Community nature projects find new paths in Berlin and Castrop-Rauxel

In Berlin, 18-year-old Tobias Torge is completing a voluntary ecological year at the 'Wachsenlassen' community garden. After leaving school after the eleventh grade, Torge now works four days a week maintaining beds, planting vegetables, and educating children about nature and wildlife, such as foxes and insects.

In Castrop-Rauxel, the NaBeBa nature and encounter farm is entering a new chapter under the leadership of board chair Johanna Luther. After facing a critical period around 2021 due to permit issues that threatened the project and the homes of 200 animals, the farm successfully relocated from its old site in 2025 and is now focused on growth and its future vision.