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The so-called "Berliner Ofenführerschein" ("Berlin Stove and Furnace Licence") is intended to raise awareness among Berliners of the need to burn wood in a way that protects the climate.
At the beginning of this year's heating period, interested parties can get tips for economical heating with stoves as part of an online training course, the Senate Department for the Environment said on Monday. "We are not only saving wood, but money as well," said Senator for the Environment Manja Schreiner (CDU) in the official statement.
The offer is part of the Berlin-wide information campaign "Das Rein-Heiz-Gebot" ("The Clean Heating Commandment") of the Senate Department for the Environment. The focus is on raising awareness of air pollution caused by wood burning and wood as a limited resource. According to the report, around 115,000 beech trees are burned in wood-burning stoves for heating purposes in Berlin every year - that corresponds to one sixth of the Grunewald forest area. The combustion process produces considerable amounts of air pollutants and greenhouse gases that are harmful to health and the climate.