During the 2025–26 winter semester, the HACKademy took place at BHT as part of the “Berlin Open Lab – Co-Creation and Prototyping with Urban Stakeholders” initiative. With the support of adjunct professor Barbara Uhde, the students worked closely with Weltacker Berlin e. V. The goal of the collaboration was to develop and carry out several action days centered on the theme “From Soil to Consciousness: Global Food Justice.” In addition to creative installations, a diverse accompanying program was developed that brought the complex interconnections to life in a tangible way.

The Challenge: Making Global Food Justice Visible

How can we present topics such as healthy soils, intensive livestock farming, food waste, and sustainable nutrition in a way that not only informs but also inspires reflection and action? The students were tasked with designing exhibits for a traveling exhibition and presenting them during three action days at the BHT. The program was complemented by workshops, a film screening, and a pub quiz.

Following a thematic introduction, the students delved into the world of sustainable agriculture and food production through discussions with the project partner Impact Hub Berlin and the Berlin-based startups Roots Radicals and CinSOIL. Roots Radicals demonstrated how supposedly “imperfect” food can be transformed into valuable products such as fermented foods and jams. The students also learned why edible food is discarded by the agricultural industry and how they can reduce food waste. 

Particularly inspiring was the visit to the Weltacker in Pankow. There, across 2,000 m², the students gained an overview of crops grown around the world, ranging from grains and legumes to cotton. Here, it became clear how our consumption patterns affect global farmland, the environment, and the climate—and why we urgently need to rethink our approach.

During ideathons and hackathons, the students continued to develop their exhibits. Not every idea led directly to the desired outcome, but in the end, a wide variety of creative installations were presented at the event.

The Results: Creativity Meets Awareness

The students brought their ideas to life in nine impressive installations—each with its own focus, but all with the same goal: to raise awareness and inspire action.

• Textile Overview: Using fabric scraps, the students created a true-to-scale textile representation of the World Field through dyeing, sewing, and embroidery
• What’s on the Plate: An oversized plate visualizes the Planetary Health Diet and shows what a balanced diet can look like.
• Waste Board: A magnetic board for the refrigerator helps users document and reflect on their own food waste
• The Harvest of the Future: A 3D-printed robotic hand, serving as a symbolic “harvest helper,” illustrates the increasing use of technology in agriculture and the potential of robotic systems
• Adopt a Tree: At two stations, visitors could conduct experiments on soil types and their water-storage capacity
• What Does a Life Cost?: A life-size cow made of OSB panels and protest signs highlights the impacts of intensive livestock farming on the environment, climate, and human health
• The BHT has “Trash-talents”: An installation made of trash cans, protest signs, and interactive elements addresses food waste in private households
• You Can’t Taste Land: The BHT’s meal plan was linked to the land use associated with each dish—visualized by spray-painted rectangles in front of the cafeteria.
• What’s growing at the university? Posters showcase BHT research projects that are developing technical solutions for sustainable agriculture.

The collaboration with HACKademy has shown how creativity, science, and activism can work together to make complex topics more accessible. The installations not only encourage reflection but also highlight innovative solutions and concrete courses of action—for a more just and sustainable future.

A big thank you to all the students whose energy and ideas made this day of action possible! We look forward to more exciting projects.