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The Project
Our initiative is a campus-based green project that combines practical environmental action with educational engagement. The project includes several greening elements such as a vertical wall garden, compost heap, flowering meadow, and raised vegetable beds. These areas were created and are maintained by students and lecturers together as part of university courses and through voluntary work.
The wall garden mainly features climbing and hanging plants that contribute to biodiversity and microclimate improvement. The raised beds are planted seasonally with herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers, providing hands-on learning opportunities related to sustainability and ecology. The compost heap serves as both a waste recycling system and a teaching tool for demonstrating natural nutrient cycles, while the flowering meadow supports pollinators and enriches the campus ecosystem.
Our motivation is rooted in a shared commitment to creating a greener and more sustainable environment on campus. As a team, we make all decisions collaboratively, guided by the goal of improving our surroundings and setting a positive example for others. We believe that by working together and integrating nature into our daily campus life, we can raise awareness, strengthen our community, and contribute meaningfully to a healthier future for both people and the planet.
In addition to the physical greening elements, the project involves active participation through gardening sessions, workshops, and excursions. These activities aim to deepen environmental awareness, promote community building, and inspire students to integrate sustainability into their daily lives and future professions. All green areas are maintained by the entire campus team, depending on the needs of the season—usually on a weekly basis or more often when required. In addition, we cooperate with gardener Angelika Ertl, who currently oversees the planting of the raised beds and other garden areas within the school grounds.
More details
The initiative is funded by Campus Augustinum, the Bildunsförderungsfonds and the ÖKOLOG program.
Through our green campus activities, we have already achieved several positive outcomes and expect further long-term benefits. The creation of the wall garden, raised beds, compost heap, and flowering meadow has transformed our campus into a more vibrant, biodiverse, and sustainable space. These areas now serve as living learning environments where students can gain hands-on experience in ecological care and sustainability practices.
We have observed greater engagement and environmental awareness among students and staff, as well as stronger cooperation within the campus community. The collaboration with gardener Angelika Ertl has improved the quality and variety of our plantings and provided professional insights into sustainable gardening.
Looking ahead, we expect ongoing ecological improvements such as increased biodiversity, improved soil quality through composting, and continued growth of our community’s environmental responsibility and participation.
So far, the project has led to visible ecological, educational, and social changes on campus. It has turned previously unused or less valued outdoor areas into green, biodiverse learning spaces and has strengthened the culture of sustainability at Campus Augustinum as an ÖKOLOG institution.
In terms of participation, the project regularly involves students, lecturers, and the wider campus team through gardening sessions, courses, and joint maintenance activities. These activities promote hands-on learning about soil, plants, composting, and biodiversity, and they help future teachers experience how environmental education can be implemented in schools.
Key achievements include the establishment of raised beds, a flowering meadow, composting structures, and greening elements that can be used directly in teaching and projects. Combined with the professional support of gardener Angelika Ertl, these measures have improved the quality of planting on site and created a visible, positive example of ecological school and campus development.
The ideas, desires, and interests of students are actively integrated through their direct participation in the AugustGREENum team. In this group, students and the student union are formally represented and have the right to co-decide on all major steps and priorities of the green initiative.
Their perspectives are taken into account when planning new planting concepts and organising activities such as gardening sessions or workshops. In addition, informal feedback from students is regularly discussed within the team, ensuring that the project reflects their learning needs, environmental concerns, and creative ideas for further developing the campus as a green and educational space.
- Green Team
We plan to further develop the project both in scope and in depth. We aim to maintain and expand the existing green areas, for example by adding more planting areas, increasing plant diversity, and continuously improving soil quality through composting.
In addition, we intend to strengthen the role of the AugustGREENum team by involving even more students in decision-making and implementation. New ideas include developing additional teaching formats around the garden (e.g. project days, interdisciplinary courses), creating more spaces for biodiversity on campus, and deepening cooperation with external experts such as our gardener, Angelika Ertl.
The School
- Tertiary education