The WORLDFACTORY Forest
Where Future Grows
At the WORLDFACTORY, new ideas evolve into start-up projects every year. They have the potential to improve our region and the world of tomorrow and enrich our lives. Our entrepreneurs inspire us to change our mindsets and attitudes in a sustainable way. They show us that, little by little, we too can make a difference. In 2021, we decided not to send cards and merchandise as holiday greetings. Instead, we have taken out more than 400 tree sponsorships and dedicated them to our partners. It is only with them that we can offer our entrepreneurs all the resources they need for healthy growth. By saying thank you to our ecosystem, we also wish to contribute to nature and climate protection and to the reforestation of our region.
About the forest
Our WORLDFACTORY Forest stands for and symbolises more than 400 sustainable partnerships and groundbreaking ideas and start-up projects at the WORLDFACTORY. The saplings will be planted in spring 2022 near Lüdenscheid in North Rhine-Westphalia. There, they will become part of a biodiverse and near-natural mixed woodland that provides a natural habitat for all kinds of animals. We also take care of sustainability, as the forest may neither be cut down nor used for economic purposes for at least 99 years. In the future, we would like to make the region even greener by sponsoring more trees.
Forest coordinates: 51°10'08.2"N, 7°39'20.9"E
Launch in March 2022
On 8 March 2022, the long-awaited tree planting project took place on a sunny day in the WORLDFACTORY forest in Ruck, near Lüdenscheid. Together with a reforestation partner, we planted 200 seedlings of a mixed forest culture over the course of the day. These include English oaks, copper beeches, grand firs, giant cedar and a variety of other tree species. The next tree planting project is planned for spring 2024, when a further 200 trees will be planted.
One of 200 tree sprouts in the WORLDFACTORY forest.
Melusine Reimers (WORLDFACTORY) and Moritz Oberberg (House of Plasma) took part in the event.
Melusine Reimers uses a planting tube to plant a young tree.
Why a forest?
As the WORLDFACTORY, we wish for Bochum and the entire Ruhr region to become a true future hub for start-ups – not only in the (pre)seed phase, but also permanently in the subsequent growth stages. In order for our entrepreneurs to put down roots in the region and grow, they are dependent on a strong ecosystem and an attractive location. Open infrastructures such as our RUB Makerspace, our Incubators, our tightly-knit network with academic and business communities, and our practice-oriented training courses make a fundamental contribution to this goal. In addition, an improved environment and quality of life can further enhance the attractiveness of the location for companies, researchers, professionals and students. Local recreational areas such as the forest pay dividends.
