Health and well-being (SDG 3)

‘I have a bee’ (IHAB) is an organisation for hobby beekeepers. It contributes to a sustainable and long-term solution to the bee colony collapse phenomenon by popularizing bee keeping as a hobby. It was founded by 3 hobbyist beekeepers back in 2014. The idea originated from their passion for beekeeping and the desire to breed and keep bees as pets. The group has engaged in research about the roots of traditional beekeeping and designed a new top bar hive which has the advantage of being usable in backyards or on city terraces. (Ref 1) Their 1,000,000 beehive initiative aims to ignite 1,000,000 people around the world to watch at least one beehive. (Ref 3) No information found on status of project as of September 2020.

Revitalization of a large urban park in the Walle and Gröpelingen districts of Bremen. The current park constitutes a neglected area of the former port and shipyards sites with around 4,000 small garden parcels.The local government consulted with numerous societal actors the envisioned project, which aims at the revitalization of the park's both green and blue infrastructure. The goal of the intervention is to create a large recreational park for the districts of Walle and Gröpelingen, which will improve the image of the districts, help with their economic revitalization and provide sustainable practices for urban green care and community gardening (Ref. 2, 3). "Between September 2017 and September 2020, the Green West of Bremen was the focus of the federally funded project "Green Urban Labs" (Ref. 5). As of 2020, "Several of these building blocks have already been started or implemented and have led to an improvement in the cooperation between the actors on site, to an upgrading of the infrastructure and biotopes as well as to an increase in the popularity of the previously rather unknown area" (Ref. 5).

Creation of the social garden by a coalition of multiple social actors in Bremen (citizens, NGOs, public institutions). The initiative was a self-organized grassroots project for urban development that aims at the creation of the green urban area for sustainable gardening and sustainable solutions. The project involved greenery plantings, growing vegetables and herbs, assembly of beehives, organization of educational and cultural events and workshops (Ref. 1, 4).

A local government-led project of the renaturalization of the part of the Weser river shore. The initiative aimed to restore part of the river bank to its natural state and to create habitats for the typical local flora and fauna. Additionally, a sand beach for the public was created. The project aimed to increase biodiversity, increase the river shore protection and water management, as well as to improve public access to the recreational area at the water and the attractiveness of the river landscape (Ref. 1, 2, 5).

A private investment project that aimed to create a new building complex in the Findorff district of Bremen and build two large residential buildings "Münchner Bogen" and "Findorffer Tor" with green roofs on top. The green roofing of the buildings was influenced by the local actors - the alliance "Green Bremen" and the advisory board of the Findorff Council. The initiative aimed to contribute to sustainable urban development by the positive impact on biodiversity, rainwater retention, improved local air quality and provision of natural thermoregulation for the buildings (Ref. 1, 2, 3).

A project of the local government developed with EU and federal funds that aimed at the development of the green and beach area in the course of the refurbishment of the flood protection system. The initiative sought to provide a model project for urban flood protection, which can showcase that flood protection measures do not require a separation between city and water and new recreational spaces at the water and shore can be created instead. The project involves redevelopment of the shore area, enlargement of the public space at the shore with additional sand deposit and greenery planting (Ref. 1, 2). The bank area with a beach and recreational facilities opened in May 2019 (Ref. 5).

The project aimed to create a garden on the roof in the Bremen Volkshochschule, developed with the help of local NGO, Gemüsewerft Bremen and local citizens. The initiative involves vegetables and herbs growing, educational workshops on nutrition and urban gardening as well as various social activities. It aims at increasing access to the urban gardening space and increase in ecological awareness of the residents of Bremen (Ref. 1, 3).

The Belvedere College Urban Farm is run by students from the school and by the Urban Farm start-up. The complex consists of a greenhouse and an open farm, both situated on the rooftop of Belvedere College. The project serves as a testing ground for researching sustainable farming practices, provides education and practical experience on the topic to students, and is part of a collaborative food network in the local area. (ref 1, 7, 8)

The aim of the FitzSimons Wood Biodiversity Education Programme is to highlight the value of, and to promote the use and care of biodiversity and green space in the local area through learning exercises and activities taking place in FitzSimons Wood park. To support such educational activities in the park, enhancement of the habitat was carried out by developing footpaths, planting native trees and management of invasive species. Also, a detailed handbook for school teachers was produced with guidance on how to lead school activities where students investigate local wildlife. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)

Creation of an additional spot for a vegetable garden, which is a utility of the charitable society for inclusive employment (Gesellschaft für integrative Beschäftigung mbH) in Bremen. With the land provided by the city and with the financial help of Aktion Mensch organization the initiative aimed to establish an additional area for the gardening and horticultural activities that will involve disabled people. The project aims to increase social inclusion of the disadvantaged groups as well as promote urban subsistence and sustainable solutions in food production. The initiative also involves educational activities (Ref. 2, 3).