diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 63b7ba8f..567f4900 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -28,3 +28,7 @@ ungleich.db
 *~*
 
 secret-key
+
+.idea/
+
+.env
diff --git a/dynamicweb/local/local_settings.py.example b/dynamicweb/local/local_settings.py.example
deleted file mode 100644
index aa97b091..00000000
--- a/dynamicweb/local/local_settings.py.example
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-# from dynamicweb.settings import SITE_ROOT
-
-DEBUG = True
-TEMPLATE_DEBUG = DEBUG
-
-DATABASES = {
-    'default': {
-	'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql_psycopg2',
-	'NAME': 'db_name',
-	'USER': 'username',
-	'PASSWORD': 'password',
-    }
-}
diff --git a/dynamicweb/local/__init__.py b/dynamicweb/settings/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from dynamicweb/local/__init__.py
rename to dynamicweb/settings/__init__.py
diff --git a/dynamicweb/settings.py b/dynamicweb/settings/base.py
similarity index 92%
rename from dynamicweb/settings.py
rename to dynamicweb/settings/base.py
index 442a1f82..356d5f41 100644
--- a/dynamicweb/settings.py
+++ b/dynamicweb/settings/base.py
@@ -8,22 +8,26 @@ import os
 import logging
 import django.db.backends.postgresql_psycopg2
 from django.utils.translation import ugettext_lazy as _
+# dotenv
+import dotenv
 
 gettext = lambda s: s
+
+def env(env_name):
+    return os.environ.get(env_name)
+
 BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
 
+PROJECT_DIR = os.path.abspath(
+    os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "../.."),
+)
+
+# load .env file
+dotenv.read_dotenv("{0}/.env".format(PROJECT_DIR))
+
 # Quick-start development settings - unsuitable for production
 # See https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.7/howto/deployment/checklist/
 
-
-ADMINS = (
-    ('Nico Schottelius', 'nico.schottelius@ungleich.ch'),
-)
-#    ('Sanghee Kim', 'sanghee.kim@ungleich.ch'),
-
-
-MANAGERS = ADMINS
-
 SITE_ID = 1
 
 APP_ROOT_ENDPOINT = "/"
@@ -35,18 +39,7 @@ LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL = None
 EMAIL_HOST="localhost"
 EMAIL_PORT=25
 
-SECRET_KEY_FILE = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "secret-key")
-with open(SECRET_KEY_FILE, "r") as f:
-    SECRET_KEY = f.read().strip()
-
-# SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
-DEBUG = False
-
-ALLOWED_HOSTS = [
-    ".ungleich.ch",
-    "digital.glarus.ungleich.ch" ,
-]
-
+SECRET_KEY = env('DJANGO_SECRET_KEY')
 
 # Application definition
 
@@ -116,7 +109,6 @@ MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
     'cms.middleware.toolbar.ToolbarMiddleware',
     'cms.middleware.language.LanguageCookieMiddleware',
 )
-#    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
 
 ROOT_URLCONF = 'dynamicweb.urls'
 
@@ -155,15 +147,13 @@ TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS = (
 )
 
 TEMPLATE_DIRS = (
-    os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'templates'),
+    os.path.join(PROJECT_DIR, 'templates'),
 )
 
 CMS_TEMPLATES_DIR = {
     1: os.path.join(TEMPLATE_DIRS[0], 'cms/'),
 }
 
-
-
 # Database
 # https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.8/ref/settings/#databases
 
@@ -266,13 +256,6 @@ CACHES = {
     }
 }
 
-try:
-    from dynamicweb.local.local_settings import *
-except ImportError:
-    logging.warning("No local_settings file found.")
-
-if not APP_ROOT_ENDPOINT.endswith('/'):
-    APP_ROOT += '/'
 if LOGIN_URL is None:
     LOGIN_URL = APP_ROOT_ENDPOINT + 'accounts/login/'
 if LOGOUT_URL is None:
@@ -285,16 +268,15 @@ if LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL is None:
 
 STATIC_URL = '/static/'
 
-STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static')
+STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(PROJECT_DIR, 'static')
 
-# Media files.
-MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'media')
+MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(PROJECT_DIR, 'media')
 MEDIA_URL = APP_ROOT_ENDPOINT + 'media/'
 FILE_UPLOAD_PERMISSIONS = 0o644
 
 # Templates confs
 TEMPLATE_DIRS = (
-    os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "templates"),
+    os.path.join(PROJECT_DIR, "templates"),
 )
 
 META_SITE_PROTOCOL = 'http'
@@ -429,8 +411,3 @@ META_SITE_TYPE = "website"
 META_SITE_NAME = "ungleich"
 META_INCLUDE_KEYWORDS = ["ungleich", "hosting", "switzerland", "Schweiz", "Swiss", "cdist"]
 META_USE_SITES = True
-
-try:
-    from .local.local_settings import *
-except ImportError as e:
-    pass
diff --git a/dynamicweb/settings/prod.py b/dynamicweb/settings/prod.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3b385370
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dynamicweb/settings/prod.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+from .base import *
+
+DEBUG = False
+
+ADMINS = (
+    ('Nico Schottelius', 'nico.schottelius@ungleich.ch'),
+)
+#    ('Sanghee Kim', 'sanghee.kim@ungleich.ch'),
+
+MANAGERS = ADMINS
+
+ALLOWED_HOSTS = [
+    ".ungleich.ch",
+    "digital.glarus.ungleich.ch" ,
+]
diff --git a/dynamicweb/urls.py b/dynamicweb/urls.py
index 10291fac..129058de 100644
--- a/dynamicweb/urls.py
+++ b/dynamicweb/urls.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from django.contrib import admin
 from django.conf.urls.i18n import i18n_patterns
 from django.conf.urls.static import static
 
-from dynamicweb import settings
+from django.conf import settings
 from hosting.views import railshosting
 
 urlpatterns = [
diff --git a/dynamicweb/wsgi.py b/dynamicweb/wsgi.py
index 49f057b1..224ebf0f 100644
--- a/dynamicweb/wsgi.py
+++ b/dynamicweb/wsgi.py
@@ -11,6 +11,6 @@ import os
 
 from django.core.wsgi import get_wsgi_application
 
-os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "dynamicweb.settings")
+os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "dynamicweb.settings.prod")
 
 application = get_wsgi_application()
diff --git a/manage.py b/manage.py
index 6d3324f3..e350f7a5 100755
--- a/manage.py
+++ b/manage.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import os
 import sys
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-    os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "dynamicweb.settings")
+    os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "dynamicweb.settings.local")
 
     from django.core.management import execute_from_command_line
 
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 342be9cf..cdd1ee7f 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -56,3 +56,6 @@ gevent>=1.1a2
 djangocms-page-meta
 # memcache
 pylibmc
+
+# .env
+django-dotenv