June 24, 2019: the Bavarian Minister for the Environment, Thorsten Glauber, awarded the prize “flourishing company” to 15 companies, amongst them Salus. Claus Kumutat, President of the Bavarian State Office for the Environment handed the prize to Cassandra Wood, responsible for the sustainability management at Salus. The prize is well-deserved: with only approximately 20 percent of built-up area, nature can, with its colourful flowers, herbs and grasses, find a lot of space at Salus. When meadow sage, marguerites and diverse species of clover begin to flourish, a paradise for bees and many other insects arises. That the protection of the little pollinators is a concern at the heart of Salus, was proven in spring by a donation tea. 30 cents of each package of the “Salus® Bienen-Glück Tee” sold were donated to the association Mellifera e.V., that for each package sold, created one square metre of flowering area within the scope of a two-years flowering sponsorship. Mellifera e.V. has campaigned for the protection of bees and their habitats for more than three decades.
Salus – a company site with manifold structures
A special location on the Salus company site is the 27,000 square metre fluvial forest biotope with its outstanding flora and fauna, which can be visited on a varied nature trail. Beside the trail, fallen trees remain untouched and offer nutrition for mushrooms, insects and moss. Thus a structure-rich habitat arises in which numerous reptiles have settled, too. Furthermore, observations have found that the fluvial forest biotope is an important breeding- and passage ground for birds.
Aside the fluvial forest biotope, there are also orchards with old fruit trees to be found on the Salus company ground. It is not only with apples and pears that importance is attached to the conservation of species and in order to preserve the wild populations, Salus also cultivates wild- and healing plants used in their products. So, one can find e.g. arnica and lady’s mantle on the vast Salus outdoor areas.
Three gardeners care for the cultivation of the flowering areas. Their daily journey from the fields via the company-own greenhouses to the production and administration buildings are taken by company-bicycle alongside colourful meadows with numerous wild flowers and herbs e.g. prunella and campions. While in front of the organic cafeteria the orange and yellow blooming tulips from spring slowly wither, there are many different sorts of violet and red dianthuses flourishing since May. At Salus, the mowing takes place only when the last wild flowers have withered. Those who have the opportunity to visit Salus, should not miss the amazing display of colourful flowers and see with your own eyes what flourishes at Salus throughout the year.
Criteria for the prize of the flourishing company (1)
- At least 20% of the free areas of the company site have to be designed close to nature
- No or minimal use of chemical pesticides
- Some sections of the flowering areas remain unmown during winter (maintenance of reproduction- and hibernation places for insects)
- No use of turf-containing substrates for the design and maintenance of the open areas
1) ref. to Bavarian Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection: pilot projects – flourishing company
[Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz: Pilotprojekte – Blühender Betrieb]
(version: 25.06.2019), http://www.bluehpakt.bayern.de/bluehender_betrieb/index.htm
