CCB Magazine

What sustainability consultancies are there in Berlin? In part 2 of our series "Sustainability Consultancies in Berlin" we talk to Selina Kahle from the network 2N2K e.V., which develops sustainable projects together with cultural professionals and advises on sustainability.

INTERVIEW  Jens Thomas     anD Boris Messing

CCB Magazine: Hello Selina, how long have you been offering counselling? What is your focus and distinguishes you from other sustainability consultancies in Berlin?

Selina Kahle: Hello, we are the team from 2N2K e.V. We were founded in January 2016. Its our goal to support cultural institutions, organisations, initiatives in the field of culture and cultural workers, as well as associations, to develop and implement sustainable projects together with us.  In sum, these are the areas of theatre, art, film, festivals, museums and socio-cultural centres. What sets us apart from the others is that we not only advise, but also play a significant role in the development of the projects.

CCB Magazine:What kind of projects are those?

Selina Kahle:The projects are very diverse. Our biggest at the moment is the Federal Climate Ministry's Culture4Climate initiative. Here we helped developing the sustainability declaration for the cultural sector, for example, and we have implemented an exchange format between business and cultural organisations, moreover we publish important news on the subject of culture and sustainability on our portal. Then we had other projects, such as one with the city of Worms for a half-yearly monitoring of the sustainability processes in the city which we recently completed. In the past we had an international project with the Goethe-Institut in Kazakhstan, in which we held five workshops on sustainability in art and culture. We have also worked with you guys, from Creative City Berlin, and organised events together. Currently we are organising a cooperation with the cultural symposium Denkfest in Mannheim in the context of  the panels Sustainable Relations Worldwide and "No art is not sustainable either". As you can see, we don't get bored.

What sets us apart from others is that we not only advise on sustainability issues in the cultural sector, but also play a significant role in developing the sustainable projects

CCB Magazine:Your focus is on using culture to raise awareness for climate and sustainability issues in society.  What exactly does your advisory service look like?

Selina Kahle:We generally advise on sustainability issues in the cultural sector. However, if we receive enquiries, for example, about funding programs that are not directly related to sustainability, we are happy to refer to our colleagues at Kreativ Kultur Berlin in order to use their extensive funding finder. Overall, our aim is to organise projects with culture for culture and we see this as a double responsibility: on the one hand, we aim to reduce emissions.  On the other hand, through creative and inspiring activities, the cultural sector can inspire activities and drive sustainable cultural change.

CCB Magazine:How do you choose the cultural actors with whom you do projects? Do they approach you or do you select them specifically?

Selina Kahle:Both, but our focus is always on networking. In addition, we offer numerous workshops on the topic of sustainability and culture. Our website www.2N2K.de also brings together current projects and important information. Take a look.

We see culture as having a dual responsibility: On the one hand, it's about reducing emissions. On the other, the cultural sector can drive sustainable cultural change through creative and inspiring activities

CCB Magazine:And some more informations about you please: What are your professional or academic backgrounds?

Selina Kahle:Our board consists of two people: Ralf Weiß and me. Ralf was the office manager of a leading sustainability agency and head of department for the Federal Environmental Government at the Federal Environment Agency. As a senior researcher at an research institute, he initiated and managed innovation and funding projects in the fields of sustainability and Green Economy with several federal ministries. He is also a member of the European Expert Network on Culture (EENC). I have a degree in communication and economy and have many years of experience in the planning and implementation of sustainable communication, event projects in Germany and Great Britain. In addition to my work as a researcher and advisor for cultural organisations as a doctoral candidate at the University of Potsdam, I also contribute to researching and developing sustainable solutions in the cultural sector.

CCB Magazine:And how do you finance yourselves?

Selina Kahle:We are a non-profit association that is financed through membership fees, donations and publicly funded projects.

CCB Magazine:Please complete the following sentence: For us, sustainability means...

Selina Kahle:...a twofold task in the cultural sector, on the one hand to reduce climate-damaging emissions in all cultural sectors, and on the other hand, to introduce a sustainable cultural practice that has an impact on society.

Read also Part 1 of the series: Sustainability Consulting in the Performing Arts