More than 160 of 3,000 landmarks in Hamburg will open their doors from September 6-8 Enthusiasts can look forward to guided tours "The Open Heritage Days gives people an opportunity to immerse themselves in the city's history over three days and to learn more about the past," said Dr Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media. The highlights include a light show by the cinema collective "A Wall is a Screen" on September 6. The façades of the Kontorhaus district in particular the Sprinkenhof A water-light concert entitled "Pomp and Circumstances" with a protected organ from 1973 will get underway on the Planten un Blomen's lake Other highlights include a get-together with restorers in the Xpon Art Gallery guided tours of the historic Rauchkate in Neugraben-Fischbek and the Martin Luther King Church in Steilshoop which will be transformed into a jazz hall The Open Heritage Days are co-ordinated by the Hamburg Monument Preservation Foundation and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Media's Monument Preservation Office.fw/sb/pb own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment View all partners On a wet day in January 2023, I took Scottish Labour MSP, Mercedes Villalba Having seen some of the vape litter picking videos I had made which went viral she asked to come along and see the problem for herself we set off around the University of Dundee campus in search of discarded disposable vapes we collected dozens of these electronic devices This experience spurred Villalba on to act She asked questions in parliament questions attended events and spoke at debates alongside other parliamentarians who had similar concerns about the harmful environmental impacts of single-use vapes A year since that vape hunt, we’ve reached a milestone. This week, after considerable efforts, the UK government announced plans to ban disposable vapes and grassroots action have played a crucial role in driving this change My PhD at Abertay University and the University of Dundee investigates the links between climate resilience My research has been running in parallel with the vape campaign and I’ve had firsthand experience of the importance of local voices and community action Communities also know which solutions could be the best fit for them so taking the time to build connections with local representatives really makes a difference Collaboration with local community groups to find solutions is beginning to catch on after recent research has shown that multiple benefits are possible when working together Projects, including UrbanByNature working with local community groups such as Growchapel in Glasgow or CleverCities in Neugraben-Fischbek, Hamburg facilitate collaboration between communities charities and practitioners to work together shaping cities and towns into more resilient places tackling urban challenges and transforming neighbourhoods Local people get to shape the places they call home while building resilience and creating spaces that enhance wellbeing too school wildflower meadows and community allotment projects I first noticed disposable vapes littering the natural environment while walking my dog around our local park in the south side of Glasgow in September 2022. As a climate change activist, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. I tweeted in frustration saying that I was sick of finding these as litter and wanted to campaign against these for both public health and environmental reasons That frustration led to the launch of the #BanDisposableVapes social media awareness campaign The engagement of so many decision-makers at every level of government has definitely been a major contributor to the success of the movement to ban disposable vapes different political parties proposed change agreed to support the campaign to ban disposable vapes and wrote to the Scottish government demanding improved legislation Local communities have more power than we often realise we need businesses and governments to shift the system but individuals have significant influence too Businesses look at our consumer behaviours and change their products to meet the next trend Our demands can push businesses to improve their corporate responsibility governments endeavour to secure a tick on our next ballot paper to secure our vote We can help set the agenda and insist that our government sets legislation that protects our planet and our community When the UK government released the Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping consultation at the end of 2023 experts and people in local communities could really have their say Most (27.025) of the 27,921 responses came from individuals concerned about health impacts of vaping and decision makers have listened and acted There’s still more work to be done. We have about a year to build robust legislation address the problems of disposable vapes and consider any potential unintended consequences I’m taking a moment to celebrate the success of a truly community-centered campaign that has brought together people from across different sectors and nations to take direct action that protects our environment and the next generation.