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_ About Us
We are plan A+ Klima & Kultur e. V., a non-profit organisation and network of creatives founded in Berlin in 2020.
We're dedicated to forward-oriented, environmentally and socially responsible action across various domains such as design, architecture, art, crafts, food, science, and business.
Together, our goal is to promote the transition towards a responsible everyday life for everyone.
The past decades have starkly revealed that our societal trajectory, shaped by our lifestyles, production methods, and consumption habits, is leading us towards a dead end.
It is imperative that we reconsider these patterns.
How can we break free from learned behaviours, instill new values, and actively shape a more socio-ecological world?
What does it mean to be human today, and how can we co-exist with nature rather than exploit it?
We are intrigued by the potential of fostering small-scale circular economies to address these challenges.
plan A+ is an attempt to harness diverse perspectives, future-proof ideas, socio-ecological practices through discussions, workshops, exhibitions and reading circles – to make knowledge about conscious living more tangible, experiential, and accessible to everyone.
We firmly believe that everyone harbors the will to create and possesses the potential to nurture it.
Societal transformation occurs when it embraces alternative visions of itself.
Culture serves as a pivotal catalyst for change, demanding active engagement.
Whether you are a creative, maker, future enthusiast, or a supporter, we seek to connect with all who share our optimistic vision of a better coexistence for people and the environment.
We invite cultural practitioners and the general public alike to engage in mutual learning and inner growth.
Because we know that together, inner change and the willingness to change is possible if we recognise the signs of the times now.
Let's connect – contact info@plana.plus
_ Founding Team
Eliza Helmerich ( Sustainable Design , Social Entrepreneurship)
Co-Founder | Research & Creative Development
Bettina Klein ( Cultural Management )
Co-Founder | Executive Director
Michael Heim ( Architecture )
Co-Founder | Panel Host
Maximiliane Schäffer ( Political Communication )
Co-Founder | Workshop Direction
Canan Yilmaz (Design & Art History)
Co-Founder | Volunteering
Maike Schnell ( Design )
Co-Founder | Volunteering
Pascal Sorg ( Art )
Co-Founder | Volunteering
_ Advisory Board
Dr. phil. Florian Sametinger
_ Creation
Photography
Ronald Dick | Portrait
Graphic
Catrin Sonnabend
Jan Henrik Arnold
Designstudio Bas&Aer
_ Our Motivation
For too many years, we've found it incomprehensible to wake up in a world that scientists and economists warned us about back in the 1970s. It would be fatal if, after 50 years, we still haven't found creative ways to live in cooperation and equality with each other and with nature.
We can't just wait for governments to proactively enact climate policy laws to tackle the global crisis. Instead, we feel the need to narrow down the complexity of this crisis by focusing on a smaller radius: our tangible local network and environment.
This includes the growing variety of holistically acting creatives, informed consumers, organizations, and manufacturers who have been actively working on the application of future-proof solutions for many years.
The will to advance society is an elementary need and drive, and it's therefore at the heart of Plan A+. We want everyone to participate in it by rethinking entrenched thought processes and breaking repetitive, destructive patterns of behavior.
Through Plan A+, we aim for the urban community of Berlin and its visitors to experience what it means to participate in cultural change in a self-determined, human-scaled, and nature-friendly way.
_ Our Goals
We want a new paradigm for local, cultural and economic processes: The economic globalisation has undermined local economies and community living, yet we know that local cooperation leads to social cohesion and resilience and is a powerful way to deal with crisis situations.
Through plan A+ we aim to concretely address the problems and tie in the needs of different groups of people who want to be part of a positive change:
1.0 Creative Culture
Independent designers, architects and artists working and experimenting in the field of future-proof ways of living and producing need a platform to actively connect across disciplines, exchange about problems and holistic solutions, collaborate on experiments, share knowledge and cooperatively present possible future-proof solutions, products and services to a local audience on a regular basis.
> Plan A+ wants to offer a physical and digital space for interdisciplinary exchange.
2.0 Ecological small-scale Businesses, Manufacturers & Artisans
Regional manufacturers, businesses, artisans, and technology are pivotal in championing eco-friendly, local, and ethical production practices. However, transitioning from profit-centric to value-centric operations poses a significant challenge, particularly in terms of financial viability. Yet, if local demand for regional goods and services were to surge, it would foster a proliferation of small-scale businesses and drive down production costs.
Consequently, regional, fair, and organic products could democratize, becoming more accessible and affordable to all.
> Plan A+ wants to foster direct-to-consumer trade by small-scale economies.
3.0 Consumers
Consuming, repairing and sharing fair, locally and ecologically is not yet advanced, widespread and inclusive enough. For the majority it's a time-consuming luxury and this has to change.
Direct-to-consumer prices, more local visibility, and demand for regional, organic and fair quality goods and services, grow the variety of small-scale businesses while production costs and sales prices decline. Together with you we want to make socio-ecological behaviour and consumption more democratic and affordable to everyone.
In a planetary ecological emergency, we also need a profound educational shift and a strong local infrastructure, so that everyone can become part of this transformation process. Therefore we especially want to approach children and younger people through practical workshops hosted by creatives who want to pass on their knowledge, skills and solutions to the next generations.
> The plan A+ platform wants to improve the circle between socio-ecological thinkers, local makers and consumers on a very local level.
_ Our Values
Creative Action + Cooperation + Mindfulness + Authenticity + Responsibility + Transparency + Aesthetic
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Plan A+ is an experimental attempt to create a space to experience and explore future-proof values together.
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