What plants grow in the region? How are peanut fries made? And what does my consumer behavior have to do with the climate? These and other questions will be answered at the State Garden Show 2023 in Fulda in the “Green Classroom”.
Fulda – Instead of German, English and mathematics, “Cooking for the Future” (German: “Cooking for the future”), “Become a cosmetic professional” and “Expedition Wiesensafari” are on the schedule – in the so-called green classroom, children and young people climate change, they deal with nature conservation, modern agriculture and sustainability.
The educational units take place in different locations of the 42-hectare Fulda state horticultural show – on the Fulda island in Aueweiher, in the outdoor kitchen of the KulturGart, in the Fulda field of the district farmers’ association or in the insect village. SonnenGarten.
State garden show in Fulda: sustainability in the green classroom
Project manager Annette Licht has collected almost 600 offers to teach children and young people about nature, the environment and sustainability. “The ecological education of the rising generations is more important than ever, because it creates visions for the future”, explained Licht.
The “Green Classroom” is not a new idea, but it has been part of the state’s garden shows for many years. The special offer of extracurricular education is the regional cooperation partners that Annette Licht relied on when designing the concept – including the children’s academy and the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, but also the municipal fire brigade and the district farmers’ association.
The result is a colorful program with a total of 593 courses that should do justice to all age groups. “The Green Room offers information about the nature that surrounds us and that we are a part of. Here children and young people can experience nature with all their senses,” says Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU).
“Providing such educational opportunities to young people is essential. Protecting the natural foundations of life is one of the main political tasks of our time. A democratic state, a democratic society, can fulfill this task better the more people are interested and informed.”
The Fachverband Garten-, Landschafts- & Sportplatzbau Hessen-Thüringen trains children and young people to identify native plants. The Environmental Center invites groups to study the beaver in its natural habitat. Speakers from the Hesse Consumer Advice Center will show students strategies for reducing packaging waste, avoiding plastics in cosmetics and identifying more sustainable clothing.
The Fulda University of Applied Sciences explains, among other things, fake news about popular foods and nutritional trends and shows how to make pesto with regional ingredients. And also with the food experts of the Hessian Rural Women’s Association, focusing on healthy and climatic cooking, including tasting.
Providing such educational opportunities to young people is essential. Protecting the natural foundations of life is one of the main political tasks of our time.
“The Green Room offers children and young people of all ages – from kindergarten to high school – the opportunity to experience issues such as climate change, modern agriculture, nature conservation and sustainability outside the classroom, according to their age and in a very concrete way and – in the truest sense of the word – to understand them”, says the mayor Heiko Wingenfeld (CDU).
“A very special place of learning is the completely redesigned Fulda City Zoo, which will continue to be an attractive destination for families even after the State Horticultural Exhibition. Here, children and young people learn in direct contact with animals what they need to lead a happy life adapted to the species and how to treat them with care and respect.’
The offer
The offer is aimed at school classes and youth groups of all types of schools. You can visit the “Green Classroom” after pre-registration from Monday to Friday. For this, students need a valid card at a price of 4 euros. Two friends are free for each class. The didactic units are held in different places of the LGS site. A unit lasts an average of 90 minutes. The “Green Classroom” remains closed during the Hessian school holidays.
Groups have been able to register since January in the “Green Classroom” didactic units on the website of the State Horticultural Exhibition – 444 of the 598 courses are already full. “Although the offer was advertised throughout Hesse, most applications come from the city of Fulda and the district,” says Annette Licht.
Kindergarten and elementary school courses are especially in demand. “Rene Erdwurm, the climate breakfast and the Rhöner Umweltmobil Rumpel were filled very quickly,” says the project manager. For him, however, each element of the program stands out. “I’ll definitely be stopping by more often.”