Environment, Nature, Protection of Animals

Protection of nature and environment

We aim to use and promote renewable energy. Our children’s home in Höchheim and the guest house in Stadtsteinach are heated by eco-friendly woodchip heating systems. We have photovoltaic solar power plants in Höchheim and Stadtsteinach as well as a mini-bus for guests that has been converted to run on vegetable oil.

The SALEM Tree Planting Campaign

We have organised successful tree-planting campaigns in co-operation with schools, nursery schools and forest offices for many years. As well as the general aim of working with the environment, our priority here is the preservation of rare native tree species and the promotion of a culture that is closer to nature.

The elm has become one of the most threatened local trees due to the expansion of elm’s disease during the last few decades. Planting elms sporadically within mixed forests is one possible way of preserving this species that the SALEM tree planting campaign is involved with.

For further information please contact: info@salem-mail.net

Animal protection

“As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields as well.” (Leo Tolstoi)
We are deeply concerned about the welfare of animals, whether they are used in laboratory research, mass farmed or forced to suffer in other ways. We consider that animals, as our fellow beings, deserve our respect – this is why all SALEM villages are vegetarian.

In most SALEM institutions there are horses and other domestic animals. This helps children to develop sympathy towards animals as they learning how to care for them and grow to love them.

Our organic farms in Höchheim and Kovahl

When the first SALEM children’s villages in Stadtsteinach and Höchheim were founded in the early seventies – and later in Kovahl – organic food production was already very important to us. The SALEM farms have been certified organic from the very beginning and are cultivated according to the guidelines of the German organic grower’s association “Bioland”.

Today, the two farms in SALEM-Kovahl and SALEM-Höchheim provide the children’s villages and the organic restaurant of the Lindenhof SALEM guesthouse in Stadtsteinach with organic and locally produced food.

The bakeries in Stadtsteinach and Kovahl use their own cereals for a broad variety of breads, cakes and pastries. In Höchheim and Kovahl all products are sold in their own farm shops.

Vegetable farms and market gardens in Russia

The concept of the SALEM village “Raduga” (rainbow) near Kaliningrad is to aim to be self-sufficient in the production of organic food.

A vegetable farm comprising 81 ha of cultivated land provides our two children’s homes with organic food. Additionally, vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce are grown in greenhouses covering an area of 1000 sqm. Any surplus is sold at the weekly market in Kaliningrad and this contributes to the financing of the children’s village.

The gardens of Salem-Uganda

SALEM-Uganda’s land is used in diverse ways to support our services. Organic gardening methods are used wherever possible. Our current projects include:

• 2.8 hectare forest that supports the carpentry and cooking needs of SALEM

• Tree nursery where trees are raised from seedlings for use both within SALEM and for sale to the local community.

• Medicinal herb garden for local production of healing plants including artemesia, lemon grass, aloe vera and many more.

• Vegetable garden especially to teach mothers of malnourished children how to increase the variety of foods they cook at low cost.

• Apiary

• Food production including maize, beans, ground nuts, sweet potatoes to support our children’s home.

• Fruit trees including mango, avocado, jack fruit, guava and paw paw.

• Land that is leased to SALEM-Uganda staff to enable them to grow food for their familes.