Provision of expertise

‘Grün macht Schule’ has been informing, advising, and supporting schools and school initiatives in Berlin since 1983 in the planning and realization of schoolyard projects. The program focuses on improving school playgrounds by creating child-friendly, natural habitats and ecological learning spaces, making schoolyards better equipped to address climate change. In 2012, the program expanded with the launch of the ‘Grün macht Schule - KinderGARTEN’ funding initiative, which extended support to kindergartens.
Over the past four decades, with the program’s assistance, Berlin has seen the transformation of large, unstructured schoolyards into smaller, creative playgrounds. These spaces now feature imaginative and artistic objects alongside facilities for play, exercise, and communication. Additionally, many school gardens and biotopes have been established or restored, turning school grounds into vibrant ecological and educational environments .
The projects are largely driven by schools’ self-initiatives, with ‘Grün macht Schule’ offering support throughout. This grassroots approach fosters pride and a sense of ownership among school communities, strengthening their identification with the results. The collaborative effort also enriches educational practices, promoting inclusion, integration, and democratic participation. Such initiatives offer a hands-on experience with sustainable climate protection projects, making these efforts tangible and impactful in everyday school life.
In addition to its project-based support, ‘Grün macht Schule’ provides training for school teams, organizes regional and national conferences, and hosts seminars and lectures to share best practices and inspire further action .
The program is a cooperative effort between the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family and the association Freilandlabor Britz e.V., operating under the guidance of the Senate Department. (Ref. 1-4, 6)

As heat waves and high temperatures intensify due to climate change and urbanization, the City of Phoenix is exploring how to reintroduce tree shade into urban spaces to create a more equitable, livable environment. In 2014, the city set a goal to shade at least 25% of Phoenix by 2030, known as the Tree and Shade Master Plan. Achieving this ambitious target requires substantial resources and active community participation.
A key player in this initiative is Trees Matter, an environmental nonprofit dedicated to helping Phoenix reach its shade goals. Trees Matter not only works to expand and sustain the city’s tree canopy but also aims to foster environmental equity. Among its initiatives, the Trees for Schools program promotes tree planting in schools while educating staff and students about the significance of trees and tree care.
Silvestre Herrera Elementary School is one example where the Trees for Schools program has made a direct impact. As part of this program, 30 trees were planted on the school grounds, involving students, staff, and community volunteers in the process. These new trees offer critical environmental benefits, including shade, air purification, dust reduction, food production, and carbon sequestration. Additionally, tree presence has been linked to improved physical and mental health outcomes.
Beyond the immediate environmental gains, the project also offers educational value by involving students, staff, and maintenance crews in hands-on learning about tree care and environmental stewardship. This approach ensures that participants are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to care for the trees long term, reinforcing both sustainability and community resilience.
Through these combined efforts, Phoenix is making strides toward a greener, more shaded future—one that benefits not only the environment but also the well-being and health of its residents. (1-5)

The Oxygen Alley project, developed by the NGO Arboretum Detroit, is a green space located in the Poletown East neighborhood of Detroit. Spanning four formerly abandoned lots, the project, completed in 2023, serves as a significant environmental and community initiative aimed at improving local resilience and promoting environmental justice. Named in recognition of the closure of the Detroit waste incinerator—a major source of pollution for over 30 years—the project replaces a long-abused landscape with a thriving greenway that enhances both the ecological health and social well-being of the area.
Key features of Oxygen Alley include the planting of air-filtering trees and the creation of a shaded greenway lined with wildflowers, benches, and walking paths. This new green space not only provides a recreational area for residents but also functions as a natural air conditioner, stormwater sponge, and wildlife habitat. It addresses the neighborhood’s lack of tree cover, offering shade and cleaner air while helping mitigate the effects of climate change.
The project also underscores the neighborhood's longstanding struggle for environmental justice. The removal of 400 feet of asphalt and the remediation of a polluted landscape highlight the community’s efforts to reclaim and revitalize their environment. Oxygen Alley serves as both a functional green space and a monument to the residents’ victories over the waste industry, symbolizing their continued fight for clean air and livable spaces.
Supported by grants from the City of Detroit, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and DTE Energy Foundation, among others, the project was brought to life through over 300 hours of volunteer labor. The creation of this greenway not only improves the neighborhood’s walkability but also offers a vision for a more sustainable and equitable future, serving as a model for urban revitalization projects across Detroit and beyond.
(Ref.1,2,3)

The ReDuna project, initiated in 2014, focuses on restoring the sand dune ecosystem in Costa da Caparica (Almada) in response to severe coastal erosion exacerbated by sea-level rise and winter storms. It aims to strengthen the resilience of dunes to environmental pressures while restoring ecological balance. Actions include sand nourishment, the installation of willow sand fences, and the planting of 100,000 native species. Community engagement was a key factor, involving local residents, NGOs, and schools in maintenance and replanting efforts. The project has been successful, with significant biodiversity recovery, establishing deep-rooted vegetation, and stabilising the dunes. Ongoing monitoring and adaptive management are central to its strategy, ensuring long-term sustainability. The ReDuna project serves as a replicable model for similar coastal protection initiatives globally (Ref 1).

Eliseo Collazos is located in the coastal desert ecosystem of the Lomas or ‘fog oasis’, an area that receives less than 10 mm of rainfall per year. Vegetation cover is of particular importance in the hills surrounding Lima, as it provides critical solutions to erosion, landslides and soil degradation in the ecologically degraded ecosystem of the Lomas. However, this ecosystem is facing risks from urbanisation, illegal mining and agricultural practices, resulting in the lack of the delicate mist-fed greenery for which the Lomas are known (2). This has led to increased particulate matter in the air due to exposure to sand and wind, aggravating respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis, which is prevalent in Lima's informal communities (2).
Low-income communities have inhabited this area, forced to migrate from the rainforest, highlands and city to the desert slums (4), who have only been able to settle in these landscapes with little access to resources, prone to disaster risk, little public investment in infrastructure and little access to green spaces (2). As a result, these communities live in poor conditions (1). For this reason, in 2013, the University of Washington, under its Urban Informal Communities Initiative programme (1), initiated a participatory project that sought to address the challenges faced by the inhabitants of this area (1, 2). In a series of participatory workshops, residents identified greenspace and food security as top priorities in their community; the Gardens, Greenspace and Health project responds to these priorities as an initial step towards the expansion of greenspace, agriculture and ecological restoration in and around the Eliseo Collazos community (2, 4).
Although individual families constructed them, the front yard gardens contribute to a shared public realm and community greening (4). The general project also involved the installation of fog catchers and the creation of common recreational spaces (4).

In Phoenix, many residents live in dead zones with little or no access to fresh food. These zones are called 'food deserts,' which represent a low-income area with low access to a grocery store (3). Out of the 43 food deserts identified by the city, 18 are fully or partly in south Phoenix (2-3). In 2017, Two researchers from Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability and Leuphana University Lüneburg in Germany began exploring the idea of creating a sustainable food forest cooperative in Phoenix to provide fresh, healthy food, supporting local entrepreneurs, and promote environmental sustainability (1). The project's development team spent months immersing themselves in the world of food forests, by exploring different types of community gardens, discussing preferred characteristics, anticipating local challenges, and identifying potential collaborators (1). As a result, The Food Forest Cooperative was established and planted roots in a 0.5 acre (0.20 ha) plot within the Spaces of Opportunity Community Garden in 2022 (1). This food forest engages the local community by offering educational opportunities around the value of culturally relevant, whole fruits and vegetables, medicine making, and learning about the many uses of edible/medicinal plants (4). The Food Forest Cooperative as a multi-generational project that members preserve for their children, and their children’s children (2). The intention behind the project is to address food insecurity in south Phoenix and empowering the community to take ownership of it and reconnect with their ancestors through the land and food (2). Through the Cooperative, members can contribute different skills, from administrative work to manual labor to community education and traditional medicine (2). It was created to empower community members and challenge the patterns of our food system through the blending of environmental, social and economic goals (4).

The project aims to protect seagrass meadows, which are vital habitats for the prey of resident dolphins and essential to the local fishing economy. The initiative involves local fisherwomen, called "Keepers of the Sea," in activities such as marine education, awareness campaigns, and monitoring the health of the seagrass meadows (Ref 1). Founded in 2015, Ocean Alive aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including ocean conservation, gender equality, quality education, and climate action (Ref 4). The project is supported by partnerships with UNESCO and other organizations, and it extends its efforts to Portuguese-speaking African countries. Ocean Alive’s activities also include advocacy for blue carbon ecosystems and programs that involve community engagement and social innovation (Ref 2, Ref 5).
One of several implementation projects targeted safeguarding the young seagrass meadow at Cambalhão Bay, at the entrance of the Sado estuary, as an Ocean Alive’s initiative in partnership with SeaTrees by Sustainable Surf (Ref. 2). The Cambalhão meadow is made up of 202 patches of seagrass. Unregulated shipping is one of the factors in the degradation of the prairie, and to protect it, Ocean Alive is running a campaign to raise awareness about recreational boating (Ref. 6).

D-Town Farm, located within Detroit’s River Rouge Park, is a landmark urban agriculture initiative led by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN). Since its establishment in 2008, this seven-acre farm—the largest in Detroit—has embodied the organization’s commitment to food sovereignty, justice, and security for the city’s African American community. Each year, the farm cultivates over 30 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs using sustainable and regenerative practices. Key operations include large-scale composting, rainwater retention, solar energy generation, and beekeeping, all of which support its ecological and educational missions.
Beyond production, D-Town Farm serves as a community hub. From May through September, it hosts public events that offer educational and recreational opportunities for children and families. The farm also provides hands-on training for aspiring growers through internships and volunteer programs, fostering community engagement and agricultural skill development. Volunteers play a crucial role in daily operations, with ongoing opportunities available throughout the growing season.
D-Town Farm’s mission extends beyond agriculture, serving as a platform for broader advocacy. By challenging barriers to food access, it addresses food deserts with a focus on empowerment and education. The farm supports the local economy by supplying fresh produce to restaurants, farmers markets, and residents, while its health-focused initiatives, such as the youth-centered Food Warriors Development Program, aim to reduce health disparities within the community.
The DBCFSN’s work at D-Town Farm exemplifies a model of community cooperation and self-determination, promoting equity and justice in the food system. By engaging with both local and broader urban communities, D-Town Farm not only strengthens Detroit’s leadership in urban agriculture but also contributes to food justice movements nationwide.
(Ref.1,2,3,4)

Situated in the southern suburbs of Kunming City, Dianchi is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Yunnan and the sixth largest in China (Refs 1, 2). However, due to rapid industrial development, agricultural activities around the lake, land reclamation, and population growth, Dianchi Lake became severely polluted, ranking among the most contaminated lakes in China. This pollution threatened biodiversity and degraded natural habitats (Refs 1, 2, 3). The introduction of exotic species further disrupted the lake’s ecological balance (Ref 1).
In response, the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ), with funding from the Chinese Government, World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) launched the Lake Dianchi Freshwater Biodiversity Restoration Project. This initiative aimed to restore natural habitats, improve water quality through biological means, and foster community engagement and institutional capacity, creating a sustainable framework for the long-term conservation of Dianchi's unique freshwater biodiversity (Refs 1, 4).
The project was implemented across four key components: Wetland Management and Restoration, Surveys and Monitoring of Species Conservation, Capacity Building and Training, and Public Awareness (ibid.). The project was rated 'Satisfactory' in terms of outcomes, sustainability, and execution under a comprehensive evaluation framework that employed multiple indicators (Refs 4, 5).

The Praderas de Vida garden is an initiative to transform a former rubbish dump into a source of employment and empowerment for the residents of the Praderas de San Juan de Miraflores Human Settlement (1). This agroecological community garden was developed as part of ISA REP's Sustainable Easements programme (13), located in the easement area of Peru's energy network, and it has collaboration efforts with KUNAN, Misha Rastrera, and La Muyita, brings together twelve female heads of households who cultivate, harvest, and process a variety of medicinal plants that have aromatic, antiseptic, and relaxing properties (2, 3).
Beyond agricultural production, the garden has become a hub for emotional and economic support, fostering a connection with nature through plant care and interaction with the local ecosystem (3). It has also led to the establishment of a social enterprise, "Praderas de Vida," allowing women to participate in agroecological fairs to market the products derived from the medicinal plants grown in the garden (3).
The garden has evolved into a space for learning and community collaboration, promoting the importance of sustainability and biodiversity conservation (6).