GreenRoots Hub: A Place Where Local Initiatives Take Root

The German organisation Austausch e.V. has opened the GreenRoots Hub in Dnipro so that communities in frontline regions can restore their environment themselves. Here is how it works and what the first ten teams have already accomplished.

The charitable organisation “GREENROOTSHUB – LOCAL INITIATIVES DEVELOPMENT” was established by the German civil society organisation Austausch e.V. with the support of the German charitable organisation Brot für die Welt. Our physical space in Dnipro hosts partner meetings, lectures, and workshops. You can hold your own event here free of charge — and we will help with the organisation. The Hub is open for educational, cultural, environmental, and community events in any format: lectures, trainings, workshops, film screenings, book clubs, networking sessions, strategic sessions, presentations, and creative gatherings.

The Hub’s first major project is the Resilient Roots sub-grant competition:

• 91 applications from civil society organisations and initiatives
• 6 frontline oblasts: Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa
• 10 winners selected by an independent commission involving Austausch e.V., NGO Ecodia, and NGO EcoClub Rivne

The projects operate across five areas: water resource restoration, access to clean water, green space restoration, soil remediation, and composting. Below are all ten, grouped by theme.

Land After Explosions and Oil

Restoring the Contaminated Ecosystem of Kharkiv’s Nemyshlianskyi District
Kharkiv, NGO “e-Dialogue”

Following an attack on an oil depot in 2024, approximately 800 tonnes of petroleum products entered the soils of a residential neighbourhood. The team is piloting an approach to soil remediation and ecosystem restoration in the district.

What has already been done: 10 households were surveyed to understand how residents use contaminated soils and water sources. Based on this data and existing environmental research, the team identified which threats pose a genuine risk to people and the environment.

Living Steppes — Resilient Communities: Post-War Restoration of Pastures and Meadows
Kherson and Odesa oblasts, NGO “Rewilding Ukraine”

The team is developing a methodology for the accelerated restoration of war-damaged steppe: local hay with seeds, sod transplantation, and reseeding of steppe species. Results will be compared with naturally recovering plots to produce a simple model that can be replicated on other affected territories. Restored steppe on degraded arable land more quickly returns fertility, structure, and the capacity for self-regeneration to the soil.

What has already been done: four field expeditions to de-occupied territories of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts and to the former Tarutyne military training ground in Odesa oblast. Researchers examined 5 caponiers and 24 blast craters, produced 141 geobotanical descriptions, and tested soils with a portable X-ray fluorescence analyser for heavy metals and toxic elements. Based on this data, the sites from which restoration will begin have been identified.

Ecological Restoration of Vilniansk District: Regenerative Practices for Household and Women’s Resilience
Vilniansk community, Zaporizhzhia oblast, NGO “Gender Creative Space”

The project trains families in regenerative farming — vermicomposting, green manure crops, and phytoremediation. Special attention is paid to greenhouse farms and IDP families.

What has already been done: rapid soil diagnostics in over 200 women-led households, including IDP greenhouses. Over 150 families received individual consultations on how to maintain soil fertility. Over 200 kg of green manure seeds — plants that naturally purify and loosen soil — were transferred to the community, and more than 3 hectares have been sown. Over 100 households are growing hyperaccumulator plants that extract heavy metals from the topsoil. 25 families received Californian worms for biohumus production, and over 30 received Fokine flat-cutters for tillage without ploughing. A series of training sessions on vermicomposting and regenerative practices was held for local women.

Water: From Wells to Estuaries

Clean Water — A Healthy Future
Nova Odesa, Mykolaiv oblast, NGO “Chimeras of the Wild Steppe”

Inventory of local water sources, water quality monitoring, management of natural springs and wells, and education on safe water use.

What has already been done: together with local activists, the team examined over 50 springs, historic wells, and boreholes and collected 50 water samples for analysis. Thanks to the activists, more residents learned about the project, and more people now want to protect their water.

LIMAN REEF: Restoring Estuary Ecosystems Through Nature-Based Solutions
Koblivska, Berezanska, and Chornomorska communities, Mykolaiv oblast, NGO “Kinburn”

Artificial reefs are being installed in the estuaries. Biofiltration organisms will settle on them, purifying the water, restoring biodiversity, and launching the natural self-purification of the water bodies.

Green Protection and Spaces for Recovery

Recovery Space: Lavender Labyrinth
Zaporizhzhia, NGO “I Have the Right to Breathe”

A lavender labyrinth has appeared in Veselka Park: 1,100 bushes across 800 m². About fifty city residents came to plant them. The labyrinth is at once an ecological solution for the city and a quiet place where residents, veterans, and displaced persons can restore their strength.

Emerald Barrier: Restoring the Shelterbelts of the Tuzlivski Estuaries
Lymanska community, Odesa oblast, NGO “Blue Wave”

1,500 trees and 2,000 shrubs planted along the boundaries of the Tuzlivski Estuaries National Nature Park will protect the fields from erosion, preserve soil fertility, and prevent the illegal ploughing of the protected steppe.

Waste as a Resource

Kherson’s Eco-Resilience: Decentralised Bio-Waste Management
Kherson, NGO “Ecological News”

250 households will compost organic waste at home, and a shared composter will be set up for the community. This means less waste at the landfill, lower methane emissions, and reduced risks for municipal workers operating under shelling. The project is a pilot test of the Local Waste Management Plan’s solutions. Partners: Kherson City Territorial Community, Municipal Enterprise “Parky Khersona”, Municipal Enterprise “Ecopoliс”, district committees, HOAs, suppliers, and logistics providers.

Living Soil: Composting Instead of Burning
Kryve Ozero, Mykolaiv oblast, NGO “Kryvozerska Development Platform”

Municipal and educational institutions in the community are stopping the burning of leaves and plant residues — and composting instead. The compost is returned to the soil, reduces methane emissions, and helps the land retain moisture during increasingly dry years.

What has already been done: staff at educational institutions learned how to use a composter, sort organic waste, manage compost, and integrate composting into environmental education. Children learned in a playful way what can be composted, why burning leaves is harmful, and how organic waste becomes useful compost — and tried working with the composter themselves.

ADAPTERRA POWER: Autonomy That Gives Communities Resilience
Zelenyi Hai village, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, NGO RC “Zelenyi Hai”

At the rehabilitation centre, the team is building a closed loop: organic waste goes into a biogas installation, water is purified by a bioplateau system, and new trees protect the territory from dry winds. The model is designed to be adopted by other frontline communities.

Moving Forward Together

All ten teams are now actively implementing their projects. We track their progress and work together to find solutions to current challenges, while mentors support the teams and share practical experience. We hold online events together with the teams. At the end of August, a lecture on “How Abnormal Heat Affects the Environment” took place, and a meeting on composting is planned as part of Ukrainian Climate Week.

The recovery of Ukraine is not only about rebuilding bridges and buildings. It is also about living soils, clean water, steppe and forest — and strong local communities that care for them. That is why we will continue to create opportunities for eco-activists and civil society organisations in frontline regions, so that their projects improve people’s lives right now.

Follow GreenRoots Hub and our projects:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/greenrootshub/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/greenrootshub

Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenrootshub

Eco-activism rarely begins with grand plans. More often, it starts with a personal sense of injustice, attentiveness to simple things, and an inner need to act.

This is the story of Nataliia Haietska — head of the NGO “Mariupol Zero Waste,” coordinator of the “Climate and Environment” direction at the BO “Boyarka Community Foundation,” and a mentor in the Green Val Mentorship Program 2026.

She is originally from Mariupol and has worked for many years on the topics of zero waste, composting, and biodiversity — even despite the war, losses, and her team being scattered across different countries.

From a feeling of pain to conscious action

Nataliia’s environmental sensitivity emerged back in her youth.

“I literally felt pain over people poisoning nature and their immediate surroundings.”

Generation-defining events also played an important role — particularly Chornobyl, which Nataliia experienced at the age of 16, and the industrial impact of the Donetsk region. But her conscious path into the eco-movement began much later:

“I consciously and purposefully entered the eco-movement at the age of 48.”

How it all began: from recyclables to a public initiative

The first step was extremely practical — finding where to bring recyclables.

“I was simply looking for where to hand in recyclables… and within six months I became the head of an initiative group.”

This is how Nataliia joined the “Mariupol Sorts” initiative, which later grew into work on eco-projects and educational programs. Over time, the initiative group grew into an NGO, which was officially registered in Lviv during the full-scale war.

War, dispersion, and shared values

After 2022, the team found itself scattered across different countries but did not lose touch.

“We’re not a business, and we had nothing to physically relocate… it’s difficult.”

Despite this, they remain united by shared experience, values, and memories of Mariupol.

“What keeps us together are values, memories, and even the shared pain over the loss of our half-a-million city.”

Why it’s impossible to stay silent about the environment, even during war

For Nataliia, environmental issues didn’t fade because of the war — on the contrary, they became even more urgent.

“I can’t imagine anything that would make me stay silent about this. The fight for the environment is, in fact, a fight for life.”

She emphasizes that environmental problems don’t disappear during crises — they only intensify.

Eco-activism as part of life

For Nataliia, environmental principles aren’t a separate activity but a way of life.

“If these are truly your values, then they show up in everything.”

She sorts waste, composts, uses eco-friendly products, and teaches others to do the same — not as theory, but as her own everyday practice.

Nature as a source of inspiration

“Nature itself inspires me — how nothing in it is wasted, everything benefits living creatures.”

Composting in particular became a key theme for her, as the practice closest to natural cycles.

A community that changes the scale of impact

An important stage was getting to know the broader eco-community, particularly through educational programs and meetings.

“Often we can be literally right next to each other and not know it.”

“‘Your’ people are everywhere.”

Burnout and how to overcome it

Nataliia speaks openly about difficult periods in activism — exhaustion, feeling undervalued, and even depression. She says that spending time in nature often saved her. Among the simple but effective ways to recover, she mentions contact with nature, small everyday tasks, and supporting herself:

“Tell yourself after every action: you did well. Because you’re the only you you’ve got.”

The future: composting as a new norm

In the long term, Nataliia sees composting becoming a basic practice at three levels:
👉household/yard composting
👉apartment composting
👉permaculture composting

Nataliia is highly motivated:

“I won’t rest until everyone around me starts composting.”

Supporting others and the power of small steps

For those just starting out with their initiatives, her advice is simple:

“Don’t rush. Look for your people. Learn from nature: until a seed has the right conditions, it won’t sprout.”

Looking back on the start of her own journey, Nataliia says:

“You have definitely ended up exactly where you needed to be.”

You can learn more via the link below about the composter-sofa created during the Green Val Mentorship Program 2025 under Nataliia Haietska’s guidance:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV0fY9KjO5A/?igsh=MXV0NGRqbHJrcTFjNA==

Publication prepared by: Nataliia Haietska, NGO “Mariupol Zero Waste.”
Follow the Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/mariupol_zero_waste/

Over three months, the NGO KYIV FOR PEOPLE, in collaboration with the Institute of Geography of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, developed an interactive educational course on the topic: “The Climate is Changing — Learning to Adapt.”

With the support of a grant from Greenpeace Ukraine, we were able to involve talented designers in the project, who brought the scientists’ ideas to life and created vibrant visual materials.

The result of our collaboration was two handbooks and three presentations containing interactive educational materials on the topic of Climate Change Adaptation. They are designed for students of different ages and teachers. They help to understand how climate change is already affecting our lives. They explain the causes of global warming, the consequences for nature and people, and also show why it is important not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to learn to adapt to the climate crisis.

The materials include examples of adaptation by cities and communities both in Ukraine and in other countries around the world, making the topic relevant and understandable for students. The handbooks contain practical tips on saving water and energy, preserving green spaces, and staying safe during heatwaves, floods, or storms. The presentations help students develop critical thinking, analyze environmental information, and find their own solutions for their school or community. Special attention is paid to fostering environmental responsibility and teamwork.

The materials are adapted for different age groups and can be used in lessons, clubs, or extracurricular activities. They combine scientific facts with real-life examples and interactive tasks, motivating students to take action. As a result, students gain the knowledge and skills that will help them better prepare for the challenges of the future and take care of the environment today.

An interesting addition to each presentation is an active link to video materials and printed publications on the topic of Climate Change Adaptation, adapted according to age. Interactive tests, role-playing games, and learning exercises are also available.

The materials can be accessed at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CZMCaWsEOUZdg3czgp35eg1XRDWT6Zzs

Publication prepared by: Maryna Antoshchuk, NGO KYIV FOR PEOPLE

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