Here you find an overview of past projects of the Ökomedia Institute for Environmental Media.


Spots for Nature (2001)

As part of its competition program "Naturschutz 21" ("Conservation 21") the German Federal Office of Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz) conducted a nation-wide film competition "Spots for Nature" in 2001. The competition sought the production of advertising spots (60 - max 90 seconds) directed at the younger generation. The spots were to show how nature and conservation could be complemented with the lifestyles of young people. Shocking or sarcastic spots weren´t looked for. Thus "Spots for Nature" deliberately proposed the creation of a new image for conservation - in contrast to the common "nostalgic" image of the conservation movement.

The selection of the winning spots was partaken by an exclusive jury. The first presentation of these winning advertising films took place at the ÖKOMEDIA 2001. The official awards ceremony took place during the international Festival of Environmental Film Festivals ECOMOVE on 2 December 2001 in Berlin.

The competition was organised by the Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN), the Ökomedia Institute and Kommunikationsverband. It was sponsored by the National Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Nuclear Safety (des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit (BMU)).


Environmental film screening in China (2001)

In cooperation with the "Environmental Educational Television Project for China" (EETPC) the Ökomedia Institute conducted an environmental film screening from 4 - 21 April 2001 at various locations in Beijing. 20 films from previous …komedia-Festivals, considered particularly appropriate for the current situation in China, were screened. Besides the public showings, films were also projected at certain closed events, such as for employees of the state-run television stations and for employees of the police and forestry authorities. In total, the film program was watched and actively discussed by more than 100.000 people. …komedia's goal was to inform the Chinese public about global environmental problems and to point out strategies for their solution.

Due to its long-time experience and extensive contacts to the television establishment, the Ökomedia Institute (besides organizing the festival) assumed the task of managing the film rights for the festival and for continued use of the films by the EETPC's environmental video library.


TACIS-Project (1995-2000)

From 1995 to 2000 the Ökomedia Institute, with the sponsorship of the European Commission, conducted an extensive environmental education project in the 12 GUS-states and Mongolia. The paramount goal of this project was the creation and/or enhancement of public environmental awareness by means of media. To serve this purpose, Ökomedia established over 200 environmental film libraries and a regular information service for the educational sector, formulated a vocational concept for multipliers and organized the screening of numerous environmental broadcasts on national and regional television in the involved countries.

The creation of numerous regional environmental video libraries effected the long-term sensitization of a large sector of the population for global and local environmental issues. The continual exchange of experience, and the linkage between individual environmental groups is provided for by a newsletter of the Ökomedia Institute. The vocational program permits multipliers in the various countries to attain constitutive methodical skills in medial environmental education. Via further multipliers, this knowledge is passed on to numerous other interests groups. Moreover, Ökomedia was able to elicit a general interest in environmental proceedings through the televising of numerous environmental films in the individual countries.

The Ökomedia Institute realized this project as part of the European Union´s TEAP-program (Tacis Environment Awareness Raising Program).


Media Packet "Humans and the Environment" (1999)

Building on several years of research, the Ökomedia Institute compiled the media packet "Humans and the Environment" on behalf of the Goethe-Institute Munich in 1999. It consists of ten documentaries, as well as an accompanying booklet encompassing the following themes: water pollution, radioactively contaminated soil, genetically modified plants, climate change, waste disposal and renewable energy. The packet seeks to support the Goethe Institute´s cultural work abroad.

The German UNESCO-Commission selected the project as the 2001 "Official German Entry for the International Year of the United Nations". It was also successfully shown in Spring 2000 in a Latin American Tour as well as in Uzbekistan and Georgia in 2001.


Environmental Film Festival in Moscow (1993/94)

In 1993 and 1994, the Ökomedia Institute organized an international film program in Moscow in collaboration with the Goethe Institute. The Goethe Institute invited Russians journalists, directors and editors to the event. In the context of two film festivals, Ökomedia´s best films from the past ten years as well as recent productions were screened. Simultaneously, Russian directors and TV-stations were encouraged to present their newest contributions to the environmental media sector. Discussions on such diverse subjects as alternative energy, animal welfare, environmental conservation, waste and water management, and environmental education at schools formed a focal point of the festivals. Representatives of the German broadcasting stations WDR, ORB and ZDF exchanged experiences with the major Russian TV-stations, including REN-TV and NTV. This meeting brought about numerous fruitful impulses and film projects, such as the creation of Natalja Velikodnaja´s environmental program "Sreda", which was broadcast in all of Russia for many years.

In 1994, Ökomedia began a rewarding (and still enduring) cooperation with ECAT-St. Petersburg, the international department of the St. Petersburg environmental bureau. Among the first collaborative projects was the successful broadcast of a number of environmental films on St. Petersburg´s channel 5. Furthermore, a film distribution society for teachers and environmental organizations was cooperatively assembled and met with great resonance. Encouraged by these successes, Ökomedia and ECAT, receiving the support of the European Commission, decided in 1995 and 1996 to jointly establish the environmental film festival "Greenvisions". "Greenvisions" sought to discuss environmental issues of the region, the Baltic area and Russia in relation to international environmental concerns, and to show qualitative film productions. Discussions between Russian and European media and environmental experts have proven to be especially prolific. An extensive youth program, which is annually visited by numerous schoolchildren, has grown to be one of the most important focal points of the festival. Since 1997, ECAT Green Vision has been organizing its festival independently and is increasingly in the spotlight of the international festival scene. The festival has become an establishment in the city culture and is supported by the city administration, St. Petersburg´s partner city Hamburg, and other national and international sponsors.


Vocational Seminars for Journalists from former Eastern Germany (1993)

In collaboration with the German Union for the Environment and Conservation, the Ökomedia Institute offered a vocational training series for journalists. The events took the form of six compact weekend seminars, held between February and September 1993 at the Vocational Center Potsdam, Germany. Participants were subsequently invited to the Journalists' Forum of the ÖKOMEDIA '93 in Freiburg. The 10th ÖKOMEDIA offered seminar participants with an abundance of experiences, vocational opportunities and contacts. The retrospective of prominent environmental film "classics", the international film competition and the reunion of international environmental filmmakers amplified participants´ awareness of the many-sided dimensions of environmental media work.

The seminars sought to impart experiences covering all aspects of media work to ecologically-oriented independent filmmakers and journalists working for former Eastern German broadcasting and press companies. The means and methods of producing, renting/distributing, and marketing free-lance films were a major focus of the seminars, as were the possibilities and limits of television production.

The realization of these vocational seminar was funded by the German National Environmental Foundation.


Environmental film festival in Japan (1992)

In December 1992 the 1st Earth Visions Environmental Film Festival took place in Tokyo, Japan. Earth Vision was the first environmental film festival held in Asia and was a sign of the growing sensitivity towards environmental issues in this mighty industrialized country. Earth Vision '92 received decisive assistance from the Ökomedia Institute, which supported the organizational team in Japan with its knowledge, advice and experience and by facilitating contact with international directors and producers.

The first relations with the organizers of Earth Vision occurred during the ÖKOMEDIA '91. A Japanese delegation visited the festival and showed their enthusiasm for the diversity of the films screened in the competition program and the ensuing discussions. Subsequently, in April 1992, a treaty of cooperation was signed between the Earth Visions Committee and the Ökomedia Institute.

The 1st Earth Visions Environmental Film Festival took place on Tokyo´s main business street and received copious attention from TV and broadcasting stations and the press. All in all, 94 films from 27 countries were screened. Heidi Knott participated in the festival as executive director of Ökomedia, as did Erhard Schulz as representative of Ökomedia´s board of directors. Ms Knott was also a member of the international jury of Earth Visions '92.