Sustainability
Find a way, not an excuse
Project Wings
Five elements hostel frankfurt cooperates with environmental organisation, ‘Project Wings’.
We take sustainability seriously in our hostel, and try our best to give back where we can. That’s why we’ve decided to partner with Project Wings in an effort to do our part for the planet. The German based charity operates both locally, and as far away as Indonesia. The charity works to educate, reduce waste, and rehabilitate the environment. And their slogan? ‘Find a way, not an excuse!’, and we think that’s a pretty great statement.
How do we support them?
We support Project Wings in a variety of ways. Passively, we keep a donation box at reception where guests can donate whatever they want out of their own free will. But if you check out late, we take your key deposit and donate it.
Additionally, they compensate our CO2 savings by planting trees to minimise our ecological footprint. In 2021 alone, we were able to save 80 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. Pretty cool, huh?!
Local Initiatives
Project Wings works to preserve local orchards, which is a vital part of sustaining local flora and fauna. So far, they’ve planted 164 fruit trees, have tended to 482 trees, and laid out 3,500 m2 of wildflower meadows.
But the work doesn’t stop there. The charity is also heavily involved in educating children through special school events and projects, which is vital to promoting sustainability. They also place ‘bottle bins’ in various schools so they can collect recyclables and use the money to further their projects both locally and abroad. Those working for Project Wings understand the importance for younger generations to grasp environmentalism, as it’s them who have to live with the consequences of our present day actions and will be the future decision makers.
Initiatives in indonesia
Project Wings also hosts educational initiatives in Indonesia, but their work goes far beyond that. They’re know for the world’s largest recycling village, made entirely of eco-bricks. And if you’re wondering what exactly is an eco-brick, it’s essentially a plastic bottle filled with plastic waste. Not only does it divert waste out of the landfills (or litter), it helps in the construction of homes for the community. That’s a true win win if you ask us.
In addition to education and building an eco-brick village, they also work to reforest the local rainforest which provides habitat for animals, and helps regulate weather patterns.
All of them are aware of the current acute environmental problems, which include the pollution of nature by plastic waste and the deforestation of rainforests.
What other hostels have joined to support this charity?
We do better when we work together, and we’re not the only hostel in Germany proudly supporting this initiative. Heading to Berlin? Sunflower Hostel, Singer 109, and Heart of Gold Hostel are all supporting this organisation. Or perhaps you’re heading to Leipzig? Five Elements Hostel Leipzig is also part of this great support team! Each of these five popular hostels operates environmentally conscious facilities, and does what they feasibly can to be sustainable.
Project Wings
And that’s how our partnership with Project Wings works. While there’s always things that can be improved, we’re proud of our efforts thus far and look forward to what we can do in the future! If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us via email at welcome@5elementshostel.de
For all the latest information and news from Project Wings, you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram, or head to their website. ‘Find a way, not an excuse!’.
