Those who meet Hua Ming get to know a very happy person. His wild garden in the Dohr area of Mönchengladbach measures some 1,000 square meters. It is a brightly colored paradise for bees, butterflies and earthworms, lush with sweet corn, sugar snap peas, zucchini, wine grapes and chili peppers. Hua Ming, who is 62 and works in the Shipping department, which is responsible for loading the finished Zalando packages, cares for his plants every day. And he loves it. “Every single square meter means happiness,” he says. And with such an expansive garden, his harvest is really something.
Hua Ming personally planted everything that grows in his garden. He has been growing his plants ecologically and sustainably for ten years now. “I only sow organic seeds. Most of them are my own, which are guaranteed GMO-free,” he says. That way, he knows exactly what will end up on his plate. He doesn’t use artificial fertilizers, instead relying on a slurry made from stinging nettles. In general, Hua Ming simply lets nature take its course. The only time he inter- venes is when slugs move in. To prevent them from eating all his young plants in just a few days, he has a simple and eco-friendly solution: a mosquito net that he places over the seedlings for two months.
Come harvest time, Hua Ming has more fruit and vegetables than he knows what to do with. He and his family eat half the bounty, and the neighbors take care of the rest. He’s more than happy to share with his colleagues who work the permanent night shift, Hua Ming says with a smile. “But they have to stop by, look around and pick their own.”
At Zalando, we are becoming more and more sustainable. Did you know? 100% of the electricity we use in our Zalando Logistics sites are from renewable sources. Learn more about sustainability at Zalando here and check our current job openings if you want to be part of our sustainability journey.
