An exciting and eventful year is drawing to a close. Close? What close? On 1.1. everything simply carries on exactly where it supposedly stopped on 31.12. The year is a circle. And once again, this year has left its mark on everyone. Wars and crises as far as the eye can see. Nevertheless, we kept going. We worked hard, dreamed wildly and hoped for the best.
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We started the year with a dance together. The memory of the Lehm-Laden Party 2023 accompanied us through our working days in the loveliest way for days, weeks, not to say months, and, together with the anticipation of the next party, it still puts a smile on our faces.
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We thought small and big. We got involved regionally, informed people about natural building materials in workshops and championed near-natural building and renovation solutions locally. On other days we travelled far to take part in festivals and trade fairs. Together with architects and activists, we asked ourselves the big questions surrounding climate change and found many answers. We built networks. Communication and knowledge transfer were at the centre of what we did, and in 2023 the centre was once again wherever we were. At best, we kept the world, its history as well as its current crises and debates, in view, while being aware that we could only speak and act from our own always conditional and limited standpoint. At best, we did not stand still, but corrected ourselves and our position. In any case, the centre was mostly not Berlin or Budapest or Brussels or Paris, but a Lower Saxony provincial town called Hitzacker
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We have connected with many others. We have joined the Economy for the Common Good (GWÖ) movement and become members of the Bund nachhaltiger Wirtschaft. We are happy and grateful about this, because we can only change things together. We have nurtured our existing relationships and formed new ones. We have built up a partner network and many websites for our trade partners. We have met with our manufacturers. We have met the people behind Beeck, Saint Astier, Hanffaser, Isohemp and conluto. We have supported people in other countries who are pursuing similar goals to ours. We have met people from our district who stand up for the same cause as we do.
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We thought in circles. We struck the "end" from end consumer and end customer. We philosophised with others about circular construction and circular economies. We celebrated the shape of the circle as an emblem of our dream of building consistently with natural building materials, but also as a symbol of the infinite power of community! Which brings us back to the centre. We can shift the centre or leave the middle of the circle and, standing in a circle with many others, look at this middle differently.
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We reflected on warmth in terms of building biology and in social terms. We raised our voices for social housing built with natural building materials. We dreamt that building with natural building materials would not remain an elite project. We became aware that clay and the like must find their way into the large rental housing projects in the cities. We do not want to play down the success or the CO2 savings achieved by the near-natural renovation of a half-timbered house in the Wendland or of any other detached house somewhere. The smallest house is a tremendous sign. Nevertheless, it is clear to us (and to anyone who can do the most basic maths): more living space made of clay means more success in the fight against climate change and also more happiness and better wellbeing for more people. We therefore demand: less concrete for less housing shortage, less waste and lower CO2 emissions.
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We came through the year well. If one is even allowed to feel or say that in view of the global problems and crises. We are grateful and humbled that we were here and not there. But we don't want to give negativity all the space. We call for new spaces, ideally shared spaces, where people discuss and argue, but don't divide. We didn't bury our heads in the sand, throw in the towel or give up the ship. We didn't let ourselves be intimidated. Of course we failed here and there, fell down, but we got back up and carried on. Someone always held out their hand to us so we could pull ourselves up. But between Christmas and New Year we'll simply stay put, take a break from the world, and instead of watching the news, look into our children's eyes. On 2.1. we'll be back for you, and on 6.1. we want to see you dance!