Sustainable development

Now, at the end of summer, the green leaves of the trees give way to a colourful mix of yellows and oranges. Autumn begins and the apple trees have plenty of ripe fruit. It is harvest time on our orchards at Seehaus on the “Größe Lankesee” (Great Lake). But what happens after the harvest? How do natural apples from the orchard become freshly pressed apple juice? In the DKB FOUNDATION’s experience-oriented hands-on campaign "From the Tree to the Bottle", Year Four students from the Libertas School in the district of Löwenberg were able to find out exactly how this is done. In addition to the teaching of related knowledge around the topic of traditional organic fruit cultivation, along with the processing and juice extraction using the apple as an example, questions were also asked about the manual work involved during grandparents’ times. The children were able to try all the steps of juicing themselves. From collecting and picking the apples, to crushing and pressing, and then finally tasting the freshly squeezed juice.  Jana Setzkor, Schloss & Gut Liebenberg’s gardener gave the children an insight into all the work a fruit farmer has to do with the apple tree over the course of a year and how the apple reaches maturity from flowering. The volunteer Rainer Gödde from the fruit-growing estate in Eden had also brought his juicer along to show the children how it works. The apples were fed into the grinder, which the pupils took turns operating by hand. It was pretty exhausting work, as they quickly realized. The crushed apples were then poured into a press, which also had to be operated with muscle power. And then, finally, the first fresh apple juice started to drip out. At last, the children were allowed to hold their cups under the spout to taste the freshly harvested juice. This DKB STIFTUNG educational program perfectly complements the elementary school instruction the children receive. Practical handling of food is the focus and the children learn to perceive food with all of their senses, while consciously enjoying it. This opens up individual horizons of understanding and creation for children, provides positive impulses for everyday nutrition, and creates cognitive, social and fine-motor learning opportunities in handling food. Are you interested in participating in similar projects, or do you have your own ideas? Please, send us an e-mail to thomas.steller@dkb-stiftung.de

The green light has been given for an important collaboration that perfectly combines our Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Inclusion and Prevention project groups. As of now, the DKB FOUNDATION is cooperating with the GemüseAckerdemie (Vegetable Academy) as part of its program extension "GemüseAckerdemie PLUS" to enable children with special needs to also have the chance to learn from nature and so get them excited about healthy nutrition and sustainability. To kick off this joint project, the play "Kulinarius Karottengold", produced by the EUKITEA theatre company, was held to attract future farming students from the Margeriten School in Borgsdorf, a special school with a focus on emotional and social development. In the play, the passionate gardener Paul explains why his tomatoes shine so well, how important sun, rain and wind are, and what else his plants need to grow. The play is also part of our foundation project "Lecker Essen" (Tasty Food), in which children learn more about the origin and manufacturing conditions of food and their contribution to a healthy diet during action days for nutritional education held at Schloss & Gut Liebenberg. In the year-round theory and practice-based education program of the GemüseAckerdemie, students cultivate their own vegetables and learn, in a practical way, where food comes from, how much work is involved in vegetable farming, and the significance nature holds as our basis of life. The cultivation and perception of self-efficiency take priority just as much as the consideration of actions and their effects. Interest and curiosity are aroused through means of practical application, everyday relevance and enthusiasm. The children’s thought processes are stimulated and they are supported and encouraged to discover their potential and to recognize themselves as valuable and responsible creators of a sustainable future. A special focus of this joint project lies in the further development of the education program GemüseAckerdemie PLUS, which not only aims to increase children’s appreciation of food but to combat the loss of knowledge and competence in the field of food production, alienation from nature, unhealthy eating habits, and to counteract food waste. The PLUS of the program consists mainly in the educational work to be done in order to compensate for unfavorable learning conditions. Children with special needs are individually supported and their specific strengths developed, contributing to the prevention of social isolation, exclusion, and lack of experience.