Out Of The Box Episode #1

We talk a lot about crises: the climate crisis, species extinction, social polarization, mental health, and the loss of social cohesion. Rarely do we ask what connects all these developments. Perhaps we are experiencing not only an ecological crisis, but also a crisis of relationships—with nature, with other people, and with ourselves. With “Out-of-the-Box,” we create a space for encounters that rarely happen in everyday life. People from different walks of life come together and explore what emerges when perspectives that would otherwise rarely intersect meet. Not a talk show, not a debate, not a networking event—but a curious evening full of unexpected connections, productive friction, and new ideas. Supported by the Senate Department for Mobility, Transportation, Climate Protection, and the Environment.

The first edition of OUT-OF-THE-BOX: Nature & Spirituality. What changes when we view nature not merely as a resource, a space, or a backdrop, but as part of a living web of relationships to which we ourselves also belong? What do we lose when this connection fades? And what role do notions of meaning, responsibility, connectedness, and creation play in this? Speakers:

Hannah Becker, shepherd and agricultural scientist
Mathias Grote, historian of science and biologist
Jörg Lange, cross-country skiing instructor
Andrea Richter, theologian

Moderator: Maike Weißpflug.

This isn’t about quick answers or reaching a consensus by the end. Rather, it’s about connecting different perspectives, embracing questions, and developing new ideas together. After all, the way we think about nature also shapes the way we live in and shape society. Resilience doesn’t arise solely from knowledge or consensus. It grows where people embrace differences, listen to one another, and forge new connections—with others, with the environment, and with themselves.

For everyone who has remained curious. For everyone who would like to step outside their own bubble from time to time. And for everyone who believes that social change begins where genuine encounters become possible.

When: September 21, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Silent Green, Kulturquartier, Gerichtstraße 35

Free admission, registration required: OUT-OF-THE-BOX #1: NATUR & SPIRITUALITÄT