Die Stadt ist unser Garten – Offene und ökologische Gärten als Inseln einer zukunftsfähigen Stadt

Karin Schönberger has worked as a teacher for 31 years and was also active as a visual artist. Today, she grounds her actions upon the idea that she is part of Gaia. Since 2012, with the help of many volunteers, she has been transforming 9040 square foot of wasteland into a permaculture forest garden – adjacent to allotments in Berlin-Spandau near a protected lake and a beaver sanctuary. This “growing work of art” offers people of all ages a place to relax as well as a space and opportunity to be active in gardening. In 2018, Schönberger was informed about the planned clearing and deforestation of the garden by the district and since then, with the help of local politicians, nature conservation associations and committed individuals, has been fighting for its preservation as a garden for educational purposes and for mindfulness, and for the ecosystem that had already existed there before.

Marco Clausen is a co-founder of the Prinzessinnengarten which came into existence in 2009. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, an area of wasteland at Moritzplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg has been transformed into a social, ecological and urban garden and place of learning. Together with others, Clausen has campaigned successfully in 2012 and 2019 for this collective project to be preserved and against the site being privatised.