GMB016 mimycri: Bags made from refugee boats - a story of hope

02/02/18 • 60 min

GreenMe Podcast | Meet the Heroes of the Urban Green Scene

For this kick-off episode of 2018, Claudi sat down with the inspiring Vera Günther, co-founder of Mimycri (@mimycri). Mimycri is a social startup that is really one-of-a-kind and totally expanded my awareness of what is possible in the field of circular economy - which, as you know, I’ve been diving in a lot lately through our circular economy tours.

A new year is usually kicking off with lots of hopes, plans and dreams - and if you are dreaming of a greener future, where people are just kind to each other, smile more, love and respect one another and love and respect our beautiful planet - be assured that you’re not alone in this. If you still think that we’re not enough to truly matter: trust me, everyone of us has the power to move things out there. Even if it’s just you or a small group of people.

The best proof is my guest on the show today, an incredible female social entrepreneur and passionate environmentalist: Vera Günther, the co-founder of Mimycri.

SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT MIMYCRI

Mimycri consists of a bunch of dedicated people, reclaiming leftover rubber boats - which transport hundreds of refugees over to the shores of Europe - and turn them into super beautifully designed bags and backpacks!

Exactly - WOW! My chat to Vera was probably one of the most touching & at the same time most empowering and motivating interviews I had. Getting such a truthful account of what’s happening out there, right now, from someone who’s actually been on the ground... It really really touched me. At the same time it’s SO encouraging to listen to Vera and feel her passion... how they made it work as a team...

On top of that, with their beautiful products they prove that sustainability doesn’t have to be a trade-off anymore. All in all, I feel super aligned with a lot of Vera’s values - especially her positive outlook on things.

Please, please, please, have a listen, it’s such a unique story and you’ll get such a better picture than the one painted by the mass media. In times of uncertainty and fear of the “other”, I couldn’t imagine anyone who would stay negative and anxious after listening to Vera’s messages. I’m sure it convinces every critic ...

Anyway, before jumping in I wanted to share with you: we recorded the show when I was in transition on my way to Australia. Yep, I’m in the Aussie sister city of Berlin, in Melbourne, connecting with the local eco scene here and seeing if we can kick off GreenMe Melbourne. It’s pretty exciting, I’m meeting lots of interesting people and projects. And I can feel a crazy strong tie between Berlin and Melbourne.

I believe that it’s key to broaden our horizons and see what’s going on in the rest of the world - and learn about other social, sustainable, eco-minded projects. Everything is connected on this planet. And we all need to join forces in order to protect it. So, if you’re curious to see what’s moving in the green scene on the other end of the world, stay tuned and follow us on Facebook and Instagram and soon also on www.greenme.melbourne

And if you’re around in Melbourne, let us know and maybe you even wanna join one of our first tours over here!

IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

A truly unique take on how circular economy can look like
Why it’s important to look back and celebrate
A first-hand report of the situation on a refugee arrival point
A business model that puts people on eye level
The hardest moment to explain European politics to people who just survived
How to find the battle you’re passionate to fight for <3
What makes Vera jump out of bed every morning
Why it’s better to do something small than to do nothing
The secret meaning behind the name Mimycri
Why it’s crucial to have products that speak for themselves
Mimycri’s vision to create a new and open society
When is it okay to be an occasional materialist?
The power of a community of like-minded people
How the newcomers of the Mimycri team feel about their work
The various stages of the journey of a Mimycri bag
What happens if there are no more rubber boats
Why Mimycri had to be launched in Berlin
Social entrepreneurship vs. public sector NGO’s
The enormous value of criticism & the various types of criticism
The importance of not giving up on your dreams
Why failure is not an option !

CHECK OUT all shownote links, pictures and the full transcript at www.greenmeberlin.com/podcast-mimycri

As always just a few quick final shout outs before leaving you:

...All tour news from the GreenMe Berlin & Melbourne universe: check out our tour website,

The best proof is my guest on the show today, an incredible female social entrepreneur and passionate environmentalist: Vera Günther, the co-founder of Mimycri.

SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT MIMYCRI

And if you’re around in Melbourne, let us know and maybe you even wanna join one of our first tours over here!

IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

A truly unique take on how circular economy can look like
Why it’s important to look back and celebrate
A first-hand report of the situation on a refugee arrival point
A business model that puts people on eye level
The hardest moment to explain European politics to people who just survived
How to find the battle you’re passionate to fight for <3
What makes Vera jump out of bed every morning
Why it’s better to do something small than to do nothing
The secret meaning behind the name Mimycri
Why it’s crucial to have products that speak for themselves
Mimycri’s vision to create a new and open society
When is it okay to be an occasional materialist?
The power of a community of like-minded people
How the newcomers of the Mimycri team feel about their work
The various stages of the journey of a Mimycri bag
What happens if there are no more rubber boats
Why Mimycri had to be launched in Berlin
Social entrepreneurship vs. public sector NGO’s
The enormous value of criticism & the various types of criticism
The importance of not giving up on your dreams
Why failure is not an option !

CHECK OUT all shownote links, pictures and the full transcript at www.greenmeberlin.com/podcast-mimycri

As always just a few quick final shout outs before leaving you:

...All tour news from the GreenMe Berlin & Melbourne universe: check out our tour website,

Previous Episode

GMB015: Edible Alchemy - The secret powers of fearless fermentation

For our final episode in 2017, Claudi visited the wonderful Alexis Goertz, co-founder of Edible Alchemy (@ediblealchemy.co), co-founder of Mother Kombucha (@mother.kombucha.berlin) and quite a lot more.

She is Berlin’s queen of fermentation, a self-proclaimed probiotic warrior and without a doubt one of the most energetic, positive, bubbly and charismatic woman I know. If she’s not in Berlin she’s travelling through the lands with the Microbial Circus, she’s an avid adventurer, a culture dealer, bacteria barista and, and, and...

Before we really dive in, our very last tour in 2017 is running on Saturday, 16th December at 3pm - it’s our final "Conscious Gifts & Glühwein" session in creative Kreuzberg. Check out all the details, routes and prices and sign up here. Of course, you shall be rewarded for listening to the podcast! We’re giving you a special discount of 5 euros off the ticket price. To redeem it, just enter the discount code 'greenmexmas' when booking your spot on Eventbrite.

Back to today’s episode: Apart from having the nicest participants on the tours, it also warms my heart when I think about how amazing our partners are. They’re so welcoming and giving - and also super spontaneous. One these amazing partners - and meanwhile also good friends - is Alexis from Edible Alchemy. I had THE BEST time recording this interview with her. I could have chatted for hours and hours because what she does, and especially how she does it, is purely fascinating.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT EDIBLE ALCHEMY

Through her platform Edible Alchemy, Alexis and her co-founder Natalie share tons of value-packed content about healthy lifestyles, food skills and creative experimentation through fermentation.

And fermentation has SO many superpowers. But we’re not just talking about our health, it can also play a huge role in preventing food waste and even has the potential to eliminate hunger and disease.

Unfortunately, like with so many truly incredible healing forces of mother nature, our Western culture has become largely out of touch with our microbial world. Instead, we tend towards processed, packaged, pasteurized and fast food.

Thank god Alexis is here to guide us back to the sustainable powers of fermentation, through colorful events, free webinars, lots of great content on the website - and, most importantly, super fun, interactive, hands-on fermentation workshops.

Really guys, her whole story absolutely captured me. It’s a tale of adventure, braveness, travels, immersing with different cultures, empowerment through teaching - and, of course, eating the most delicious foods.

IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

How many fermented foods we have around us everyday
How fermentation links to the topic of food waste
The secret forces behind our brain-gut-connection
How fermentation can quadruple nutritional values in our food
Why fermentation can be a cutting edge tool for chefs and restaurant owners
The beauty of creating a passion business that’s kicked off by demand
The strong ties between our human cultures and fermented foods
The importance of getting out of your comfort zone & letting your instincts guide you
A life changing year in Mozambique
Why teaching doesn’t only empower the teacher
Why times have never been better to start with fermentation
What makes the Edible Alchemy events & workshops so unique

And much, much more...

You see, there are lots of exciting takeaways waiting for you - so let's not waste time & start the show, shall we?

LINKS & SHOWNOTES:

Edible Alchemy website | Facebook | Instagram
Mother Kombucha
Upcoming Edible Alchemy Workshops & Events
Microbial Circus Tour
Kulturlabor Trial & Error

Next Episode

GMP017: SirPlus - The journey of the man who lived without money

Making up for the long wait for a new episode, Claudi got Raphael Fellmer (@sirplus.de) in front of the mic. To many of you, especially those German-speakers, and those who are following the anti-food waste movement a bit, I probably don’t have to introduce him: He is one of Germany’s biggest food activists, he went on a money strike, he’s written a book called “Happy Without Money”, given tons of talks, co-founded the platform foodsharing.de - and now founded an amazing new startup, Germany’s first food outlet called SirPlus.

Raphael and I only met last November at the re:Blog conference "re:MIND", that brought together around 100 influencers who care about sustainability, to discuss what sustainability actually means and how it could possibly work in big multinational companies...

Raphael gave this super inspiring talk, loaded with passion, emotion, gratitude and just so authentic and powerful... I think everyone was totally captured. He’s someone I truly admire for his values, his beliefs and his perseverance. If everyone would be a little bit more like him, we could solve a lot of our world’s problems in no time.

WHY WE NEED STARTUPS LIKE SIRPLUS?

Raphael and his team are putting heaps of passion into SirPlus - and that’s really really necessary when we look at the numbers: 50% of edible food is being wasted in Europe! 50% ! In Germany, that's about 1 truck per minute - and with the food that's thrown away, we could feed all hungry people 4 times !!

Sounds daunting, but Raphael Fellmer is the living proof that change is possible and everyone everywhere can do something. Want some positive numbers? SirPlus already saved more than 300 tons of food from landing in the bin = that equals 750,000 meals!! That’s huuuge - and it only started 6 months ago. They’re looking for a new shop space by the way, so if you know anything or have a space, get in touch!

IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

the story of Raphael’s 5-year moneystrike & a moneyless journey through Mexico
what happened that led him to such a radical experiment
the realization that there are two sides to money & other big learnings
why he believes so strongly in our generation
why overwriting what we learned can sometimes take a while
the what’s, how’s & why’s of SirPlus
empowering people to be the change they want to see in the world (like Ghandi said)
the darks side and bright side in every human being
the blessing of failure & how to grow from it
why dogma entitlement & need to be replaced with compassion and empathy

...and heaps more! Promise, this episode will fire you up with energy & once you finished listening you gonna jump up and make change happen. Get ready for Raphael Fellmer from SirPlus!

SHOW NOTES:

Connect with Raphael on Facebook | Twitter - Connect with the SirPlus team on Facebook | Instagram
SirPlus Online Store
SirPlus Crowdfunding Video
foodsharing.de
Raphael’s book “Happy without Money” (in German)

As always just a few quick final shout outs before leaving you:

1. If you took value out of this episode, please share it with your friends and leave us a short review on iTunes. Your feedback is important to make the show better and spread the messages to more people. Thanks so much for supporting us, it really means a lot!

2. If you are looking out for a unique local experience, check out GreenMe Berlin Tours & GreenMe Melbourne . We've got lots of new great routes to choose from, so pick yours & get in touch!

3. Wanna jump to the next level & learn how a world without waste, less overconsumption & more human connection could look like, check out our Circular Economy Tours.

4. Lastly, if you wanna stay up to date with the latest interviews, green events, tours and our explorations in the Berlin green scene, sign up for our monthly newsletter. We got a little thank you if you do so: we’ll send you our best-of guide to 7 of awesome eco-minded places in the city for free.

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