HIMMELGRÜN CHILDREN’S NURSERY (GE)
Coach of the project :
David Volk, EBF
How and Where?
Himmelgrün is based in Damendorf closed to Eckernförde in Germany. The construction of the greenhouse will be based on the same model which has been installed at ebf as their pilot rooftop greenhouse but on the ground. To minimize the environmental impact the foundation of the greenhouse is made of ground screws which could potentially be removed and reused after the end of life of the greenhouse. The total growing area of the greenhouse will be around 84 m². Production mostly takes place in the soil, with a few exceptions that are ambivalently chosen depending on need. The production itself is not sold, but grown with the children and then harvested, processed and consumed directly on site. Cooking and eating is also done in the 140m² greenhouse.
What?
The Himmelgrün Garden is a central hands-on garden for all kindergardens in a region. The groups visit the garden once a month, ideally three years in a row. The children sow, harvest and prepare everything fresh on site into delicious meals. The aim of the project is to reach all children from all social classes and a region can be changed in the long term. About 15 groups per greenhouse can visit the garden every month. That corresponds to about 300 children. Larger cities could then build more greenhouses, e.g. three greenhouses for up to 900 children. At other times, the greenhouse will be used for many other activities, e.g. afternoon care for primary school children and holiday programs. The project in Damendorf is the first of its kind and is to be implemented in other cities nationally and internationally in the future.
Who?
The project comes from Dörte Lienau, who grew up in a perennial nursery. She studied international business administration and worked in sales for a global IT group. After her mother retired, she transformed the family’s former nursery into the himmelgrün garden for the children and developed a holistic educational concept. The internationally active physicist and energy consultant Franz Schreier has developed an innovative greenhouse for integrated food cultivation, which is already in use at various locations around the world. Both came together in a shared vision to enable children to experience the production of food and to help keep the children’s glow.