Credit: CELL
Luxembourg non-profit organisation Citizens for Ecological Learning and Living (CELL) has announced a citizens’ assembly to conclude its project “The Tree That Hides the Forest (déi Wëll, déi lafen am Bësch)” as part of LUGA 2025 - Making the Invisible Visible.
The event will take place from Friday 29 (10:00-00:00) to Saturday 30 August 2025 (09:00-22:00) at the Jardin du Multilinguisme in Luxembourg-Kirchberg. Sessions will be held in French and English with translation provided.
According to CELL, over two days of interdisciplinary exchange, members of the public, along with experts, artists and activists, will be invited to reimagine the relationship between people and trees and forests - described as silent cohabitants of urban spaces that are essential to human survival but often overlooked.
Highlights of the assembly will include “in-depth reflection on the legal personality of forests, citizen stewardship of urban trees, and the links between biodiversity and urban resilience,” as well as contributions from scientific, artistic, activist and institutional voices - described by CELL as “a unique convergence of perspectives in Luxembourg.”
Other elements of the programme will feature a “Parliament of the Living” immersive role-playing game exploring ecosystem interdependencies; a nighttime programme with projections and poetic performances, including storytelling and a tree-themed disco in Kirchberg; and concrete action plans focusing on reforestation, ecosystem rights, citizen science and participatory funding.
As discussions on ecocide, biodiversity loss and urban greening gain momentum, CELL described the initiative as offering “a new language for thinking about the living world - neither technocratic nor alarmist, but sensitive, grounded and transformative.”
Taking place just steps from European institutions, the event also aims to encourage political decision-makers to adopt a more systemic and poetic approach to urban ecology.
