Going to a mall has long been a very American thing to do. As someone who lived in Europe her whole life, the word ‘mall’ immediately reminds me of bad – and not so bad – romantic comedies. In my mind, it’s a place where teenagers go to drink milkshakes, get piercings and kiss there very first summer love. Of course, that image isn’t exactly realistic, yet then again, for a long time there weren’t many malls where I was living and I visited even fewer of them. And to be honest, not much has changed to that regard.
Whatever your experience with malls might be, one thing’s for sure. Generally speaking, they’re consumer-oriented and they’d like you to spend as much of your money as possible. After all, that’s why all those shops are so conveniently assembled in one spot and that’s also why malls cater to restaurants, bars, gaming halls, and so on. They want to keep you there for as long as they can and the longer you stay, the more money you’re likely to spend. So ‘sustainability’ and ‘malls’ don’t usually term you’d associate with one another. Yet think again.
Green UP
We already learned that a sustainable shopping center truly was possible when the ReTuna Återbruksgalleria opened its doors in the Swedish town Eskilstuna. Everything sold in that particular place has been recycled, giving an afternoon shopping session quite the sustainable touch. Yet now, the Dutch town Utrecht is also preparing to welcome a sustainable mall: Green UP.
The shopping center will be located at the Stadhuisbrug 5 and will cover about 1.400 square meters of eco-conscious shopping options. The goal of the project is to warm up people to the idea of shopping sustainably, not also by offering a wide array of products but also by keeping prices accessible to (almost) everyone.
At Greep UP, you’ll for example be able to eat at Botania, where organic, local food will be at the center of the menu. Want some new clothes? Then Planet Hugs, Common & Sense, and Serendipity Vintage Dreamer are where you need to look. Yet you could also get a nice, organic bottle of wine at Vleck, that perfect piece of decor you’ve been looking for since forever at I Like Vintage or your daily needed products at E&co. And, since the mall will only be opening in about 2,5 and there’s still some spots available, you could even open your own sustainable shop-in-shop in Utrecht if that’s what you want.
