6 May 2025, 7:30 am, pouring rain. We, Tim and Brigitte, are on our way to the SDG Action Day (SDG: Sustainable Development Goals) at Schloss Lackenbach, where we want to teach Burgenland schoolchildren how important trees are for the climate in the name of the "Tree Circle around the World". The event will take place outdoors...
Rain = bad weather?
We think about it: What are we going to do with our planned contribution in this bad weather? But is it really bad? After so many months without rain? The trees are certainly happy about the rain in their own way... We already have a new entry in our programme. The rain promptly helps and pauses as we hang various objects in the trees in the arboretum, all gifts from trees, with a few exceptions. The children have to recognise them in a puzzle rally.
Experience trees with all your senses
Then we start... "What do you think of the weather today?", we ask, and the children quickly realise how much the rain is good for the trees and many living creatures. We tell a few basic facts about the cycles of CO2 and water and the roles that trees and other plants play in this, but we don't just want to feed the children's minds, we want to appeal to all their senses: What do you experience when you close your eyes and let someone else guide you through the park with confidence? What do the delicate green May tops of the mighty Douglas fir taste like? And have you already stroked the velvety leaves of the Persian oak?
At the end, we sing "Everything comes from the tree" and give the children and their teachers wild herb seeds for their school beds. May the seeds of this day flourish!
What is the SDG Action Day?
As part of the "For a better world" day of action, Esterhazy and 21 partner organisations offered around 500 participants the opportunity to actively engage with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on 6 May 2025 on the grounds of Lackenbach Castle. At the same time, the young people presented the projects they had developed themselves.
Further information:
Photos: Andras Hafenscher
