District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier is proud of the commitment of employees who lend a hand to climate protection: "It's great that many employees live the shared mission of climate protection in their day-to-day work alongside their mandatory duties. The tree planting campaign and the care of young trees together with three school classes in the Ditzingen forest made it very practical, and you could literally understand climate protection."
Employees of the district administration office as climate pilots
On the way to a climate-neutral administration, employees from all departments were given the opportunity to actively participate in climate protection as climate pilots. Almost all organizational units in the district administration office have now appointed climate pilots, thus ensuring a better flow of information and new impetus. District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier very much welcomes this commitment. He appeals to all managers to openly embrace and support the climate protection initiatives, "because we all benefit from their success!"
The representatives for climate-neutral administration coordinate the commitment of the climate pilots, who are stepping up their efforts and generating ideas. One of these ideas was the planting of fruit trees on the campus of the district administration office as part of the nationwide Sustainability Days.
State-wide sustainability days as an occasion
The Sustainability Days took place in Baden-Württemberg for the eleventh time in a row - this time from September 16 to October 8. The Climate Protection division took up this opportunity and, together with the climate pilots, came up with two campaigns on the topic of trees and forests. "Unfortunately, we couldn't keep to the campaign period," notes Tina Prietz, climate-neutral administration officer at the district administration office, "one of the reasons for this was that the ground was far too hard in recent weeks due to the exceptional heat and drought. This once again highlights the need for committed action in climate protection and climate adaptation."
The campaign was supported by Martina Rist, fruit and horticultural advisor from the agriculture department. She explained what needs to be considered when caring for young trees and described the benefits of fruit trees in the city. In addition to the positive cooling effect of trees of all kinds, fruit trees provide us with fruit and serve as a habitat and food source for insects and birds.
Visible consequences of climate change for trees and forests
Man-made climate change is progressing so rapidly that trees are increasingly unable to adapt to the changing environmental conditions. Winters are becoming milder and rainier, summers hotter and dry spells longer and longer, occasionally interrupted by severe weather events such as heavy rain or hail. The result is trees that are weakened, diseased and dead due to stress. One solution could be so-called future trees in gardens, cities and forests, which are less sensitive to the effects of climate change. A Brettach apple tree, a Bernese rose apple and a red star apple tree have now been planted in front of the district administration office. The former variety is highly resistant to drought, disease and pests.
