Green sets a precedent

, Berlin (FUA), Germany

City population: 4186143

Duration: pre-1990 – ongoing

Implementation status: Ongoing

Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)

Project area: unknown

Type of area: Other

Last updated: November 2024

‘Grün macht Schule’ has been informing, advising, and supporting schools and school initiatives in Berlin since 1983 in the planning and realization of schoolyard projects. The program focuses on improving school playgrounds by creating child-friendly, natural habitats and ecological learning spaces, making schoolyards better equipped to address climate change. In 2012, the program expanded with the launch of the ‘Grün macht Schule - KinderGARTEN’ funding initiative, which extended support to kindergartens. Over the past four decades, with the program’s assistance, Berlin has seen the transformation of large, unstructured schoolyards into smaller, creative playgrounds. These spaces now feature imaginative and artistic objects alongside facilities for play, exercise, and communication. Additionally, many school gardens and biotopes have been established or restored, turning school grounds into vibrant ecological and educational environments . The projects are largely driven by schools’ self-initiatives, with ‘Grün macht Schule’ offering support throughout. This grassroots approach fosters pride and a sense of ownership among school communities, strengthening their identification with the results. The collaborative effort also enriches educational practices, promoting inclusion, integration, and democratic participation. Such initiatives offer a hands-on experience with sustainable climate protection projects, making these efforts tangible and impactful in everyday school life. In addition to its project-based support, ‘Grün macht Schule’ provides training for school teams, organizes regional and national conferences, and hosts seminars and lectures to share best practices and inspire further action . The program is a cooperative effort between the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family and the association Freilandlabor Britz e.V., operating under the guidance of the Senate Department. (Ref. 1-4, 6)

Redesigned school ground at the Diesterweg Gymnasium

Grün macht Schule

Overview

Nature-based solution

Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Green playgrounds and school grounds

Key challenges

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Climate change mitigation
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Soil quality improvement
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Water management (SDG 6)
Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Inclusive governance
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Sense of community and community engagement

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

Climate-Related Hazards
Urban flooding (stormwater)
Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
Environmental Degradation
Biodiversity loss
Air pollution
Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
Disconnection from nature
Poor community engagement

Key priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Establishment of inclusive governance mechanisms involving local communities, Introduction of NBS governance practices involving marginalised groups

Project objectives

To enable the individual redesign of school playgrounds based on ecological and pedagogical aspects that meet the needs of children and young people (Ref. 4). To increase climate change resilience of school outdoor facilities by greening schoolyards, unsealing surfaces, and mitigating negative effects like heat, dust, and flooding while protecting the soil (Ref. 4). To strengthen urban ecological factors such as biodiversity, microclimate, and emission control (Ref. 1). To create play and recreational areas that inspire children to move, experience the environment, and explore nature (Ref. 3). To foster a sense of responsibility, democratic participation, and teamwork in children through participatory schoolyard planning (Ref. 3; Ref. 4). To promote and support educational work in areas such as the environment, art, crafts, and health (Ref. 4). To provide training for teachers on child-friendly open space design and environmental education (Ref. 4).

Implementation activities

Schools contact Grün macht Schule and initiate the remodelling of the school grounds (Ref. 6). Teachers receive training from Grün macht Schule on guiding the remodelling as an integrative, democratic process that prioritises children's ideas. In participatory processes, children and different actors are invited to workshops to envision and design the project together, focusing on predefined criteria like movement and organic materials. The schools must organise funding and building permits with the support of Grün macht Schule, which provides materials and expertise. The implementation is done with school children to engage them in the implementation process and foster their sense of responsibility and identity with the new school ground. A central measure is to unseal the grounds, restore damaged ecosystems, plant native trees and shrubs that provide habitats for animals, and structure the physical area into smaller sections dedicated to different activities. Next to play areas and plants, children's artwork is being implemented to personalise the space further. Grün macht Schule guides teachers in turning outdoor spaces into a classroom to teach children about climate change and nature and foster their interaction. If possible, school gardens or fruit trees/shrubs are integrated into the newly designed space to create opportunities for health- and food-related learning. (Ref. 2; Ref. 3; Ref. 8)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater

Climate change mitigation:

Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Restore native species
Restore ecological connectivity
Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

Young people and children

Governance

Management set-up

Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

Regional government
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Deliberative decision-making processes (e.g., consensus building, deliberative polling)
Dissemination of information and education
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Co-management/Joint management

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Grün macht Schule is a cooperation project between the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family and the Freilandlabor Britz association (Ref. 3). They provide materials, expertise and training to support the planning and implementation process. Schools initiate the remodelling of their grounds and are responsible for organising financial sponsorships from external parties like the state or companies (Ref. 5). The actors involved in the planning stage differ from location to location but include school and neighborhood children, school management, parents, teachers, janitors, residents, relevant state departments (e.g. Education and Culture, Nature Conservation and Green Spaces Office), neighbourhood associations, landscape architects and involved sponsoring organisations (Ref. 5).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown

... a national policy or strategy? Unknown

... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Type of enablers

Capacity-building projects, NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

Public regional budget
Corporate investment
Private Foundation/Trust

Type of funding

Earmarked public budget
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Donations

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution

Provision of land
Provision of goods
Provision of labour
Provision of expertise

Who provided the non-financial contribution?

Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Private sector (businesses, financial institution)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Expected lowered local temperature
Enhanced carbon sequestration
Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Expected improved air quality
Improved soil quality
Expected improved soil quality
Water management and blue areas
Improved stormwater management
Expected improved stormwater management
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Achieved increased green space area
Reduced biodiversity loss
Achieved reduced biodiversity loss

Economic impacts

Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

Health and wellbeing
Enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
Achieved enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Achieved increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Safety
Increased perception of safety
Achieved increased perception of safety

Type of reported impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

Grün macht Schule (n.d.). Herzlich Willkommen. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];

Grün macht Schule (n.d.). Über uns. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];

Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment (n.d.). Grün macht Schule. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];

Grün macht Schule (n.d.). Aufgaben/Ziele. Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];

Grün macht Schule (n.d.). Programm vom "Schulhof zum Spielhof". Accessed on September 6, 2024, [Source link];

Augsburg, R. (2020). Mut zu grünen Ganztagsschulen. Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];

Grün macht Schule (n.d.). Fit für den Klimawandel. Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];

Grün macht Schule (n.d.). Lebensraum Schulhof. Accessed on September 5, 2024, [Source link];

Workshop with school children on how the new school ground should look like

Grün macht Schule

Karte „Berliner Beispiele"

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wCfkfBZQNqaE0Ag7vaQEz5x6c3iYBwPI&ll=52.50763253496028%2C13.32015189999999&z=11

Green makes school

https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/biologische-vielfalt/berliner-beispiele/gesellschaft/gruen-macht-schule/

Green makes school

https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/biologische-vielfalt/berliner-beispiele/gesellschaft/gruen-macht-schule/