The Mainau Green Charter was created as part of the fifth Mainau Talks on the island of Mainau. It was proclaimed by Count Lennart Bernadotte on April 20, 1961 and is considered one of the first central German sustainability documents. Count Bernadotte invited representatives from science, politics and business to the annual Mainau Talks on the island on Lake Constance. At a time when economic upturn was a key concern, the Green Charter made it clear that this was sometimes being driven forward at the expense of people and nature and called, among other things, for the influences of environmental destruction that were recognized as harmful to the individual to be eliminated. The statements of the Green Charter are set in the context of the time of its creation. The concern to focus not only on economic aspects but also on environmental aspects is more relevant today than ever.
Original text of the Mainau Green Charter
"I hereby present the Green Charter of Mainau. It is intended to make it clear to all those responsible in town and country that individual and ultimately political freedom can only flourish in a living environment with a healthy order of existence.
The Green Charter was drawn up after deliberations by a group of independent and responsible men and women who have been meeting in round-table discussions on Mainau for the past five years.
The Charter was formulated by experts in the field; the Interparliamentary Working Group, which includes members of the Bundestag and the state parliaments from all parties, played a major role in its creation.
May the Green Charter of Mainau serve, promote and help and, above all, trigger action. This is what our time needs most urgently."
For the sake of humanity, we call on you to actively support the realization of the goals of this charter.
A free committee of personalities from cultural, political and economic life and landscape conservation should contribute to this, because the fate of us all is at stake!
Green Charter from Mainau:
I.
The Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany establishes the following fundamental rights, among others:
Art. 1
(1) Human dignity shall be inviolable. It is the duty of all state authorities to respect and protect it. (2) The German people therefore recognize inviolable and inalienable human rights as the foundation of every human community...
Art. 2
(1) Everyone has the right to free development of his personality insofar as he does not violate the rights of others and does not offend against the constitutional order or the moral law. (2) Everyone has the right to life and physical integrity...
Art. 14
(2) Property is an obligation. Its use shall at the same time serve the common good.
II.
It should be noted:
The foundations of our lives are in danger because vital elements of nature are being polluted, poisoned and destroyed and because the noise is unbearable. Human dignity is threatened wherever our natural environment is impaired. The inviolable and inalienable human rights include the right to a healthy and dignified life in urban and rural areas.
III.
In addition to healthy food, a healthy landscape with soil, air, water and its flora and fauna is a prerequisite for our lives. These vital elements are being overused in a way that is contrary to nature. Living soil is increasingly being destroyed, surface and groundwater polluted, air contaminated, flora and fauna disturbed and open landscapes disfigured. The healthy landscape is being consumed at an alarming rate.
IV.
We know:
Technology and the economy are also indispensable prerequisites for our lives today. The natural foundations of technology and the economy can neither be arbitrarily replaced nor arbitrarily increased. It is therefore necessary to examine the situation together, to plan and to act in order to establish and secure a balance between technology, economy and nature.
V.
For the sake of mankind, the development and safeguarding of a healthy residential and recreational, agricultural and industrial landscape is essential:
That is why we must demand:
1. legally enforceable spatial planning for all planning levels, taking account of natural conditions;
2. the preparation of landscape plans and green structure plans in all municipalities for settlement, industrial and traffic areas;
3. Adequate recreational space through the provision of garden land, free access to forests, mountains, lakes and rivers and other scenic beauty spots, inner-city open space close to homes for daily recreation, recreational space close to the city for weekends and recreational space away from the city for vacations;
4. the safeguarding and expansion of sustainable, fertile agriculture and orderly rural settlements;
5. increased measures to maintain and restore a healthy natural balance, in particular through soil protection, climate and water protection;
6. the conservation and sustainable use of existing natural or man-made green spaces;
7. the prevention of avoidable, landscape-damaging interventions, e.g. in residential and industrial construction, mining, hydraulic engineering and road construction;
8. the reparation of unavoidable interventions, in particular the re-vegetation of wasteland;
9. a change in the thinking of the entire population by increasing public awareness of the importance of the countryside in urban and rural areas and the dangers threatening it;
10. greater consideration of the principles of nature and landscape studies in education and training;
11. the expansion of research for all disciplines relating to the natural habitat;
12. sufficient legislative measures to promote and safeguard a healthy living environment.