Girls and boys visiting schools and day care centers around the German town of Essen can start getting excited about the fruit and vegetables they planted themselves. At the big school and day care planting day on June 13th, children planted numerous school patches right in front of thyssenkrupp's headquarters. The initiative was part of the joint project of thyssenkrupp AG, Landgard Foundation and the Association for Garden- and Landscaping NRW. Together with apprentices of the producers' cooperative Landgard and thyssenkrupp the patches were stocked with different local fruit and vegetable varieties as well as flowers and herbs.
The Landgard Foundation provided all the important plants and tools for every school patch. They furthermore developed a planting plan, easily recognizable for children, which illustrated which plants had to go where in the patch, to help the little junior gardeners. The continuous maintenance will be accompanied and supported by thyssenkrupp. The students were then able to assemble portable miniature gardens together with the Association for Garden- and Landscaping NRW, which they could take home the same day.
Together with girls and boys from two day care centers in Essen, two elementary schools from the district of Essen-Altenessen, one comprehensive school, one secondary school and the apprentices of Landgard and thyssenkrupp as well as employees of the Association for Garden- and Landscaping NRW, the school and day care planting day was a success. Furthermore on this picture, in front of the headquarters of thyssenkrupp AG: Thomas Banzhaf, vice president of the Association for Garden- and Landscaping NRW (8th from the left), Dirk Bader, CEO of
Landgard Flowers & Plants GmbH (11th from the left), and Oliver Burkhard, chairman Human Resources and Labor director at thyssenkrupp (14th from the left).
To be able to integrate the topics around the gardens and extend knowledge about the environment in day to day life, every school received practice-oriented materials for students and teachers. These were specifically compiled by the Landgard Foundation to support primary schools. The materials include knowledge about the cultivation and maintenance of fruits and vegetables as well as flowers and plants and how even a child can harvest them. Furthermore it includes complementing puzzles and recipes that fit the planted fruits and vegetables perfectly.
To be able to integrate the topics around the gardens and extend knowledge about the environment in day to day life, every school received practice-oriented materials for students and teachers. These were specifically compiled by the Landgard Foundation to support primary schools. The materials include knowledge about the cultivation and maintenance of fruits and vegetables as well as flowers and plants and how even a child can harvest them. Furthermore it includes complementing puzzles and recipes that fit the planted fruits and vegetables perfectly.
Dirk Bader, CEO of Landgard Flower & Plants GmbH, explains in his speech, why it is so important to educate children about natural cycles in a small metropolitan city like Essen: "Nowadays, many children are unaware where the fruits and vegetables they buy in the supermarkets come from. By planting and maintenancing their own little patches, and with the support of the Landgard Foundation, they can get to know the domestic vegetation - and incidentally also realise how tasty fresh fruit and vegetables are."
As part of the program "Green Capital of Europe - Essen 2017", thyssenkrupp converted around 5,000 squaremeters of water in front of their headquarters into an urban gardening project. Aside from the school patches there is also an herb garden, a sandpit for day care kids, a beach volleyball pitch and some spots for relaxation. Wild shrubs, which have also been provided by Landgard and planted by students, offer food to bees and other insects. The project will end in September. Oliver Burkhard, chairman for Human Resources and Labordirector of the thyssenkrupp AG emphasized: "The 'Green Axis' is a joint venture. There is something for everyone, whether they're an experienced gardener or just a school child. The children will be able to learn about handling plants all summer long. The gardeners will make sure that all plants can be re-used after the project. This illustrates what we consider good neighborliness: realizing sustainable projects and learning from each other."
For additional information:
Landgard Service GmbH
Veilingstraße T1200
47638 Straelen - Herongen
www.landgard.de
Landgard Service GmbH
Veilingstraße T1200
47638 Straelen - Herongen
www.landgard.de