In Action: Biodiversity Ambassadors at wienerberger

wienerberger already boasts more than 60 biodiversity ambassadors. And more employees want to join them. They are a crucial building block of the wienerberger Sustainability Program. Their objective: To protect and improve biological diversity at the more than 200 production sites. By the end of 2023, each site should have at least one biodiversity ambassador – five of them offer insights into what their work involves. 

The wienerberger biodiversity ambassadors fight for the future of all living things at the production sites. In addition to their main job, they monitor the flora and fauna at the site and draw attention to any challenges. They know what is going on in terms of biodiversity at their location and share their knowledge with others, in the process creating a community. Would you like to know more about biodiversity at wienerberger? Then click here: Biodiversity: wienerberger for Nature Positivity.

The 30-year-old has already created and hosted a webinar for wienerberger with tips for her colleagues on environmentally-friendly gardening – ranging from smaller lawns to mowing less frequently and leaving a few frayed edges with nectar-rich weeds for bees and butterflies.

In her spare time, Frauke is also an active member of the Tuinranger (garden ranger) project set up by the Flemish Region of Belgium. “I offer free advice on environmentally-friendly gardening in the city of Peer to help make it more biodiverse and climate-resilient,” says the self-proclaimed “henfluencer”, who has opened her home to chicken and other foster animals. And now the customer service specialist is bringing her know-how and passion to work. Together with her colleague Dieter Schreurs, Frauke is shaping the future of the Pipelife Belgium production site in Hasselt as a biodiversity ambassador.

Dieter Schreurs loves his role as a biodiversity ambassador at Pipelife’s clay pipe plant in Hasselt, Belgium: “Management and our colleagues value our opinions and ideas. As an employee it feels really good to be involved in such changes,” says the Sales Engineer. Together with his colleague Frauke Van Cauwenberghe, he helps implement biodiversity measures and monitors their impact. For example, more space has already been set aside for green areas.

What does the 33-year-old see as the biggest learning? “I can finally tell the difference between a bee and a wasp,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. Now Dieter can enjoy his lunch outside without jumping up in panic every time he hears something buzzing. When he is not at work, the father of one and tennis enthusiast is currently busy building a house with wienerberger bricks and putting his knowledge to good use designing the garden. Because one thing is now crystal clear: Even small actions make a big difference.

Michele Battelani watches the green land surrounding the wienerberger production site in Bubano, Italy, through his binoculars. The mission: to count and document sightings of bees, birds or butterflies at least three times a year. Ideally, the measures that are put in place will preserve biodiversity features of the area and create the conditions to increase diversity. The monitoring survey is supported by photo evidence and based on the training Michele has received as a biodiversity ambassador.

“Anyone who is interested in biodiversity should take time to learn about the specific local situation. That way they can have a positive impact and avoid doing harm - for example, by not contributing to the spread of alien species,” the Maintenance Planner comments. Together with Eleonora Tu, Sustainability Specialist at wienerberger Italy, the 30-year-old helps implement the Biodiversity Action Plan at the site. When he is not at work, the cat-lover enjoys spending time outdoors – for example, walking or hiking in nature.

Ioanna Aleksieva is convinced “it is time to act.” In her capacity as the biodiversity ambassador, the 34-year-old keeps a sharp eye on wienerberger’s paver production plant in Elin Pelin, Bulgaria. Her current project on site: a new section of the show garden featuring sustainable solutions for garden layout and design. The project includes paved zones with bushes, shrubs, trees and decorative rocks. She has also added rock gardens and a wildflower meadow. Moreover, when needed, Ioanna acts as the biodiversity ambassador at the brickworks in Lukovit.

In her main job, Ioanna Aleksieva is a landscape architect. Besides planning, her day-to-day work includes providing advice and support for customer projects as well as creating and caring for display gardens. The nature-loving mother of a toddler knows exactly how to create and nurture ecosystems that have a positive impact on nature. She is also enthusiastic about sharing her expertise with others: “I want to motivate people to live more consciously and sustainably.”

Valeria Klonka brings her love of nature to work as a biodiversity ambassador at the Serbian roofing tile plant in Kanjiža, where implementation of the Biodiversity Action Plan is in full swing: In future, only wildlife-friendly lighting will be used at the clay pit – and one third of the existing lighting has already been replaced. One can notice humming and buzzing on the site: “I am incredibly proud that we have found bees from all European families on our site. They are so important for biological diversity.”

Last winter 56 different types of trees and bushes were planted on the factory site. At home, the 54-year-old also values diversity: In her own garden she welcomes a host of guests – from shy hedgehogs to nesting birds. The enthusiastic cyclist waters her own Garden of Eden with rainwater collected in a water butt – benefiting from what she sees at work: “At the factory too, we collect rainwater and use it to moisten the clay during production.“