Uta Jahnbeck
Innovator
Janbecks FAIRhaus
Germany
Environmental
Rural Areas
Rural village
The innovation journey
Uta Janbeck runs a Fairhaus with 7 rooms for 21 guests near the Danish border in northern Germany. In 2002, she and her husband renovated the old farmhouse of a three-sided farm and gave it back its old look. Later, a wooden house with further accommodation was added.
From the outset, care was taken to conserve resources whilst building. The largest private sewage treatment plant in the Schleswig-Flensburg district is located on the farm. Energy is supplied by a combined heat and power plant, solar hot water and mainly photovoltaics. The water consumption is 68 litres per guest compared with 200-300 litres as common in other guest houses. In 2006, Uta started with a small ecological guesthouse, and in 2018 she ran the first climate-certified hotel in Schleswig-Holstein.
The innovation impact
Conserving resources and the circular economy are very important to Uta. The guest house is a patchwork of sustainability. There are QR codes in the flats that provide guests with information about, for example shower water consumption or cloudy toilet water, which is recycled. Not only water and energy are recycled, but even the bed sheets. Uta describes her project as “contagious, because anyone who thinks about conserving resources is already one step ahead”. Uta has received numerous awards such as German and Schleswig-Holstein environmental prizes and Green Brand nominations. Her accommodation is CO2-certified. She is often invited to give lectures and works with various schools.