Inspired by Maja Göpel‘s bestseller "Wir können auch anders" (We can do things differently), directors Laura Lo Zito and Lars Jessen, together with SAVE THE WORLD and protagonists like Anke Engelke and Bjarne Mädel portrayed people doing fabulous things in a documentary for the German television ARD: helping a village shift to wind energy, inventing new green business models, advancing the mobility turn-around and much more. The team behind the documentary afterwards toured through Germany. Maja Göpel was along for the ride and presented the people with the good stories in a live show, featuring the series’ protagonists. There was a band or solo act playing at each city. In addition, there have been so called "marketplaces of opportunities”, where initiatives for sustainability could present themselves.

With Maja Göpel, Pheline Roggan, Antje Boetius, Maren Urner, Bjarne Mädel, Thees Uhlmann, Max Mutzke, Jan Plewka, Christian Stöcker, Anne Lamp and many more.

The Allianz Foundation supported the Roadshow by sponsoring events in Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Oldenburg, Münster and Erfurt.

This project is supported by the European Climate Hub.

“We can do things differently! Sustainable transformation can succeed if we all join in! There is so much in motion: There are people, initiatives, and ideas for a better world. And we think it’s finally time to tell the good stories.”
SAVE THE WORLD

Have a look at the highlights of the roadshow in this exciting 3 minute video.

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Wir können auch anders - Die Roadshow Official Aftermovie (GERMAN only)

Three questions for Lars Jessen & Nicola Bramkamp

Empowering the local community, convincing people and spreading optimism – this is the goal of the project. We talked to the artistic directors of the project, Nicola Bramkamp and Lars Jessen. Jessen is also the director of the documentary series of the same name.
The interview was conducted in spring 2023. The roadshow took place from April to June 2023.

The topic of climate change is often associated with bans and renunciation. Your documentary series “We can do things differently” shows that doing something about the climate crisis doesn’t have to be so difficult and strenuous. What inspired you?

Lars Jessen: “In her books, Maja Göpel always asks us, “How do we want to live?” We wanted to take up that question and the demands from Fridays for Future - which actually means ‘Take care of things!’, - and put them into action, using our tools as storytellers. Personally, I have never been that interested in what used to be the case in the past. And if so, only to learn what we can use for the future from that old knowledge. We wanted to look for solutions, confirming the hope that they will be found if you look for them instead of searching for problems.”

The show toured Germany. Theaters and cinemas in five German cities became centers of embodied climate protection. How can art and culture help us find a way out of the climate crisis?

Nicola Bramkamp: “Climate change is the most creative challenge humanity has ever faced. We can reconceive our society, the ways we live together, in order to keep this planet livable for everyone. Imagination is an important tool in this regard. If we humans cannot imagine what a different, better future looks like, then we will not shape it together. It is like going to the moon: It was only through humanity’s longing for the moon, expressed for centuries, plus plenty of research and even more money that we humans were able to achieve this goal. Climate change is man-made. That is why we can stop it. Art and good stories awaken our picture of a different, better world. Only together will we achieve the sustainable transformation.”

Following all the conversations you had for the documentary and roadshow with people who are tackling climate change: What would you share with us, what can each and every individual person contribute?

Nicola Bramkamp: “Everyone should be active where they have the most creative power. We are all needed with our respective talents. Some people tell stories, others develop an alternative to plastic, others can break down complex issues in simple terms, others establish companies, and many simply keep asking ‘why?’ until they develop sustainable business models. Like the mayor of Sprabebüll who simply realized: ‘It’s better to get wind from the dike than oil from the sheik’.”