ECKART 2018 for Creative Responsibility goes to New York’s Union Square Greenmarket

Munich. The jury of the international Eckart
Witzigmann Award (ECKART) has announced its second selection for this
year’s award ceremony: The ECKART 2018 for “Creative Responsibility”
goes to the Union Square Greenmarket in New York – recognising its
outstanding services to regional and responsible nutrition in the very
city where the award will be presented at the ECKART Gala in June 2018.

“The Union Square Greenmarket was one of the first pioneers. The
message it sent has since become a global trend: A closeness to nature
and its products is increasingly finding a place in cities,” explained
Eckart Witzigmann, announcing the jury’s decision. “For almost two
generations, the market has sold fresh, healthy food grown by local
farmers, in the heart of New York City. Since the beginning, it has
been committed to selling in-season products from across the region –
which is exactly what the ECKART stands for.”

 

The Union Square Greenmarket is part of the GrowNYC initiative, which
provides sustainable resources in New York City. Various markets
across the city – referred to as “greenmarkets” – offer fresh,
untreated products grown by the region’s farmers. The market on Union
Square was the first of its kind and boldly turned away from the
American fast-food mainstream as early as 1976. Today, the market can
be classed as a trendsetter and food consciousness has established
itself as part of modern cooking. The award recognises Union Square
Greenmarket’s mission of giving regional agriculture and more than one
hundred small famers from the surrounding areas the chance to sell
high-quality food products directly to customers. The aim of making
healthy nutrition accessible to all New Yorkers was also praised by
the ECKART jury.

The BMW Group is also aware of its social and environmental
responsibility and offers employees in Munich meals made from
in-season products from across the region as part of the NAHtürlich
project. “The trend towards a more seasonal and regional focus plays
an increasing role in society. At the BMW Group, we think a great deal
about how we can integrate sustainably produced food into our everyday
lives and support responsible cultivation of regional products,”
explains Dr. Nicolas Peter, member of the Board of Management of BMW
AG, responsible for Finance, and patron of the ECKART. The pilot
project was launched in 2016 with the support of the ECKART Academy –
and has proved a resounding success: NAHtürlich meals are now
available at four locations in Munich.

 

The ECKART

Partners since 2012, the BMW Group and the ECKART Academy jointly
present the Eckart Witzigmann Award for outstanding achievements in
the categories: “Art of Cookery”, “Innovation”, “Art of Living” and
“Creative Responsibility”. The partnership is based on the joint aim
of creating an international platform for healthy eating, sustainable
cuisine and responsible use of resources. The total endowment of
€250,000 reflects the prestige and importance of the ECKART as a top
international culinary award. In 2018, the award will take another
step towards becoming more international, with the presentation of the
ECKART 2018 at an official ceremony in New York.

 

 

If you have any questions, please contact:

 

Corporate Communications BMW Group

 

Julian Hetzenecker, Business and Finance Communications, julian.hetzenecker@bmw.de

Telephone: +49 89 382-39229

 

Media website: www.press.bmw.de

Email: presse@bmw.de

 

 

Press contact
ECKART Academy
Otto Geisel

Lachner-Straße 18

80639 München

Phone: +49 89 139 260 26

office@ottogeisel.de

 

 

Additional information on the Eckart Witzigmann Award can be
found at:

www.eckart-witzigmann-preis.de

 

 

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
The BMW Group production network comprises 30 production and assembly
facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.

In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and
more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 129,932 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

 

 

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