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End of an era: Lübeck's environmental protection community dissolves!
Lübeck: AGU dissolves. Central Environmental Group has been active since 1971, dealing with nature and environmental protection issues.
End of an era: Lübeck's environmental protection community dissolves!
Bitter news for environmentalists in Lübeck: The “Association for Environmental Protection” (AGU) has closed its doors. The AGU was founded in 1971 with the clear aim of discussing nature and environmental protection problems in the Lübeck region. In its best time, the AGU could look back on an impressive 25 active member associations, including the BUND Lübeck and the Dummersdorfer Ufer landscape conservation association. But now it is clear: the lack of young talent has forced the AGU to dissolve, which was decided at the general meeting.
Heinz Egleder, who served as spokesman for the AGU until October 2025 and is also an honorary board member of Hanse-Obst, has written a moving obituary. The past few years have been characterized by efforts to promote nature, animal and life protection in the region. Dr. Wolfram Eckloff, the AGU's long-time spokesman, described the founding as an attempt to join forces for the environment. The regional success was remarkable: Lübeck was able to unite 20 to 25 different environmental protection stakeholders in a network - an achievement that was denied to many other cities.
A look at the successes
In the 1990s, the AGU awarded the Lübeck Nature Conservation Prize six times and played a central role in Lübeck's accession to the Ålborg Charter. This step had a lasting impact on the lively process of Local Agenda 21. The AGU was also a pioneer in natural forest management and made a significant contribution to the declaration of a climate emergency in Lübeck. The AGU's most recent meetings focused on current topics such as urban mobility and bee-friendly gardens.
The beginnings of the AGU were modest; the first meetings took place in the German Unitarian club hall. But under the leadership of Dr. Eckloff, the AGU was set up as a non-profit structure in the 1980s. It is unfortunate that the last meetings did not produce a new speaker, paving the way for dissolution. On the positive side, a new environmental network is emerging. The committed activist Katja Mentz is working to give the environmental movement in Lübeck a breath of fresh air.
The future of the environmental movement
Part of the AGU's assets will be invested in the future congress of the new environmental network, which raises hopes that the AGU's ideas and initiatives can live on in a distorted form. The Lübeck Citizens' Academy, another project with similar objectives, will also be completed in 2024, reinforcing the sad picture of the stagnating environmental protection movement in the region.
The loss of the AGU is a bitter setback for environmentalists in Lübeck. Nevertheless, it remains to be hoped that new life will come into environmental protection and that the matter for nature will not be completely buried. After all, the creation of the new environmental network shows that interest in sustainability and environmental awareness still exists.