Winter Workshop 2025, Augsburg and Munich

We began our tour along the Hochablass on the River Lech with Sebastian Streitberger from the UBZ (Umweltbildungszentrum). In small teams, we took part in a one-hour rally featuring fun and creative tasks, such as photographing objects that look like faces but aren’t, or drawing and recreating scenes from our surroundings. Along the way, we learned about the river’s renaturation plans.

Afterwards, we headed to the city center, where Sebastian Streitberger concluded the tour at Augsburg’s famous Rathausplatz. There we visited the Augustusbrunnen, part of Augsburg’s UNESCO World Heritage site, whose four figures symbolize the rivers Lech, Wertach, Brunnenbach, and Singold.

The Augustusbrunnen in Augsburg

Following a quick lunch, we continued exploring Augsburg with Dr. Sebastian Purwins from the University of Augsburg’s Center for Climate Resilience. He explained how cities like Augsburg are adapting to climate change, for example by planting trees to provide shade and reduce heat.

On Sunday, the second day of the Winter Workshop at the Rachel Carson Center began with a talk by Daniela Aubeck from Bavarian Broadcasting, where she is responsible for sustainability initiatives and efforts. She explained how film productions can generate significant carbon emissions and outlined ways to reduce them, such as minimizing air travel and prioritizing vegetarian meals during production.

For lunch, we enjoyed a potluck together. In the afternoon, we headed to the Isar River, where we met beaver expert Gerhard Schwab. He showed us typical signs of beaver activity along the riverbanks and shared fascinating insights into beaver behavior and habits.