MEDICE Health Family sets an example for regional environmental protection

The MEDICE Health Family is further expanding its commitment to environmental protection and the regional promotion of biodiversity by sponsoring around 100 fruit trees at the Märkischer Kreis e.V. nature conservation centre. With this initiative, the company aims to make a sustainable contribution to ecological diversity in the region.

The fruit variety garden at Sauerlandpark in Hemer has been in existence since 2011. The orchard now consists of 276 high-stemmed fruit trees. This makes the orchard one of the largest, if not the largest orchard in Westphalia. It currently consists of 175 apple trees, 62 pear trees, 30 cherry trees and 9 plum trees. The approx. 2,000 m² flower strip, which was created in 2020 by the MK nature conservation centre and NABU MK, also promotes biodiversity in the area.

The construction, expansion and maintenance of the garden cost time and money. The Märkisches Sauerland Foundation maintains the variety garden in cooperation with the Märkischer Kreis Nature Conservation Centre. The care and maintenance of the trees is financed and secured in the long term through fruit tree sponsorships, among other things.

The MEDICE Health Family recently took over the sponsorship of around 100 different old fruit trees, including apple, pear, plum and cherry trees. These traditional varieties are not only more robust and resistant to disease and the effects of climate change, but also contribute to the preservation of biodiversity.

In addition to ecological promotion, the community also benefits from the campaign. The fruit that grows on the donated fruit trees is freely available to visitors to the site and local residents. This means that everyone can benefit from the regional and healthy harvest.

"By sponsoring the old fruit varieties, we want to make a contribution to sustainable development in our region and emphasise the importance of biodiversity," explains Katrin Nowitzky, Senior Manager Corporate Citizenship at the MEDICE Health Family. "We are delighted that local residents and visitors can benefit directly from this initiative and hope that our commitment will inspire many other companies."

"Our daily drive is to improve people's health and lives in as many areas as possible," says Dr Katja Pütter-Ammer, Managing Partner of MEDICE. The MEDICE Health Family does not view health in isolation as a medical treatment task, but has focussed on the interrelated and mutually influencing facets of health such as physical/psychological health, social health and ecological health.

"When it comes to ecological health, we concentrate on restoring biodiversity and intact natural areas, particularly in our home region, through renaturalisation or our fruit tree sponsorships," says Katja Pütter-Ammer. The sponsorship of the fruit trees thus fits seamlessly into the Health Family's ecological commitment, which aims to strengthen environmental projects and sustainable initiatives to promote ecological and social health.