Wilderness International Germany

Wild nature is a source of inspiration for me and I feel at home there. Next to a huge tree in the old-growth forest, on the foggy riverbank or sitting on a mountain - nature helps to recharge my batteries and to experience small and big wonders. In the last 20 years I have seen whole forest landscapes disappear, cities and roads have covered lakes and valleys. Pristine nature is becoming rarer by the year - at a frightening rate that compels action. I love nature and, as part of Wilderness International, I want to fight to ensure that our Earth will continue to be one thing: Wild and beautiful.

Sustainable change only happens from the bottom up and out of personal conviction. I believe in that. That's what motivated me to join WI in Dresden as a volunteer 10 years ago. Nature conservation is an essential basic attitude for every human being. The preservation of biodiversity and the so fragile ecological balance, the preservation of traditional places of living, which protect the climate as well as the culture of indigenous people, the protection of habitats, the prevention of worldwide migration based on hunger and poverty, the reduction of CO2 emissions: All this and much more is contained in the buzzword nature conservation. Making this tangible for individuals and motivating both them and entire companies to do so has excited me since my early years at WI. I started with networking and supporting projects with students and young people. The course of my illness gave me additional time for reflection and showed me what a treasure my own family is, with all its resources and what is worth preserving. So I am now fit in preserving and enjoy that very much. Since my disability, I have been able to invest the time available to me in a focused manner in my tasks at WI. I would like to continue to shape and deepen this. With transparency. With fun. With WI.

Already since the 5th grade I enthusiastically participated in the rainforest runs and listened to the lectures about ancient giant forests. When I later read about the expedition to Toba Valley, I saw my chance had come to see and explore this wonderful foreign world with my own eyes. The people and experiences during the expedition were so positively impressive that I decided to do a year of volunteer service, which turned into two. During this time, an extraordinary project focus developed: the preparation of a cultural and conservation expedition with Germans and Gwich'in First Nations in the Canadian West Arctic!

I am involved with Wilderness International because I care about protecting nature and preserving indigenous culture for our children and our children's children. The rainforests of Canada are one wilderness area among many on our planet that must be saved, because many of the current global conflicts are due to a globally disrupted ecosystem and resulting resource shortages. If we humans do not preserve and protect our environment, there will be serious consequences. I vouch for Wilderness International because I know here that my commitment to the protection of nature and the local population will also reach there.

I am proud to be part of a movement that is committed to the protection of the primal nature that still exists today, as well as to education for sustainable development of future generations. The aim is to raise awareness of our environment as a society and to actively establish climate protection with real solutions for both individuals and companies. Making visible the consumption of nature in our lives and at the same time transforming it into environmental protection concepts drives me to push for both permanent nature protection and modern development solutions at Wilderness International.

I've always wanted a job with meaning. And since having children, it has become even more important to me to do my part to effectively do good for our planet. At Wilderness International, I get to work in a very dedicated team that has been very open and welcoming to me. In addition, the communication here is respectful and honest, and there is a constant desire to develop. I get to do very different tasks: Coordinating our dedicated volunteers, organizing events, and keeping track of our daily office tasks. This suits my nature perfectly, and as a result I get to see very concrete successes of our work on a regular basis.

Tino Kreßner is a crowdfunding pioneer in Germany and co-founder of the crowdfunding platform Startnext.com. He is committed to a participatory and transparent allocation of capital to promote sustainable and creative ideas. 

With Finlane GmbH, he operates parallel crowdfinancing technology for the promotion of non-profit projects together with banks. 

As a founding member of the Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland (SEND), he shapes better framework conditions for companies that prioritize their impact rather than profit maximization. 

Together with the Wilderness International Foundation, Tino Kreßner initiated the largest private tree planting campaign in Germany and today protects the last intact ecosystems on our planet. 

Before coming to WI as a volunteer, I worked as a software engineer for five years. A good friend, who always inspires me to take on new challenges and experiences, turned me on to WI. At WI, I want to dedicate my time, energy, and youth to protecting the wild places of this earth. I will use my work experience mainly for improvements in the organization and cooperation in the IT sector, but I will also help where I can.