What can be done to mitigate the growing effects of climate change? How can permaculture in urban spaces help to bridge local nutrient cycles and restore a sustainable balance? These questions were raised as part of the interdisciplinary Bauhaus.Module »Climate Action: Permaculture and local economy in urban space«, which was open to students from all four faculties during the 2021 summer semester with participation from various professorships at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. 

»The topic of the project itself asks us to consider something quite visionary; permaculture currently only exists in rural areas. We wanted to show the potential for permaculture in urban spaces through student projects. In addition to the energy and material flow cycle, this also involved addressing important questions on social coexistence. Students were also taught to be creative beyond the boundaries of their own study subjects and to consider whether new urban spaces are being designed to allow natural cycles at all«, explains Prof. Dr. Eckhard Kraft, professor of Biotechnology in Resources Management and Climate Officer at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, who was responsible for initiating the Bauhaus.Module. 

Three student teams used the university’s south campus as the focal point in their urban space study. Based on this space, the students reflected on which approaches could be implemented to best mitigate climate change. The teams created three project videos in English, which were presented to the public at this year's summaery. 

»The winning team, made up of students studying architecture, environmental engineering, visual communication and fine arts, took a decidedly engineering approach to the topic. They meticulously researched data and designed the dimensions for technical solutions. Their focus was on generating energy through wind, sun, algae and biomass sources. The feasibility as well as the local opportunities were particularly convincing when it came to the project evaluations«, continues Kraft. 

Thanks to the cooperation with Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, who held the first Bauhaus-Guest Professorship at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar during the 2018/19 winter semester, five Weimar students have now been given the opportunity to present their project and accompanying video, »PermaPark«, at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. »I don’t even know how often my co-students and I have written down the political context for climate targets in our research topics — and now we get to be a part of it ourselves. We are, so to speak, helping write history. It’s very exciting and inspiring«, says Umweltingenierwissenschaften student Isabell Maria Lange of her participation.

»The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is committed to sustainability and climate protection across all faculties and disciplines. The clearest example of this is the university's participation in the New European Bauhaus, an EU Commission initiative that has set the goal of sustainably transforming all aspects of society. In this respect, we are also endeavouring to get the young generation involved in the political discussion so that their perspectives can be better integrated into the political process«, emphasises Bauhaus-Universität Weimar President, Prof. Dr. Winfried Speitkamp. »We are so excited that the UNFCCC Secretariat is providing some of our students with the opportunity to present their project at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference and also providing them with a platform to engage in discussions with conference participants. This is a collaboration that the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will continue.«


Contact

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eckhard Kraft
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Biotechnology in Resources Management

Tel.: +49 (0) 36 43/58 46 21
E-mail: eckhard.kraft[at]uni-weimar.de