Consumption: we all do it, every day. But what if we could change our buying behavior to create a positive social impact? Offering answers to this question that are both useful and playful is the 1. Kongress für sozialen Konsum, running on Holzmarktstraße in Mitte until 18.10.2021. The two-week conference is organized by share, a Berlin-based impact brand which has developed a range of everyday items allowing you to do good while shopping by automatically supporting a social project with each item you buy. The program is packed full of ideas for how you can consume more responsibly: this Friday, for instance, you can discover how to go green when searching online with a talk with Génica Schäfgen from search engine Ecosia. Next week there will be themed days such as “Fashion Hilft” (14.10) which features two panel talks on equipping the fashion world to be sustainable, plus a catwalk show from upcycling designer Melisa Minca. But the line-up isn’t just panels and lectures: there is also stand-up comedy on the topic of consumption ethics with Passun Azhand and Erika Ratcliffe (11.10) and even a round of chessboxing this Saturday (09.10).
Fittingly, the venue for all this is the so-called “Goldenes Haus”, a former branch of GDR supermarket Konsum which has since functioned as an event space and has now been given a shiny gold-foil facade. As part of the “Kunst Hilft” part of the program, the building will also host artworks dealing with the topic of modern-day consumerism plus film screenings on the “Filmfest-Tag” on 18.10. Time to head to the Goldenes Haus!
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: share
1. Kongress für sozialen Konsum at the Goldenes Haus, Holzmarktstr.66, 10179 Berlin–Mitte; map
Entry is free of charge – more event details can be found online.
