YOUR FORUM FOR PLAY, SPORTS UND LEISURE AREAS
The representatives of the foundation were presented with their charter by charity law consultant Dr. Daniel Fischer in a ceremony held in the ‘Haus der Landschaft’ in Bad-Honnef. In his speech, Fischer stressed that “the concepts of sustainability and environmentalism promoted by ‘Die Grüne Stadt’ will be ideally sponsored through this form of organisation as it provides the basis for providing independent and continuous support to its causes over many generations.”
The attending members of the executive board of the foundation and its board of trustees used the opportunity to make themselves and their organisation known to the public. Hanns-Jürgen Redeker, President of the German garden, landscape and sports ground construction association (Garten- , Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau e.V [BGL]) said. “The purpose of the foundation is to champion environmental protection and the related disciplines and research, and to encourage public involvement in the efforts to extend green facilities within urban areas. Our objective is to arouse and to reinforce the awareness of green issues on the part of decision-makers in the worlds of politics and business. Positive outcomes demonstrate that the form, size and design of green amenities need to be taken into account as inherent elements of construction and renovation projects from their very inception.”
Peter Menke, who has been Spokesperson of the ‘Die Grüne Stadt’ forum since 2003, has also been appointed to the board. He stated: “What we are essentially concentrating on in our work are the effects that vegetation has on the everyday life of human beings. There is no doubt that our citizens want more green amenities in their towns and cities. However, the current financial situation means that restrictions are at present being placed on all communal expenditure, including that set aside for public green spaces. Under these circumstances, we need to be looking at the extension of green areas within our urban environments not just from the point of view of cost, but should also be considering its actual value to us.” The continuity of the forum within the foundation is also apparent in the form of the other board members. Wolfgang Groß, Environmental Consultant to the BGL, has for many years been an active member of the Steering Committee and a vigorous promoter of the idea of extending green urban space. Jan Habets, Director of
Plant Publicity Holland (PPH) and an internationally prominent founder of the Green City initiative, has been particularly concerned with forging closer links between the various national movements within Europe.
The President of the German tree school association (Bund deutscher Baumschulen e.V. [BdB]), Karl-Heinz Plum, was represented by BGB Steering Committee member, Helmut Selders, who said, “We have been involved in the forum since its launch and are glad to see that all the previous sponsors will continue to provide their support to the ‘Die Grüne Stadt’ foundation. Over the past six years, we have consistently seen how the seeds of the green town concept have fallen upon fertile terrain. We need both positive examples and a dynamic network – it is now excellent that, as a foundation, we can further our aim of improving the quality of urban life with greater vigour.” Another sponsor, Claudia Gölz (NED.WORK) stated: “We are pleased that the informal forum to promote the concept of more green spaces formed six years ago by a small group of organisations and businesses with their necessarily limited commitment has now taken on a more defined structure that will help it continue with its work and advocate its philosophy of the green town among a wider audience in more targeted form.”
Source: IDgS
Further information: www.die-gruene-stadt.de
