Practical environmental education
Learning in the green classroom
Stiftung Zukunft Wald is dedicated to promoting forest-related environmental education and nature conservation projects in Lower Saxony, Germany’s second-largest federal state. “School forests against climate change” is its flagship project – one of the largest and most impactful educational initiatives of its kind in Germany. The project centres on third party land that is reforested by students and then made available to participating schools as long term “green classrooms”. Since 2011, schoolchildren have been planting mixed forests to take active steps against climate change.
With the help of children and adolescents, new forest ecosystems are being created on former farmland or open-cast mining sites. Not only are trees and shrubs planted – biotopes are also established. Meadow orchards, ponds and deadwood structures help insects and small animals settle and support the forest’s healthy growth. This sustainable land management enables CO₂ to be captured, groundwater to regenerate, air to be filtered and flood protection to improve.
Through hands-on involvement and direct participation in restoring forest ecosystems, students develop a deep understanding of nature as well as enthusiasm for protecting our environment.
The project promotes biodiversity, creates new habitats for insects and makes an active contribution to climate action. The initiative has received several awards – including recognition under UNESCO’s programme “Education for sustainable development: Realising the global sustainability goals”.
The foundation has already accomplished a lot: 398,000 trees and shrubs have been planted by more than 80,000 students within 15 years across 85 school forest sites. These areas then serve as green classrooms where climate action becomes tangible.
Further information on Stiftung Zukunft Wald (German only).
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