on a planet called home

Veronika Neumeister

… A young biologist with a great passion for our big, blue planet.
Even as a child, I could never get enough of nature. While other children wanted to be a princess or a firefighter, my answer was always: a scientist. I could watch ants for hours as they seemingly effortlessly carried 40 times their weight and enjoyed beautiful patterns nature created.

For me, nature is art. And art, in turn, gives us access to learning.

Fascinated by nature and its infinite variations which are still waiting to be discovered, I moved to Vienna (Austria) to study biology after completing my A-levels in Bavaria (Germany).

Shaped by my growing knowledge about biodiversity, coupled with my innermost desire to do something good in the world, I soon realized that I wanted to dedicate my whole life to nature conservation. I wanted to turn my passion into a career.

So my research began. I wanted to find out which areas of our lives have a serious impact on the biodiversity loss of our beloved home planet. Because influence also means potential.

Because influence always means potential.

Soon I found the answer: Agriculture.
Because according to a study by WWF, over 50% of the world’s usable land area (excluding mountains etc.) is used for agriculture – a sector that bears immense responsibility for all our existence, as it produces not only food but also clothing and technical aids and is also responsible for an estimated 70% of global biodiversity loss.

And yet, at the same time, it is a sector that is so extremely neglected economically and by governments all over the world. Outdated subsidies, overworked farmers, constant existential fears… the more I looked into the subject, the more desperate I became.

An issue where greed and ignorance on the one hand and despair and burnout on the other are pulling a system that is wrong from the top to the bottom… Where should I start?

But since standing idly by and despairing never was an option for me, I created “a planet called home”. The beginning of my life project.