Now it’s public: „Haus der Nachhaltigkeit“ and our volunteer group which was formerly active at Weinhof move into the former Sport-Sohn headquarters in Augsburger Straße in Neu-Ulm. On May 3, we received the keys to the premises from the Munk company, and we would like to open the doors to the public as soon as possible. Since last summer, we have been longing to offer our usual, regular program for the interested public again. Through the partnership of our groups, we can expand our offerings beyond what we could do on our own!
Two groups that go well together
Our two associations had already been loosely connected in the past through personal acquaintances and mutual visits. As we were both looking for a suitable place to stay, Neu-Ulm city councilwoman Christina Richtmann gave us the impulse to give it a try together and put us in touch with local real estate developer Munk. “It’s a great match,” we quickly agreed. Our two groups want to make it possible to experience today how we can shape a better future ourselves.
For example, Haus der Nachhaltigkeit will set up a borrowing shop on the premises. Anyone who needs tools, gardening equipment or catering equipment can borrow them there—instead of buying things that are only used a few times a year. Reduced resource consumption and social aspects are also the focus of the repair workshop for large electrical appliances “repair4U”, the winner of the Berblinger Contest 2022. The two initiatives are now also working together on these points. The two groups therefore spent several months developing a usage concept and, following mediation by Richtmann, drew up a rental agreement with the Munk company.
An open house by civil society for civil society
After all, it’s not far from the repair workshop to our electronics lab equipment. From the open wood workshop to the sensor network meeting, from the sewing café to the Wikipedia beginners’ workshop, we see a lot of overlap in our programs. After all, it’s always about self-efficacy. Experiencing first-hand how we can work together towards a better future. And for almost a year now, our diverse inventory has been waiting to be used again by as many people as possible. Last year, the city of Ulm asked us volunteers to leave the rooms we had been using at the Weinhof since 2016. The inventory we have built up over the years has been stored since then. In future, 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines and tools will once again fill the workshops and the event technology will be used for lectures and livestreams by our two groups.
Eight weeks of renovation sprint
To make this possible, we will first invest a lot of volunteer time for construction and organizational measures. Much of the necessary work will be carried out in a joint volunteer effort, especially over the next eight weeks. We want to fill the rooms as quickly as possible with a wide range of offers for the public—with the program offered voluntarily at the Weinhof until summer 2022, with the offers of Haus der Nachhaltigkeit, and of course we are particularly excited to see what new things will emerge together that we have not yet had on our radar. That is why the first offers are to start in parallel with the ongoing construction and refurbishment work as soon as the city of Neu-Ulm has granted the necessary official approvals.
Sponsoring memberships and support possible
The rental agreement is initially for two years, with an option to extend—as long as the building is still standing. The Munk company was very accommodating to our two groups with the rent, which and the necessary building materials will be paid for by our associations from donations, sponsorship money and membership fees, and we are looking for further support. Whether sponsoring memberships, financial donations, tradesmen’s services or active support with the renovation—everything will help us in the coming weeks and months to make the building attractive and accessible to the public.
Nevertheless, then as now, no one has to be a member of either association to take part in programs or offer them themselves. Our programs in Neu-Ulm will continue to be as open as they were at the Weinhof.
We look forward to seeing you!