On November 17, 2023, the Sustainability Office, the student initiative TrASHform and other students and employees of ASH Berlin came together in Kienbergpark. They followed an invitation from the Kienberg Environmental Education Center, which had called for several tree planting campaigns that week.
At the start of the campaign, it was explained to the participants that the Kienberg is a tough place for trees. The Kienberg is a mountain of rubble that only has a thin layer of soil and therefore offers trees rather poor growing conditions. Climate change poses a further challenge. It favors hot and dry summers, which means that the trees suffer more frequently from drought stress.
The tree planting campaign was divided into two phases. The first phase involved digging up small trees that were already growing in Kienbergpark. The small trees are used to the difficult site conditions and therefore have a good chance of survival. In groups of two, the participants went into the undergrowth and searched specifically for Norway maple trees, the spread of which is to be promoted on the Kienberg.
The second phase of the tree planting campaign involved replanting the Norway maple trees. The area for this was a plot of land near the Gärten der Welt. It was exciting to see how much care the participants took when replanting. They very carefully held the Norway maple tree upright, pressed the soil around it firmly and checked several times to make sure it was standing securely. One got the impression that in these moments, the participants' natural relationships were set in motion. This was also expressed in the fact that the planted Norway maple trees were given names and good wishes were expressed. At least situationally, a relationship arose with this other living being.
What was still visible when replanting: the rubble of the rubble mountain. Numerous concrete blocks, bricks and rusty metal rods were taken out of the planting holes, which were about half a meter deep. The participants gained a very practical understanding of a mountain of rubble and its historicity.
With the climate protection agreement, ASH Berlin has committed itself to significantly increasing its own transfer measures on the topic of climate change. The university has a responsibility to do its part to ensure that sustainability grows in Marzahn-Hellersdorf. The tree planting campaign with UBZ Kienberg was a small step in this direction.
