Transformative educational programme for effective climate protection throughout Germany
We systematically brought together effective climate protection in everyday life and structural transformation approaches. By offering training courses for municipalities, neighborhoods and volunteers throughout Germany and training trainers. To do this, we rely on the tried-and-tested #climatechallenge workshop format.
Project duration: 2023-2026
Annika Fricke and Markus Szaguhn will be happy to advise you.
Multiplier for the #climatechallenge
Become an advocate for the #climatechallenge or find an advocate who can lead a workshop or training session at your location! Although the #climatechallenge project has ended, the #climatechallenge educational format can still be used by anyone interested.
Learn more in
The #climatechallenge project website features, among other things, a training video that explains the #climatechallenge educational format. You can also find experienced #cc facilitators there who are available to lead #cc workshops or #cc training sessions for a fee.
Furthermore, the project website shares insights on how the educational format can be adapted to various contexts: for schools, colleges, municipalities, clubs, or extracurricular learning settings. An explanatory video also covers everything you need to know about the #climatechallenge.
Interested individuals can also refer to the guide for facilitators. A limited number of printed copies are available at the Zukunftsraum (while supplies last). Additional information and materials can be found on this download page. All #cc materials are published under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA license.
#climatechallenge - The Workshop format
The #climatechallenge educational program has as a target to motivate people to reduce their personal carbon footprint. In addition, people are encouraged to advocate, above all, for structural changes that promote greater and more comprehensive climate protection in their communities (to increase their “handprint”). This is because, in the long run, it is more effective to change structures and establish alternatives that promote sustainability and enable many people to adopt climate-friendly behaviors. For example, advocating for more vegetarian options in the cafeteria or a more bike-friendly infrastructure has a much greater and more lasting effect than an individual’s switch to a more climate-friendly diet or mode of transportation.
How does a #climatechallenge work? The #climatechallenge is carried out as a three-part workshop concept.
- Footprint challenge: Participants carry out a 30-day footprint challenge as a self-experiment. The aim is to introduce a more climate-friendly lifestyle through individual behavioural changes.
- Reflection phase: In a subsequent reflection phase, the participants recognise structural challenges that prevent or hinder climate-friendly action.
- Handprint challenge: The participants then form teams to strategically tackle and remove the obstacles to sustainable behaviour and comprehensive climate protection with a handprint challenge.
The backgrounds to #climatechallenge
The project based on a workshop format that was launched at the University of Konstanz in 2014 and won first prize in the 2021 Teaching Award for Higher Education for Sustainable Development (further information). It supports people in working towards long-term and more effective climate protection for themselves and others. The joint project #climatechallenge presented here (see also the joint project website) is developing the format further and spreading it throughout Germany at schools, universities, extracurricular learning venues, municipalities and neighborhoods.
Germanwatch e.V., netzwerk n e.V. and the Karlsruhe Transformation Center (KAT) jointly implemented the project. As primarily academic and white organizations, we were aware of our responsibility and tried to make the project inclusive and sensitive to discrimination as far as possible.
Joint project website
Further information to the #climatechallenge and its material can be found on the joint project website at www.climatechallenge.de.
Selected Literature and Publications
- WandelStory: "Den Handabdruck vergrößern und zum Klimaschutz beitragen"
- Podcast: climatechallenge mit Hand und Fuß
- Kapitel im Buch “Profit statt Planet? Kapitalismus im Zeitalter der Klimakatastrophe“
