The main goal of this campaign is to make sure that Baumhaus can get through this rough transitional period and continue to serve as a hub for people and organizations who want to make Berlin and maybe even the world a better, more sustainable and balanced place. This will allow Baumhaus to host free workshops and events over the next months.

What is Baumhaus?

Since 2013, Baumhaus has provided a uniquely resonant space and intuitively understandable frameworks that have facilitated meaningful and connective experiences for tens of thousands of people.

The core of our work and activities are based on the concept of bringing more dynamic regenerative balance into the world: personally, ecologically, aesthetically, culturally, economically and socially (p.e.a.c.e.s.). Each person contributing to bringing more balance into the world in their own ways, individually and collectively.

These ideas have real value and real resonance, enough to motivate over 1300 people who have helped to build the space so far...

Here is a link to one of our latest video projects and initiatives which is meant to raise conscious awareness that we need to shift from a world based on constructs of imbalance to systems of dynamic regenerative balance. Not only is this relevant to the climate crisis, but also the shift towards authoritarianism globally - domination and imbalance at the roots of both. With this video and all of our work in general, we hope to help empower an evolution of conscious solidarity that anyone can participate in. The video has a link to this crowdfunding at the end so feel free to share it! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ml3AEzZhE

• Baumhaus website - https://www.baumhausberlin.de/

• Baumhaus instagram - https://www.instagram.com/baumhausberlin/

• Our prototype platform to link change makers in Berlin (for now) - https://ourworld.solutions/

Who am I and who are we?

I am Scott Bolden, the founder of Das Baumhaus. I committed to starting this long term project back in 2012 with a great sense of urgency. I understood that we humans needed to transform our societies quickly in order to prevent the worst consequences of the climate crisis. I knew I could not do so much alone and I figured there were other people out there like me who shared a passion for taking action. I knew that whatever we came up with had to be special, authentic, resonate widely and had to have practical effect.

I was right. Until now, more than 1300 people have helped to build the space - it is the living example of the idea, "if we all contribute a little then we can accomplish a lot." It's the creation and maintenance of a very different kind of value, beyond that of monetary value.

Many of the frameworks that have been developed over the years at Baumhaus have a great deal of functional resonance and have served to empower everyday people. This is why Baumhaus exists and why Berlin and the world need more places like it.

I remain fully committed to continuing on and look forward to more collaboration having fun getting good things done.

• More about Scott here - https://www.baumhausberlin.de/about/

• Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-bolden-555a901/

Your donations

The donation goal is 12000€ which just covers the running costs to keep the doors open and the lights on for 3 months until Spring when there are some space rentals, workshops and project work. If the donation goal is met then I can cover the 4000€/month costs which include rent (Baumhaus space and storage space used by CSA/SoLaWi groups), insurance, gas, electric, WLAN, GEZ, GEMA, Book keeping, Datev & legal fees. There is no profit built into these costs.

Help me, help you, help us all... Thank you for making it possible!

How did things come to this point?

From 2012 until 2020 we managed to barely survive, keep building and having practical impact with little to no public funding, grants or financial security. We did weekly community networking events, hosted many workshops and space rentals as well as project work to pay the bills and keep the doors open.

Oddly enough, our first sense of slight financial security came during COVID when the government offered to pay rent and running costs to support culture institutions like Baumhaus. During the pandemic we had time and space to recover from years of burnout, build the second level and develop relationships leading to us doing some non-profit work that offered us some financial security - until now…

At the beginning of 2025 we finally paid off the last of a 93000€ credit we took 10 years ago. By the end of 2025 our big projects with food sustainability ended along with the secure financing and with co-founder, Karen’s departure. Now I am left alone with full responsibility to keep Baumhaus and it’s impact going on which I fully intend to do with your help.

Where to go from here?

There first Era of Baumhaus was about making it possible. This next Era of Baumhaus is about activating and applying what works.

Doing the work that needs to get done! During this Winter I will begin offering regular Baumhaus workshop modules like the ones listed on the website. I will also open the space to more public events like community networking events or 'day club' days as well as facilitating content from other people in the Baumhaus network. Send me your ideas - [email protected]

Until now, I have often wondered if it would be possible to catalyze a mass movement of solidarity around the globe that could lead us to actually making the world a better place. If it is possible then Berlin might be the only urban center where it could realistically start to take hold...

If you would like to get involved or support the evolution of Baumhaus and what it offers to the world then join us on Valentines Day, Saturday, February 14 from 15:00 until 21:00 for our Urgent Action Summit. Check the website for details when they get posted - https://www.baumhausberlin.de/events-news/

• photo credit - Irina Efremova