Baumentscheid
BaumEntscheid is a Berlin-based civic initiative that drafted and won unanimous passage of Germany's first municipal climate adaptation law (BäumePlus-Gesetz) and is replicating its grassroots referendum model in Munich and Stuttgart through volunteer organizing, donations, and cross-party coalition building.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Baumentscheid does
BaumEntscheid e.V. is a Berlin-registered civic initiative (gemeinnütziger eingetragener Verein, non-profit association) founded in August 2023 by Génica Schäfgen (Germany CEO of Ecosia) and Heinrich Strößenreuther (climate lobbyist, initiator of Volksentscheid Fahrrad). The organization drafted and successfully championed the BäumePlus-Gesetz, Germany's first concrete municipal climate adaptation law, which was adopted unanimously by the Berlin House of Representatives on November 3, 2025, with cross-party support from CDU, SPD, Grüne, and Linke. The law establishes binding targets including one million healthy street trees, 1,000 cooling islands, 100 new parks, 50% rainwater utilization for urban greenery, and a minimum 2°C cooling of heat-affected districts, with an estimated total program cost of €7.5 billion over 2027–2040 (€500 million annually, equivalent to €130 per Berlin resident per year).
The organization's core product is the BäumePlus-Gesetz policy initiative, supported by a digital platform built on Wix with Twingle (donations), Brevo/Sendinblue (newsletter), Eventbrite (event registration), Airtable (volunteer coordination), and Slack/Google Workspace (internal communication). Supporting tools include the Städterechner (an Excel-based cost estimation tool containing population data for all 11,000 German municipalities to enable replication), the Ablassrechner (a voluntary CO2 contribution calculator based on Umweltbundesamt data), an interactive Baumfriedhof (Tree Cemetery) map of felled and missing Berlin trees, and a podcast distributed via LetsCast.fm. Operations are run primarily through 60+ active volunteers supplemented by a small functional team covering fundraising, communications, press, accessibility, and cross-city movement coordination.
The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: grassroots volunteer recruitment through monthly onboarding at Ecosia's office, petition and signature collection campaigns (the first phase collected 33,044 signatures in six weeks), public demonstrations, BaumTouren (tree tours), and information stalls. Revenue is generated entirely through donations, tiered supporting memberships (€5–€500/month), corporate memberships (€25+/month), crowdfunding, foundation grants, and merchandise sales via Spreadshop. Following the Berlin win, the model is being replicated in Munich (launched 2025) and Stuttgart (launch July 2026), positioning the initiative as a nationwide climate adaptation movement.
Baumentscheid firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Baumentscheid
- Legal name
- BaumEntscheid e.V.
- Website
- https://baumentscheid.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BaumEntscheid is a Berlin-based civic initiative that drafted and won unanimous passage of Germany's first municipal climate adaptation law (BäumePlus-Gesetz) and is replicating its grassroots referendum model in Munich and Stuttgart through volunteer organizing, donations, and cross-party coalition building.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Baumentscheid industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civic Climate Advocacy
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health (BPAGAGAL), Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE)
Keywords
Where Baumentscheid is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Baumentscheid business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from private individuals supporting climate adaptation. Single donations and monthly recurring support options available.
- Supporting Membership (Fördermitglied): Monthly membership fees from individual supporters at tiered levels (€5/month and above), providing ongoing funding and engagement.
- Corporate Membership (Firmenmitglied): Monthly corporate membership fees starting from €25/month, scaled by company size, offering visibility as climate-responsible business.
- Crowdfunding Campaign: Public crowdfunding campaign as initial funding source for the initiative.
- Foundation Grants: Grant applications submitted to foundations and government funding bodies for project support.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, and bags through Spreadshop, with products featuring slogans like 'Aufbäumer'.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | €10/month - Knowledge Root (Wissens-Wurzel) |
| Subscription | Monthly | €25/month - Tree Protection Shield (Baum-Schutzschild) |
| Subscription | Monthly | €50/month - Innovation Driver (Innovations-Treiber) |
| Subscription | Monthly | €500/month - Rollout Accelerator (Rollout-Beschleuniger) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Corporate membership from €25/month |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | One-time donations (variable amounts) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels13 records
Baumentscheid product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BaumEntscheid is a Berlin-based registered non-profit civic association (e.V.) that developed and championed the BäumePlus-Gesetz (Berlin Climate Adaptation Law), the first municipal climate adaptation law in Germany adopted unanimously by the Berlin House of Representatives on November 3, 2025. It mobilizes volunteer civic engagement (60+ volunteers delivering ~8,000 hours annually), collects citizen signatures for an associated Volksbegehren (popular initiative), and operates donation programs, tiered membership subscriptions (Fördermitglied and Firmenmitglied), and merchandise sales to fund urban tree planting, climate adaptation, and civic advocacy work.
Product overview
BaumEntscheid is a civic initiative that has developed and successfully championed the adoption of the BäumePlus-Gesetz (Berlin Climate Adaptation Law) as its primary product. The organization operates a range of supporting services including a podcast series, a CO₂ calculator tool for voluntary climate contributions, printed educational materials, branded merchandise, and a regular newsletter. The core offering is the policy initiative, supported by communication and engagement tools that enable citizens to participate in climate adaptation advocacy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BäumePlus-Gesetz (Berlin Climate Adaptation Law) The BäumePlus-Gesetz is Germany's first municipal climate adaptation law, drafted and championed by BaumEntscheid and adopted unanimously by the Berlin House of Representatives. It establishes binding climate adaptation targets, mandates tree planting, addresses urban heat, and limits surface sealing for the city of Berlin, and serves as a replicable template for other German municipalities.
- Volksbegehren BäumePlus (Popular Initiative) A citizen signature-collection campaign (Volksbegehren) organized by BaumEntscheid to demonstrate public support for the BäumePlus-Gesetz Berlin Climate Adaptation Law and to enable direct democratic backing of the climate adaptation agenda. Targeted at Berlin residents eligible to sign the popular initiative.
- BaumEntscheid Podcast An audio podcast series produced by BaumEntscheid covering topics related to climate adaptation, urban tree planting, civic engagement, and the BäumePlus-Gesetz campaign. Distributed via major podcast platforms to Berlin residents and the general German-speaking audience interested in climate and civic topics.
- CO2 Calculator (Ablassrechner) An interactive digital tool that lets users calculate their CO2 footprint and links personal climate impact to the broader climate adaptation mission of BaumEntscheid. Targeted at climate-conscious citizens and prospective donors/supporters.
- Interactive Tree Cemetery Map (Baumfriedhof) An interactive online map showing urban trees dedicated or memorialized through BaumEntscheid's tree-planting and citizen-dedication programs. Targeted at Berlin residents and donors participating in the urban tree planting initiatives.
- Municipal Cost Estimator (Städterechner) An interactive digital tool that estimates the cost of replicating the BäumePlus-Gesetz climate adaptation program for other German municipalities. Targeted at municipal policymakers, climate planners, and journalists evaluating the rollout of the law.
- BaumEntscheid Newsletter A recurring email newsletter distributed via Brevo/Sendinblue, providing updates on the BäumePlus-Gesetz campaign, volunteer activities, events, and donation opportunities. Targeted at subscribers, donors, and volunteers.
- BaumEntscheid Merchandise Store (Spreadshop) An online merchandise storefront operated via Spreadshop where supporters can purchase branded items to fund the initiative. Targeted at citizens, volunteers, and supporters.
Quantifiable outcome
- Street tree density of one tree every 15 meters on both sides of every street
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Baumentscheid
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Baumentscheid technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Baumentscheid partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Changing Cities e.V.coreUrban mobility and climate civic organization; co-founded by Heinrich Strößenreuther; provides structural framework that enabled over 50 cycling referendums and 80+ climate referendums nationwide.
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH)majorGerman Environmental Aid - major environmental organization supporting the BaumEntscheid coalition.
- Diakonie BerlinmajorChurch social service organization in Berlin supporting the climate adaptation initiative.
- Deutschland Forstet AufminorTree-planting initiative supporting afforestation efforts.
- Omas For FutureminorGrandmothers for climate action network supporting the initiative.
- KlimaUnionminorClimate-focused political association within the CDU party spectrum that is a coalition partner.
- SPD.klimagerechtminorClimate-justice faction within SPD party supporting the initiative.
- ÖDP (Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei)minorEcological Democratic Party supporting the initiative as coalition partner.
- BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN (Various Local Chapters)minorGreen party local organizations supporting as coalition partners.
- Die Linke (Various Local Chapters)minorLeft party local organizations supporting as coalition partners.
- WeAct/CampactminorPetition platform used for signature collection campaigns.
- openPetition gGmbHminorPetition platform supporting the initiative's signature collection.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Baumentscheid competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH): Major German environmental advocacy organization and active coalition partner of BaumEntscheid. DUH operates a similar donation- and membership-funded advocacy model pursuing environmental legislation and litigation, making it a structurally comparable peer in the German climate advocacy landscape.
- Changing Cities e.V. Urban mobility and climate civic organization co-founded by Heinrich Strößenreuther. It is the structural parent framework for BaumEntscheid, having enabled 50+ cycling referendums and 80+ climate referendums across Germany. It is the most directly comparable peer as it operates the identical citizen referendum playbook in adjacent climate/urban policy domains.
- GermanZero e.V. Climate advocacy organization co-founded by Heinrich Strößenreuther, focused on driving municipal climate action plans through civic campaigns. It is closely comparable to BaumEntscheid as a parallel civic-initiative model targeting binding local climate legislation, sharing the same founder DNA and donor ecosystem.
- KlimaUnion: Climate-focused political association within the CDU party spectrum, co-founded by Strößenreuther and listed as a BaumEntscheid coalition partner. Directly comparable as a civic climate advocacy organization with overlapping leadership and donor base, focused on conservative-aligned climate policy engagement.
- Fridays For Future Germany: Grassroots climate movement using demonstrations, petitions, and volunteer mobilization to demand climate policy. Highly comparable in GTM motion (community-led, event-driven, signature collection) and target audience (general public/citizens), though focused on national rather than municipal policy.
- Letzte Generation (Last Generation) Germany: Climate activist organization using public confrontation and direct action to demand binding climate policy. Comparable as a German civic climate advocacy organization with similar donor/supporter base, though employs more disruptive tactics.
Broad incumbents
- Greenpeace Germany: Established German environmental advocacy organization using donations and campaigns to drive climate and nature policy. Operates at significantly larger scale than BaumEntscheid but is structurally comparable as a donation-funded advocacy NGO pursuing binding environmental regulation in Germany.
- NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Largest German environmental association with ~900,000 members, focused on biodiversity and nature conservation. Operates a similar donation/membership-funded advocacy model but at national scale across many environmental domains. Overlap with BaumEntscheid exists in urban tree/biodiversity protection but NABU's scope is much broader.
- BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland): Major German environmental federation with ~650,000 members pursuing policy advocacy across climate, biodiversity, and consumer protection. Operates a comparable donation/membership funding model and pursues binding regulation, but is a much larger established incumbent relative to BaumEntscheid's focused climate adaptation niche.
Others
- SEND e.V. Climate and development advocacy organization where Génica Schäfgen serves as a board member. Adjacent rather than directly comparable as a peer, but connected through shared leadership and the broader German climate civic ecosystem in which BaumEntscheid operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Baumentscheid social profiles
Digital presenceBaumentscheid financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Baumentscheid leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Baumentscheid subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Baumentscheid funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Baumentscheid M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Baumentscheid
What does Baumentscheid do?
BaumEntscheid is a Berlin-based registered non-profit civic association (e.V.) that developed and championed the BäumePlus-Gesetz (Berlin Climate Adaptation Law), the first municipal climate adaptation law in Germany adopted unanimously by the Berlin House of Representatives on November 3, 2025. It mobilizes volunteer civic engagement (60+ volunteers delivering ~8,000 hours annually), collects citizen signatures for an associated Volksbegehren (popular initiative), and operates donation programs, tiered membership subscriptions (Fördermitglied and Firmenmitglied), and merchandise sales to fund urban tree planting, climate adaptation, and civic advocacy work.
Is Baumentscheid a public or private company?
Baumentscheid is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Baumentscheid founded?
Baumentscheid was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Baumentscheid based?
Baumentscheid is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Baumentscheid make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are supporting Membership (Fördermitglied), corporate Membership (Firmenmitglied), crowdfunding Campaign, foundation Grants and merchandise Sales.
Who are Baumentscheid's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), Changing Cities e.V., GermanZero e.V., KlimaUnion, Fridays For Future Germany and Letzte Generation (Last Generation) Germany. Broad incumbents are Greenpeace Germany, NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) and BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland). SEND e.V. is listed as an others.
Does Baumentscheid have an API?
No public API is recorded for Baumentscheid.
What industry is Baumentscheid in?
Baumentscheid's product category is Civic Climate Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAF, Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation, with a secondary code of BPAGAGAL, Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health. Its NAICS code is 813312.