Rangsdorf is a small village south of Berlin. Life here is usually quiet, cosy and unhurried. However, over the past three weeks Rangsdorf has experienced a bit of an upheaval. Why, I hear you ask? Well, an international workcamp with 18 young people from 10 different nations took place in Rangsdorf; it was a truly multicultural event – and all for the benefit of the environment.

Of course, there was no way I could miss this event. Where else do you get the opportunity meet someone from Columbia, Costa Rica or even Panama? I went over to pay the youngsters a visit and watch them at work in the conservation area. Thanks to their hard work, walkers now have a beautifully signposted path along the shore of Lake Rangsdorf. Not that I could understand very much of what they were saying. For somebody like me, a Malaysian speaking English to an Argentinean is completely above my rudimentary language skills. I was astounded – and very impressed – by the energy and enthusiasm with which they carted rubbish out of the woods all day long, made benches and signposts, and hauled wood.

Today we said goodbye to the youngsters: it was a delight to have them and we were very sorry to see them go. Even after their return to Thailand, Japan or Brazil, there’s still plenty to do in the Zuelow lowlands in Rangsdorf, where the largest environmental mitigation project for the BBI is being implemented.

Wersja drukowana berlin-airport.de (Copyright Berliner Flughäfen)