"Rubbish was often thrown into the area, there was dog excrement in it and overall I was bothered by how unattractive the area looked, so I started looking after it," says Elke Grüneberg, describing the beginnings of her voluntary work. She sees the green space as a small substitute for a garden, in which she plants seasonal flowers, trims the bushes accordingly, weeds and removes garbage.
Mayor Frank Frühauf presented her with a certificate and thanked her for taking care of the green space on a voluntary basis. It is gratifying when citizens are committed to making their living environment beautiful, explained the Lord Mayor. This is also a positive example for others. Frühauf pointed out that the Wasenstrasse district in particular offers the opportunity to receive money for small projects, including planting campaigns, via the disposal fund. The Lord Mayor and the city planning department would be delighted to see imitators who would like to beautify further green spaces in their neighborhoods. More information can be found in a video on the homepage at www.idar-oberstein.de/sozialestadt or from the neighborhood management at qm.wasenstrasse@stadtberatung.info.