Green classrooms instead of flying classrooms

The Joseph Beuys Gesamtschule (JBG) in Kleve is actually located on Hoffmannallee. The site, still known to many as a Realschule, is currently a major construction site. The majority of pupils are therefore likely to be taught on the premises of the former Johanna-Sebus-Gymnasium on Ackerstraße until August 2025.

The building structure? Dilapidated. The classrooms? Not exactly inviting. Generations of pupils have spent a significant part of their lives here. The school will be based on Ackerstraße for at least another 12 long months. The aim is to create a more positive indoor and learning environment – for pupils and teachers alike. Houseplants, which are said to have a positive effect on rooms and thus on people’s well-being and performance, take up too much space. The solution: plant pockets on the walls. Classrooms are transformed into green classrooms thanks to vertical gardens. The sustainability twist is that the plant pockets can simply be taken with the school when it moves into the new buildings and installed in the new classrooms.

Inspiration from DialogPunkt Kleve

Ines Knospe, Head of Teaching at the JBG, had been thinking about greening the classrooms for a considerable time. She personally loves moss pictures, which are not exactly inexpensive. In June 2024, she accompanied the then Class 8d to an event at DialogPunkt Kleve – the initial point for the application for the Klever Birne 2024. She admired the vertical greenery installed on the premises of DialogPunkt. The system would be too complex and expensive for the number of classrooms at JBG, but her curiosity was sparked. She did some research and came across plant pockets made of fleece, which are available in various formats and sizes. She has also researched plants that are as easy to care for as possible.

Ines Knospe is supported by Romy Ackers, class teacher of 9a. The pilot is being launched with the class, which had the profile of a creative and sustainability class in years five and six. The first plant bag has already been ordered and will be hanging in the 9a classroom after the holidays. “The pupils have already shown a great deal of commitment in the past in improving their classroom. Our classroom is considered the cleanest in the school,” says Romy Ackers, explaining her enthusiasm for the project.

When it comes to planting, the classes are allowed to have a say to a certain extent. One criterion that includes or excludes plants from the outset is watering. According to Ines Knospe, ferns, mosses, bamboo, green lilies, tillansias, and herbs are ideal, as they are happy with regular spraying.

An idea that can travel far and wide

School student Annika, who accompanied her brother Tim, Ines Knospe and Romy Ackers to the first Klever Birne Top 10 workshop, immediately sees greater potential: “I know a lot of people without a garden. The plant bag is a great idea for people to use something like it on their balcony and bring in a little greenery.” Who knows, maybe parents from the JBG or you, dear readers, will be inspired.

The Klever Birne prize money will be used to purchase and plant more plant bags.