Klima Camp: A City for All, Vienna 2025

The Klima Kamp is a protest camp in Vienna’s 7th district for climate advocacy and education, hosted by 15-20 young climate activists. The camp lasts from Sunday, May 25 to Saturday, May 31, from 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM each day. According to the official klimacamp.at website, “The climate camp is a place of networking and education of various political and social groups that are committed to ecological sustainability and social justice”. To understand and be a part of the ‘Transfarmation’ mission, it is important to have a good grasp on the climate-related issues we face that impact sustainable and ethical agriculture. For this, I attended the camp twice, on the Monday and Wednesday, to see what Klima Camp was all about, and what I can learn about climate and animals. 

The campsite is well-hidden within a fenced-off park with overgrown bushes and a skate park at the entrance. To enter, I had to pass through a small break in the fence, on the back side of the area. I was a bit lost my first time entering, but quickly found the information stand at what must have been the front of the camp. A mapped-out time sheet is displayed there for the week’s events and speakers. Two volunteers sat at the front to direct visitors to the bathroom, kitchen, or activity locations. In the main area, a mid-sized group of young people sit at benches near the community kitchen, discussing workshops, current events, or their studies or jobs. The site is a great networking opportunity for both German and English speakers.

To the left of this central area, there was an exhibit on the importance of veganism in both diet and farming. A large cow sculpture stood in the center, covered in quotes telling facts about veganism in German. There was also an interactive quiz about veganism and the environment, with shocking facts such as: we could save 70% of all carbon emissions by going vegan, and that on average, only 18% of all calories consumed come from animal farming.

On both days I visited, I happened to arrive at lunchtime, where a break from activities was taking place. The community kitchen was a long tent with three basins for dishwashing in the front and some tables in the back for preparing the plant-based food. Volunteers are invited to sit, socialize, or help in the kitchen. I was able to prepare the food with other volunteers and meet some interesting people. Some activists were students in Vienna, some were workers, and some were visitors from other countries or cities who were accompanying friends or just curious about the protest. In this lunch area, we discussed environmental projects such as start-up companies for recycled, reusable goods, and the importance of climate protests. In the kitchen, each volunteer gets to participate in preparing the next meal–whether that is tending the stove pot, washing vegetables, or peeling potatoes. Everyone plays a part.

The camp was also kid-friendly with a body-paint booth for small body tattoos of animals, plants, and other simple images. I spoke with one of the artists, and she told me about ‘roofing’, which is a way for adults to receive food and housing in return for their work at a farm. Some roofers volunteer for months, and some for years. It is a great way for people in cities to live on a budget and also participate in climate-friendly work with a close community.

Shortly after the meal, there is an announcement about the next workshops and activities to attend. The attendees divided themselves into different groups to attend workshops, help in the kitchen for the next meal, or join other talks and activities.

On Monday afternoon, Claudia Hirtenfeler had her workshop in an open hut with some benches and a whiteboard. 5 activists attended, making the workshop close and personal. The topic that Claudia had prepared was on animals in cities. She spoke about the history of animals in cities, including the use of horses for transportation and elephants for heavy lifting and the movement of large items. We then opened a discussion about photos we looked at, which showed images set in the past, present, and future of animals in cities. A specific black-and-white image from the past showed farmers in Chicago standing on platforms above cows who were confined in small living spaces. We discussed the significance of this image, reminding us of Chicago’s dark legacy as the start of factory farming, and Henry Ford’s inspiration from animal dissection in this city to create the assembly line for human workers. There were also other images, such as a cheetah walking through city streets, and current versus futuristic city layouts with cars and trains. All of these images presented an argument on the existence of animals in cities, and/or the discrimination against them.

We then began the workshop section. Each person was instructed to construct a poster on an animal found in cities, including information about their nature, what they need for survival, and any other facts that are interesting or important regarding the animal. The point was to learn more about urban animals, and also to think about potential solutions in adding or removing infrastructure or changing societal norms in order to create animal-friendly cities that can benefit both animal and human species. After sharing our research finds, we came up with a city plan on the whiteboard to accommodate both humans and the animals we researched. The solution included the installation of more city ‘ponds’ for animals to drink water from, the construction of buildings that left space and soil for rats to burrow below the living units, and the implementation of signs and accessible information to warn about animals near the road, bring awareness to the importance of neglected city animals, and to call our attention to our dogs that can scare or disrupt other animals in our spaces–to put our focus on personal responsibility. 

After the workshop, the attendees are called back to the central gathering area to prepare for the evening dinner.

The Klima Camp is an event for anyone interested in climate action or education, community building, or just making friends. The workshops tell us a lot about what issues we face as a community, including the neglect of animals which actively provide benefits for ourselves and the cities we live in. In the realm of Transfarmation, the Klima Camp was an informative site for anyone interested in the process. From the vegan-friendly meals and the kind-hearted and empathetic volunteers to the workshops and posted facts, the Klima Camp embodied what it means to follow an ethical lifestyle–whether that be in our diets, farms, or communities.