On Arbor Day, April 25, the Gießkannenheld:innen initiative, in cooperation with TU Dresden, put a cistern into operation at the StuRa barracks behind the Auditorium Center. The initiative is a joint project between Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH and the Dresden gießt network and marks the start of a campaign with which Gießkannenheld:innen Dresden will install further water storage tanks at suitable locations over the course of the year, making it easier for residents to water trees in the city, which is urgently needed.

This also benefits the numerous sponsored trees on the TU Dresden campus, which can now also be watered directly by their sponsors.

Professor Roswitha Böhm, Vice-Rector University Culture at TU Dresden, is delighted with this initiative: "I am very pleased that we are inaugurating the first cistern for trees on the TU Dresden campus today with the watering can hero campaign. As a University of Excellence and a university with societal responsibility, we want to set an example. The campus greenery, especially the trees, are of great importance for the quality of life on our campus and the urban environment. The rainwater storage tank at this central location on the main campus is an eye-catcher that draws attention to the issue of the climate crisis, but also offers the opportunity to become active together."

Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH made the implementation of the initiative in Dresden possible in the first place by providing the material and supporting the logistics. Gunda Röstel, Commercial Director of Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH, explains: "We launched the Gießkannenheld:innen initiative for Dresden because we liked the idea. It is already established in Essen, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Castrop-Rauxel. It fits in perfectly with our various efforts to deal with climate change, especially with regard to increasing heavy rainfall and drought. Gießkannenheld:innen Dresden can make an important contribution to transforming Dresden into a sponge city. We receive 10,000 visitors a year at the Kaditz sewage treatment plant. With this project, we can take our environmental education further into urban society."

On the TU Dresden campus, the call for joint watering campaigns will be made via the TU Dresden Green Office and in coordination with the Sustainable Campus Coordinator. The water filling station is of course available to anyone who wants to supply the campus greenery with the necessary water during the dry, hot summer months.

Contact at TU Dresden

Ulrike Seiler, Directorate Facility Management
Sustainable Campus Coordinator
Phone +49 351 463-33059

Contact to the initiative

Dr. Peter Skyba, Dresden gießt & Gießkannenheld:innen Dresden | 0179 3210214
Torsten Fiedler, Press Officer Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH | 0174 1739 864