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01/17/2025 | Campus-Meldung

Citizens shape places of sustainability

Future stores promote civic engagement in the SDG+ Lab's first themed year "Transformations in Energy + Environment"

LetteringImage: Sascha Mannel.
Lettering in Waldau.

How can different people in Kassel be activated for the topic of sustainability? With this question in mind, the team from the Department of Microeconomics and Empirical Energy Economics at the University of Kassel launched the so-called Future Shops. In the four Kassel districts of Oberzwehren, Kirchditmold, Waldau and Wilhelmshöhe, the researchers worked with citizens between February and September 2024 to create pop-up stores with numerous activities on the topic of sustainability. Four districts, eight months and almost 400 events later, one thing is clear: the Zukunftsläden are a boost for civic engagement in the districts.

Over the course of two months, each of the four stores was filled with what people from the districts brought with them. "It's fun to do something concrete locally for more sustainability, it strengthens our cohesion and social interaction. We have reached new people in the district who are getting involved in the long term and that brings new momentum for and to Kirchditmold," says Elisabeth König, head of Kirchditmold.

The program was designed by the citizens along the lines of the 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations (SDGs for short). From swap boxes and readings to after-work markets - more than 6,000 visitors engaged with topics such as energy supply, urban development and sustainable consumption. "It's particularly nice that we are so diverse with our topics. We now have a wooden market stall as a mobile store for the future and talk to local people," says Anja Lipschik, head of Bad Wilhelmshöhe.

Those involved are taking the momentum from the future stores with them: "The view of the entire district has widened for many, and with the ecological activities we will reach many people in the future. This is exactly the development I wanted to see," summarizes Birgit Hengesbach-Knoop, first deputy mayor of Oberzwehren. Dirk Seeger, local councillor from Waldau, adds: "I am sure that a seed has been planted that will encourage future civic involvement. Now it will be a matter of safeguarding what has been created and keeping the projects that have been started alive."

Even after the end of the Future Shops in the districts, it is clear that the commitment remains. While Wilhelmshöhe has its own market stall to discuss sustainability issues, an after-work market has been established in Kirchditmold. In Oberzwehren, there will continue to be an "Unrepair Café", a kind of precursor to a Repair Café, which provides a basic understanding of appliances; and in Waldau, the popular swap boxes are still available. These are just a few examples of the existing activities, and anyone interested is still welcome to join in. Information on the future stores, activities and contacts can be found at: www.sdgpluslab.de/energie-umwelt

Until 2027, the "SDG+ Lab" project funded by the federal-state initiative "Innovative University" offers starting points for activities on sustainability. The current theme year "Transformations in urban + rural areas" is all about the design of rural and urban spaces and the interplay between urban and rural areas. Interested parties can currently immerse themselves in the topics until January 23 in the exhibition of the same name at Wilhelmsstraße 21 and get a foretaste of the upcoming activities in the summer.