Event announcement: Berlin schools facing heat shock? Climate protection symposium on 15.11.23 in Berlin
Berlin schools facing heat shock? Climate protection symposium on 15.11.23 in Berlin
How are learning content and practical work in schools changing as a result of ever new heat records? What can be done to combat the climate crisis? The symposium “Climate protection in schools” offers keynote speeches, practical workshops & an exchange between those active in the field of environmental education. The event will kick off with a keynote speech by State Secretary for School Construction Dr. Torsten Kühne on the Berlin school construction offensive and its requirements for energy efficiency, heat adaptation and solar roofs.
The free symposium is recognized as further training and will take place on Wednesday 15.11.2023 from 14.00 to 18.30 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Registrations are still possible: http://qrco.de/klimaft2023
The news in 2023 is coming thick and fast: new heat records, floods, fires and extreme weather. The climate crisis has also reached us. What does this mean for teaching and learning content in schools? How does the structural design of schools need to be changed? What are the biggest practical obstacles and who supports teachers and all other users? These and other topics in the context of climate protection and climate adaptation will be presented and discussed by inspiring guests at the 25th symposium on climate protection in schools under the motto “Cool head despite heat shock?”. After the opening by State Secretary for the Environment Britta Behrendt, State Secretary for School Construction Dr. Torsten Kühne will present “The Berlin school construction offensive and its requirements for energy efficiency, heat adaptation and solar roofs” in a keynote speech. Following further expert input and a panel discussion, 8 practical workshops will take place. The topics range from green schoolyard design to practical energy saving, the inclusion of solar panels in lessons, rainwater and waste projects and insider tips for exciting climate action days. As places of learning, schools are important sources of inspiration and have an impact on the transformation of society as a whole. The symposium provides important impulses and opportunities for networking. All interested parties from schools, administrations, politics, energy and climate management, educational institutions and other multipliers are invited to this exchange. The symposium is organized by the Competence Center Climate Neutral Schools of the Umweltinstitut UfU e.V.. It is being held as part of the KlimaVisionen project on behalf of the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment. The event is free of charge and recognized as official training by the state of Berlin. Date: Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 2:00-6:30 p.m. Location: OSZ Kfz, Gierkeplatz 1, 10585 Berlin-Charlottenburg Registration: https://www.ufu.de/fachtagung-klimaschutz-an-schulen-2023/
Opening input on climate migration at the 11th Saxon Asylum Initiatives Conference
October 31, 2023
On 28 October 2023, the 11th Saxon Asylum Initiatives Conference took place in Dresden on the topic of “Getting out of the crisis – shaping migration in a forward-looking and humane way”, organized by the Saxon Refugee Council, the Kulturbüro Sachsen e.V. and the Heinrich Böll Foundation Saxony. UfU was represented there with the KlimaGesichter project. Climate protection ambassador Esthela Richter, who is qualified in the project, and UfU employee Dr. Christoph Herrler gave an input on climate migration at the opening of the event.
In front of an audience of around 60 people, Esthela Richter first used a real case from Ecuador to illustrate how climate change can alter environmental conditions to the extent that the children’s generation can no longer maintain their parents’ farming and handicrafts in rural areas. They are no longer faced with the question of whether they should migrate, but only whether this migration should remain within the country’s borders or not.
Christoph Herrler then presented key findings from research into climate migration. This is difficult to quantify (especially when it comes to making forecasts), as climate change is rarely the sole reason for migration movements. Nevertheless, it is often – sometimes even unconsciously for those affected – an influencing factor and will be increasingly so in the future. Although theoretically everyone can be affected by climate migration, it is important to emphasize that the ability to adapt (socio-economic situation and place of residence play decisive roles here) and individual vulnerability open up a very broad spectrum of affectedness. Contrary to what is often suggested in the media, poverty, for example, is not a factor that causes migration, but rather an obstacle.
Even if statements about future scenarios for climate change-induced flight and migration are always linked to uncertainty, it was made clear in the input that this should not be a reason for inaction. The precautionary principle established in international climate protection (Art. 3.3 UNFCCC) already requires this. Climate policy and migration policy are not strictly separable areas, but will become increasingly intertwined in the future. Germany and the European Union are therefore (also) called upon to shape migration in a forward-looking and humane manner due to their climate ethics responsibility!
The UfU has a new board
The UfU has a new board
On August 30, we successfully held the General Meeting 2023. Numerous members attended and joined us in determining the future of the association. We adopted the 2023 budget, reported on the latest activities in the association and also presented further plans for the future. The general meeting concluded with a barbecue. However, the main point was the election of a new Board of Directors. We are very grateful that people have once again agreed to support the association with their expertise and oversee its development in the coming years.
UfU would like to thank all members of the Board of Directors for their commitment!
Chairman of the Management Board
Adrian Johst has been with UfU since its founding year. Mr. Johst has been a member of the Executive Board since 2001 – first as an assessor, then as Deputy Chairman. In 2023, he succeeded Dr. Michael Zschiesche as Chairman of the Institute. Mr. Johst holds a degree in biology and has been Managing Director of Naturstiftung David since 1999.
1st Vice-Chairman
In the wake of the Graichen affair, the UfU Board also dealt with compliance issues. The Executive Board was therefore restructured when the new Board was elected in August 2023. The honorary board is now always in the majority over the full-time executive board, including in the BGB area. As a result, our long-standing Board Spokesman Dr. Michael Zschiesche stepped down as Chairman of the UfU Board to make way for Adrian Johst as the new Chairman. Berthold Breid was also elected as treasurer. Michael Zschiesche will take over the position of Deputy Chairman of the Board with immediate effect, as will Florian Kliche.
2nd Vice-Chairman
Florian Kliche is also Managing Director at UfU and heads the Energy Efficiency and Energy Transition department at UfU. Mr. Kliche holds a degree in industrial engineering and has already served one term on the UfU Board. With immediate effect, Florian Kliche will take over as second deputy chairman of the board.
Treasurer on the Board of Directors
The Board has a new treasurer. Berthold Breid will keep a watchful eye on UfU’s finances in future. Berthold Breid is the founder and managing director of the Renewables Academy, an internationally active organization for training and capacity building in the field of renewable energies and energy efficiency.
Member of the UfU Board
Dr. Bianca Schemel got to know UfU in 2009 as a freelancer. She has been a member of the UfU Board since 2014. She works as a scientist, author and lecturer. Her expertise in the field of education for sustainable development is always an enrichment for UfU.
Member of the UfU Board
Sandra Kolberg is an environmental scientist and was already part of the UfU board in the previous period. Ms. Kolberg is one of two managing directors of GRÜNE LIGA Berlin e.V.
Member of the Executive Board
Malte Schmidthals was head of department at UfU from 1992 to 2016 and therefore knows the institute very well. Mr. Schmidthals currently works for the Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT) in the field of education and digital media. He focuses on resource and climate protection and their integration into ESD and vocational education. IZT and UfU are members of Ecornet, a network of eight institutes for socio-ecological research.
Member of the UfU Board
Dr. Reinhard Klenke was there from the very beginning. He co-founded the UfU. Dr. Klenke holds a degree in biology and works for the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in the field of nature conservation research. He is also acting head of the Department of Nature Conservation and Environmental Communication at UfU.
Employee representation on the Executive Board
Sophie Dolinga represents the interests of UfU employees on the Board. She was elected by the employees together with two other representatives and confirmed at the general meeting. Ms. Dolinga works as a political scientist in the field of environmental law and participation. As a research assistant, she deals with topics relating to democracy, civil society and participation.
Press release: 30 Berlin schools wanted for KlimaVisionen project
August 31, 2023
The new school year has begun and UfU is looking for 30 new schools for the popular KlimaVisionen project!
Just in time for the start of school, UfU is looking for new participating schools for the now highly acclaimed KlimaVisionen pilot project in Berlin. In the project, UfU accompanies schools on their way to climate neutrality and involves pupils, teaching staff and other groups within the school. The project has already won several awards and numerous schools have already taken part.
All information on the project, the call for participation and project registration can be accessed via the buttons below:
Public participation must be low-threshold and digitally available!
July 26, 2023
Public participation must be low-threshold and digitally available.
Digital public participation in Germany resembles a patchwork quilt. Numerous specialized laws set different standards and procedures for the participation of citizens in infrastructure projects – if it is regulated by law at all. However, low-threshold opportunities for participation are an essential component of democracies and are also important for the acceptance of infrastructure projects.
Public participation in the age of digitalization
If infrastructure projects are planned in Germany, citizens have the right to participate in them, to view information and to raise objections to the projects. This is regulated in the Aarhus Convention, European directives (including the EIA and Public Participation Directives) and German planning and approval law. In times of digitalization and also as a learning experience from the pandemic, this type of public participation is in urgent need of modernization. Numerous environmental associations are now pushing for new overarching legislation for digital public participation.
Standards are needed with simultaneous quality assurance
To date, digital public participation has been regulated by numerous specialized laws. In some cases, the procedure for participation varies from law to law. The result is confusion and ambiguity. However, if the right of citizens to have a say is to be safeguarded, smart legislation is needed that regulates public participation both digitally and in analog form and is based on the principles of user-friendliness and easy access to information. UfU’s central demands in a draft law on digital public participation drawn up by UfU for BUND and NABU are as follows
- Establishment of a central participation portal
- Clear and structured provision of documents
- No reduction in participation rights due to digitalization
In order to ensure the quality of future legislation and guarantee its feasibility, networked communication between the various players involved in public participation is required. In spring, we organized a professional exchange with representatives from science, environmental associations and administration with funding from the Heidehof Foundation. The experts from research and practice discussed what legislation could look like that modernizes public participation without sacrificing quality. This includes, for example, making information accessible and clearly laid out on the internet or allowing people to discuss their own objections directly with the responsible authorities during approval procedures
Authorities must be supported in implementation
New legal requirements alone will not modernize public participation and improve its quality. The responsible authorities also need to build up personnel capacities and technical expertise for digital participation. Our “E-Participation Environment” project is developing specific assistance for authorities that (want to) implement digital participation formats. A practical guide answers key questions and provides practical tips. For example, when digital formats are particularly suitable and when they are not. Which technical requirements must be met and which special requirements arise, for example with regard to communication with the participants in advance or moderation during the events.
Digital public participation is a central component of the transformation
Our work clearly shows that there is still a lot of room for improvement both in legislation and in practice. Digital participation offers the opportunity to involve people in a low-threshold and simple way, thereby lowering barriers to participation. Care must be taken to ensure that standards of good participation are not lost in the future. In view of the major challenges of this century, such as the climate and biodiversity crisis, our infrastructure will have to be massively restructured. The energy supply and mobility sectors are particularly affected. In the public debate, public participation is often blamed for long planning procedures. However, a study recently published by UfU shows the positive benefits of public participation on the environmental compatibility of infrastructure projects and the efficient implementation of procedures. Furthermore, the right of citizens to have their say is generally an essential part of our democratic system. It is indispensable, not least for such a major social challenge as the transformation to a sustainable society that is in line with declared social and ecological goals. At UfU, we are continuing to research how public participation in infrastructure projects can be implemented in a more modern and low-threshold way in the future.
UfU PM: 25 years of the Aarhus Convention - UfU calls for modern standards in public participation
July 18, 2023
25 years of the Aarhus Convention – UfU calls for modern standards in public participation
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Aarhus Convention, which guarantees the rights of the public and environmental organizations in nature and environmental protection, environmental associations, with the support of UfU, are formulating a draft law for modern public involvement.
The Aarhus Convention guarantees citizens and associations the right to information, participation and access to justice in environmental matters. Signed 25 years ago, it is the most important basis for ensuring the participation of the civilian population in infrastructure procedures. Due to digitalization, the regulations that have been converted into national law require modernization. In a legislative proposal by Nabu and BUND, prepared by the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU), environmental associations present their proposals for a modern participation law. The background to this is a draft bill from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, which also plans to modernize participation legislation, but is not ambitious enough for the associations. Dr. Michael Zschiesche, Managing Director of UfU: “We welcome the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s draft bill. Unfortunately, however, it falls short of the requirements in terms of user-friendly information, moderation and low-threshold access to discussion meetings. Here, we lack the ambition that digital participation already enables today.” In fact, there is a proliferation in the provision of information. In the relevant EIA portals, information from authorities is sometimes so cryptically named and uploaded in large numbers in an unsorted manner that it is not easy for civil society to access important information. Online consultations and other participation formats have also been difficult to access. The participation of civil society in infrastructure projects is of central importance, especially when these are large-scale (e.g. wind turbines), in order to create acceptance for the projects among the population. A recent study by UfU, Öko-Institut and Leuphana University confirms the positive effects of participation on the quality of environmental protection and the acceptance of infrastructure projects. The Aarhus Convention, signed 25 years ago by 35 signatory states, represents a unique paradigm shift by placing citizen participation at the heart of environmental policy. The right to information, participation and access to justice becomes binding with this international treaty and enables citizens and environmental organizations to obtain information on compliance with environmental regulations and, if necessary, to enforce the rights of nature and the environment in court. The Aarhus Convention is therefore one of the most important foundations for the work of environmental organizations, particularly in the areas of environmental law and participation.
Das Unabhängige Institut für Umweltfragen ist ein wissenschaftliches Institut und eine Bürgerorganisation mit dem Anliegen, bürgernah und zeitkritisch die umweltpolitische Entwicklung schwerpunktmäßig in den neuen Bundesländern zu analysieren und zu befördern. Weitere Informationen zum UfU sind unter https://www.ufu.de zu finden.
Ansprechpartner für diesen Themenkomplex ist Dr. Michael Zschiesche (michael.zschiesche@ufu.de).
Presseanfragen bitte an Jonas Rüffer (jonas.rueffer@ufu.de) senden.
IGAMon-Dog wins 2nd place in the Saxony-Anhalt Environmental Award
July 05, 2023
Press release: IGAMon-Dog wins 2nd place in the Saxony-Anhalt Environmental Award
The citizen science project IGAMonDog of the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU), Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and Wildlife Detection Dogs e.V., was awarded second place in the Saxony-Anhalt Environmental Prize. In the project, private dog owners and their dogs are trained as volunteer species detection dog teams to find invasive species.
The IGAMonDog project has been implemented in cooperation with the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Wildlife Detection Dogs e.V. association since April 2021. In this project, private dog owners are trained together with their dogs to become volunteer wildlife detection dog teams. The pilot project is intended to test the extent to which the time-consuming training concept is suitable for monitoring invasive species, initially plant species. The first teams of the two training years have already successfully carried out field missions and mapped their target species with the dogs.
Invasive alien species are non-native species that can spread dominantly in the areas to which they have been introduced. There is therefore a risk that native plants and animals, which are heavily dependent on each other in sensitive ecosystems, will be displaced or that human health will be impaired. In order to contain the spread of invasive plant species, information on their occurrence and spread is required. Citizen science can support science in researching these issues on a large scale, as in this case with the mapping of invasive plants.
The project mainly takes place in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Berlin and the IGAMon-Dog project has therefore applied for the Saxony-Anhalt Environmental Award. The environmental prize has been awarded by the state’s Foundation for the Environment, Nature and Climate Protection (SUNK) for 27 years; it is endowed with a total of 20,000 euros in 2023 – the Ministry of the Environment is contributing 5,000 euros this year. The motto was “Innovative for the environment”; the competition was looking for “environmental visionaries” with fresh ideas, innovative projects or novel approaches. The IGAMon-Dog project received 5,000 euros in prize money for second place.
We would like to thank the jury for awarding this heartfelt project and all our project participants for their support. With sufficient support and funding, the project has great potential for scaling up. Around 10 million dogs are kept in Germany. If only a small fraction of these were trained together with their owners to become species detection dogs, research and authorities could be provided with significantly more data on the occurrence and spread of various IGAs in our ecosystems.
Climate change is a global cause of flight! - Interview on our ClimateFaces project.
July 04, 2023
UfU has been running the project(KlimaGesichter) together with the German Climate Foundation since 2019. For many people, especially in wealthy Western countries, the phenomenon of climate change is still an abstract phenomenon that will happen in the future and only affects them indirectly. Even though we are now also feeling the direct consequences of climate change in Europe, climate change often still seems too far away to really generate emotions and motivate people to take action. This is problematic in that we should act before the effects of climate change are so severe that they force us to act quickly. There is still some time to plan the transformation in the long term and without major systemic disruptions. However, there are countries around the world that are already feeling the consequences of climate change to an extent that is leading to the loss of their homes and subsequent displacement. In our ClimateFaces project, we work with people who have felt the effects of climate change in their home country and have left their homeland due to the direct or indirect impact. By training these people to become qualified climate ambassadors, climate change can be communicated in a new way, making it understandable for people who have previously felt little or no impact from climate change. As part of the project, our deputy head of department Dr. Christoph Herrler was interviewed to tell us more about the project.
UfU receives ESD award from the UNESCO Commission
June 23, 2023
Change needs education! Transformative education that empowers people to help shape a sustainable future themselves. In order to initiate change ourselves, we need skills that enable us to recognize the complex relationships between the ecological, economic, social and cultural dimensions of sustainable development. Through a continuous and participatory learning process, we experience how we can work on holistic solutions to counter the crises of our time. This learning process is essential and is made possible by the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) approach. This understanding of education has been the basis of many of our educational programs at UfU for many years. In mid-June, we received the national ESD award from the BMBF and the UNESCO Commission in Munich. The “National Award – Education for Sustainable Development” recognizes teaching and learning opportunities that contribute to building a sustainable society worth living in by transforming the German educational landscape. Education for sustainable development is not a topic that emerges occasionally, but an educational concept that should be applied in principle with the aim of ensuring human dignity and equal opportunities for all in an intact environment. The United Nations 2030 Agenda sets out the implementation of education for sustainable development as a goal for the global community. The UNESCO ESD 2030 program launched in 2020 aims to promote the structural anchoring of ESD throughout the entire education system. In Germany, ESD is implemented on the basis of the National Action Plan on Education for Sustainable Development. We are delighted to use this award as a great motivation and continue to work with school communities to develop individual roadmaps towards ESD.
climate-neutral school, greening with pupils Facadesbring climate protection into the Vocational trainingtogether with young people in the regions undergoing structural change in the Central German and Lusatian coalfields, are exploring how a sustainable Future without coal or educate people with refugee and migrant backgrounds to Climate ambassadors so that they can give a face and voice to climate protection in educational institutions as mediators affected by climate change, among other things. We would like to thank them for the award and look forward to working with many other stakeholders to drive the necessary change – with our heads, hearts and hands!
Elefsina student conference - students from 7 European countries develop solutions for a climate-neutral city
May 15, 2023
Student conference in Elefsina – 300 students from 7 European countries develop solutions for a climate-neutral city
Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia – these are the countries from which over 300 pupils arrived in the Greek city of Elefsina on May 9. The “Pupils’ Conference on Transition to a Climate-Neutral Future” held here was the first conference of its kind and aimed to involve young people in the transition to climate neutrality. Giving children a say in shaping their own future is an important task of our time. Children and young people in particular feel increasingly threatened by the climate crisis and fear for their own future. This makes it all the more important to show them possible courses of action and provide them with tools that enable self-efficacy and participation.
At the conference in the European Capital of Culture, the pupils from the 23 participating schools spent three days working on solutions for a climate-neutral city and applied these in the context of walks through the city. Beforehand, the students had already developed action plans for climate neutrality at their schools in their home countries and studied the subject matter in detail. The opportunity to present these action plans to people from other countries and cultures and to exchange ideas enabled them to practise changing perspectives and at the same time raise awareness of different approaches to solving the same problem. Numerous workshops were held for the children on the topics of industry, buildings, the sea, waste, mobility, nutrition and many other fields of action. The groups, which were mixed internationally, drew up numerous proposals, which were formulated and presented in a joint letter to the mayor of Elefsina. The international exchange and the inclusion of different perspectives is a great opportunity for future urban development. In the coming months, the knowledge gained from the project will be passed on to local authorities, educational institutions and other European Capitals of Culture and networks.