“It looks like an election campaign,” says Steffen Schorcht from the Grünheide citizens’ initiative on a trip through the community at the beginning of February. One could almost think that the federal election would have to be held here too, just outside Berlin. But the colorful election posters that have been hanging in all districts for weeks are about an expansion of the US automobile manufacturer Tesla's factory.
The slightly more than 7,000 eligible voters can take part in the survey until Friday of this week. The result is not binding for community representatives, who are likely to decide on the development plan for Tesla's expansion plans at their next meeting on March 14th. “But show me the municipal representative who will vote against it if the vote is 70 to 30 in favor,” says Pamela Eichmann (SPD), the chairwoman of the municipal council, who helped initiate the survey and next Tuesday together with the non-party mayor Arne Christiani will lead the public counting of votes.
Steffen Schorcht and his fellow members of the citizens' initiative are betting that the majority of community representatives would also support a vote against expanding the factory. They have therefore also diligently put up posters and distributed information material. On the first Sunday in February they go from house to house again to campaign for a no vote.
“This district is about 15 kilometers from the factory. “You’ll notice that people will say that it doesn’t affect us,” says Schorcht, preparing the almost two dozen helpers for a lot of persuasion that day. Many of them came from Berlin by regional train and got off at Fangschleuse station, within sight of the Gigafabrik. The citizens' initiative, which has been mobilizing against Tesla in Grünheide for years, is now well networked, including with climate activists from the capital.
Higher traffic volume
Schorcht, who lives in neighboring Erkner, 1000 meters from the factory, motivates the members of the citizens' initiative. “The promised limitation of water consumption for the residents of Grünheide from next year, the increase in traffic, these are massive interventions,” he provides two of the most important arguments of the opponents of expansion. In addition, there is the loss of more than 100 hectares of forest after the approximately 300 hectares that had already had to give way to the factory.
“I was against the idea of him clearing out so much forest right from the start,” says the first passer-by who asked Schorcht about Tesla that day. “It's not just the forest, but also the water,” says her companion. Both have already sent in the voting documents and voted no. What follows are about a dozen encounters over half a kilometer in the Kagel district, which represent the entire spectrum of opinions about the Tesla factory. “Can you tell us why?” Schorcht asks the first resident who identifies as a supporter of expansion. “Can you tell me why not? But hurry up, I’m a little cold.” Forest, water, traffic, Schorcht repeats. “But we need industry in Germany, and we need entrepreneurs like Elon Musk,” replies the resident.
His neighbor across the street doesn't agree with the expansion or the factory, but thinks the survey is a set-up. “And then comes the next check and the next check and the next check.” A climate activist who is traveling with Schorcht today tries to show parallels to the anti-nuclear power movement. “She fought for years until we managed to get out,” she says encouragingly. “Yes, and now we have the salad,” replies the resident, who now wants to discuss energy policy more fundamentally and invites the two of them to come back.
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