Habitat Protection Strategies for Northern Virginia: Creative Innovations From Germany

Rapid urbanization across Northern Virginia is moving local governments and small businesses to seek creative programs that limit habitat erosion, destruction of biodiversity and the loss of native species.

In Dortmund, Germany, one small business entrepreneur works with the local community and government to rehabilitate habits (especially for bees) and biodiversity through practical, small-scale low-cost ways. Sebastian Everding and the firm with which he now works – “Better World Machines” – partners with local community associations, businesses, NGOs and schools to collect former gumball vending machines for repair and conversion into seed dispensers. Everding has strategically placed the re-purposed seed dispensers near libraries, office complexes and public transit stations. At a cost of $0.50, residents purchase seed packets from the dispensers and scatter or plant the seeds at local parks, open spaces or even planters on balconies across the City. Everding’s work has spread to dozens of other cities in Germany – and Europe. The evolution is Everding’s business model is a tale of small-scale success fusing creative enthusiasm, low-tech, workforce training, passion for sustainability and biodiversity. Wehrheim, Germany, and the work of Ms. Christina Gruber-Eifert, offers another unique perspective into the applications of Better World Machines and local-level environmental education. Learn more.

Join the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and the George Mason University School of Business for a webinar in which Sebastian Everding and Christina Gruber-Eifert, will share the evolution of their work and the business, training, education and business lessons models. A discussion will follow about the potential for replication of this work across Northern Virginia. Register here.