverse seas into a plastic trap. But there’s hope. In Albania’s Kukës region, where the Black Drin and White Drin rivers merge, tons of plastic get trapped behind a dam. It’s a problem—but also a unique opportunity: intercepting the waste before it flows into the Mediterranean. Using a repurposed weed-harvesting boat, they’re collecting the plastic and are now...