Projects - Project Wings gGmbH

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The Ecobrick Deposit System

WASTE BECOMES VALUABLE

Imagine having to take care of your trash all alone.

A challenge that millions of people living in Southeast Asia / along the equator have to face every day.

Therefore, it should not be surprising that you see more plastic waste than beautiful beaches and healthy rainforests on the news.

In 2018 Project Wings introduced the idea of Ecobricks to Bukit Lawang: People earn money by bringing us their plastic waste.

For this, they collect plastic waste and stuff it into PET bottles after cleaning and drying it. Afterwards, they can bring their so-called Ecobricks to our recycling garages or Masno’s Green Education Café. For every plastic brick weighing about ½ kg they are given 5.000 IDR (= a warm meal, about 30 Cent).

CIRCULAR WASTE MANAGEMENT

Plastic gets a counter-value, helps people earn an additional income and at the end, is isolated by using it as building material. In cooperation with the Hochschule Koblenz and the FH Münster, our construction engineer (David Heitmann) developed a sustainable construction concept. This way, by building the biggest recycling village in the world, about 250 kg plastic waste will be removed from the environment and isolated inside of walls.

Since 2019, this is what it looks like in Bukit Lawang: Twice a week, the region’s waste is collected separately and brought to Erna’s Farm (organic waste) and the newly built Trashbank (other waste).

Learn more here: “PLASTIC“

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The biggest recycling village in the world

A village that helps double!

Many parts of Indonesia lack functional recycling systems. Often the waste is burned, collected or ends up in the rivers. Countless countries including e.g. Germany export thousands of tons of plastic waste per year to Indonesia. On top of this, you have to keep in mind the unique biodiversity that is endangered by the ongoing deforestation of the rainforest.

While building materials are rather costly in Indonesian rural areas, plastic waste can be obtained quickly and for free. This is why we developed a construction technique that gives plastic waste a new purpose, raises ecological awareness and protects the ecosystem at the same time. Right now, the world’s biggest Recycling Village is being built out of half a million Ecobricks. About 250 tons of plastic waste will be isolated inside of the walls of our Ecobrick buildings so that no abrasion, speak microplastics, will find its way into the environment.The goal of Project Wings: Leaving behind a self-sufficient system that is led by locals. To ensure that the village keeps on generating income, several buildings are planned that are econimcally as well as ecologically useful.

Unemployment rates have increased due to the Corona pandemic. This is why we create lots of fair job opportunities on site, strengthen the local economy and together with our cooperation partners, stand up for species conservation and rainforest reforestation.

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Our holistic approach

RAINFOREST ANIMALS PLASTIC Humans

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Protecting the rainforest

ERNA’S ECOFARM

The members of our project lovingly call Erna “The Tree Mother”.

On her farm children from the neighborhood buzz around, locals and tourists take part in her popular cooking classes and women empowerment courses and everywhere there are trees, bushes and fresh seedlings sprouting. Erna and her husband, Papi, have devoted themselves to sustainable, traditional agriculture. This is why they are the ideal addition to our recycling system. Nearly every day she accepts the region’s organic waste, shreds it in her compost machine and with the help of black soldier flies and microorganisms, she produces high quality and nutritious compost from it. This way, the waste’s valuable nutrients are preserved and can be used for reforestation programs, permaculture gardens and renaturation.

Thanks to her engagement in the region, Erna is connected well and loves to share her diverse and extensive knowledge with others. The tree adoption program is in her care because one thing is clear: Erna does not only have a green thumb but a big, devoted heart, as well.

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GENERATION CO

A community in the heart of Simolap, right by the healing and soothingly warm sulfur springs. There, at the edge of the national park the French Virginia and Helena fell in love with the country and its people and short handedly decided: We want to help here! Since then, they have been approaching e.g. plantation owners and educating them on the effects and disadvantages of monocultures such as palm oil cultivation. Their goal is the step-by-step transition to a permacultural / less harmful way of cultivation that includes animals’ needs for habitat and food, as well. With the help of compost (Erna’s Ecofarm), old and “unusable” plantations are enriched with nutrients and reforested gradually.

This way, Generation Co does not only support the conservation of this special place but of the surrounding nature, as well. Volunteers can dive into this dreamy idyll of nature, learn about the native plants and their effects and after a short trip, know which plants they can take home.

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ANIMALS / ANIMAL PROTECTION

RANGER PATROL

With the help of education, integration and support of the local community as well as various conservation programs, Arie, Dedy and Pacolok search for sustainable solutions in order to protect and conserve endangered species.

This is why Project Wings financed the training and equipment of the ranger patrol of three in 2019. Since then, we have been supporting Care Sumatra monthly in order to patrol the buffer zone, remove traps, install camera traps for observation, contain illegal poaching and find peaceful solutions to the human-animal-conflict. Orangutans, Sumatran tigers and many other endangered animal and plant species are being observed carefully for the development of effective solution strategies.

For this, the rangers patrol the buffer zone for 14 days a month and are ready to help farmers and locals in case of a tiger attack or similar emergencies. Together, they develop peaceful solutions for humans and animals in order to guarantee a harmonic living together for both sides.

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ANIMAL AID

In Muslim culture dogs are often seen as unclean. Still, they watch over the homes of many residents in our project region. As the majority of people over there cannot carry the costs of sterilisation, deworming treatments, vaccines or flea shampoo, Conny has dedicated herself to caring for “man’s best friend” together with the help of Rudi and Hendra as well as plenty of food and medical treatment.

Right now, about 45 dogs have already been castrated, sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated and been freed from the fleas. On top of that, 70 cats have been castrated. Rudi and Hendra visit other dog owners and provide them with free medicinal care for their dogs. Aside from that, Conny’s team takes care of a number of cats – especially kittens that, without a mother, would have no chances of survival. Additionally, there is even a Children-Cat-Godparenthood-Project! Here’s how it works: The childrens’ educational fees and materials are paid for when they take care of specific cats.

Project Wings supports them with their work by financing the staff’s wages as well as the rent for a dog pen. Any other costs are taken care of by Conny. Click here to support her.

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PLASTIC / RECYCLING

SUMATERA TRASHBANK

On an old landfill Anzala’s dream is taking form: Soon, his home region Bukit Lawang will recycle nearly 100% of its waste! In order to ensure an effective waste management he built a trashbank with Project Wings in 2020. The Sumatera TrashBank is the key point of our recycling system: BLG and Destana (the two garbage disposals) deliver the region’s waste there regularly. Of course, villagers are welcome to bring their trash independently, as well, and can exchange it for money. This way, the people can learn that especially plastic waste has a value as well as a further purpose. When new waste arrives at the trashbank, the different materials are divided, cleansed and dried. Various companies buy the pressed blocks of plastic waste in order to recycle bigger amounts of cleaned materials and reuse them in new manufacturing processes.

The trashbank is the most important part of our recycling system and opens totally new opportunities for the region and its people in regard to waste recycling.

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GARBAGE DISPOSAL

A recycling system without garbage disposal is like an Ecobrick without plastic waste. This is why Destana and Bukit Lawang Green exist. They take care of the waste of the three regions our project includes: Gotong Royong, Perumahan and Bukit Lawang, of course. BLG (Bukit Lawang Green) collects the organic waste twice a week and delivers it to Erna’s Ecofarm. There it is processed into compost in order to use its valuable nutrients for permaculture gardens and reforestation programs. Destana is in charge of plastic, paper and residual waste. They collect the other waste and deliver it to the newly built Sumatera Trashbank.

With the help of various vehicles they drive to the three regions, install public trash cans, educate on their usage and purpose and free the people of their responsibility for the waste. This way, the locals are no longer forced to deal with the waste disposal on their own.

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MONDAY CLEAN UP

We love Mondays!

Since 2020 the Project Wings Team has been coming together with the cooperation partners and locals every Monday in order to free Bukit Lawang and the region of plastic waste! For this, they focus on one area per week and work gradually towards a clean environment. The type of the cleanup depends on the terrain: They range from river cleanups to ones at the side of roads and ones in the forest.

Afterwards, the collected waste is brought to the Sumatera TrashBank. Here, the different types of waste are separated and cleaned while some are dried as well.

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GREEN CLASS

Together with his son, Imam, Suriono Masno founded the “Green Class” in 2016. With the help of other voluntary teachers they give about 120 children and teens the opportunity to playfully learn about environmental issues. By having field trips, meetings with other classes as well as visits from our partners, the kids learn how to take care of our planet responsibly. In the newly built Green Education Center current problems are explained and useful recycling techniques are discussed and tested.

Each week, the kids can take part in all the activities and an additional English course free of charge. The new knowledge is carried by the children to their parents and is gradually being manifested and integrated into their everyday life. Thanks to the additional opportunity to learn English for free, the kids’ job chances are increased.

The Green Class’ goal is the sensibilisation and finding of solutions for a variety of environmental challenges – for children as well as adults.

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HUMAN

GREEN CLASS

The Green Class’ goal is the sensibilisation and finding of solutions for a variety of environmental challenges – for children as well as adults.

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ECOBRICK DEPOSIT SYSTEM

In fall of 2018, Project Wings took off with one, simple question: “How can we motivate people to pick up their trash instead of getting rid of it in various ways?”.

Ecobricking is a dead easy technique that allows compressing and giving plastic waste a new form. For this, soft and often thin plastic waste coming from the households, rivers and forests is collected, cleaned and dried. Then, the foils, packaging and bags are stuffed into PET bottles with the help of a stick. This process is repeated until the stuffed bottles become solid and weigh around 500g – the result: an Ecobrick. In simple terms: Ecobricks are plastic bottles that are being stuffed with often non-recyclable plastic waste (e.g. mixed plastic such as aluminium plastic mixes) until they are stable and solid.

Since 2018, people from and around Bukit Lawang have been receiving 5.000 IDR per processed Ecobrick. In Germany, this converts to just about 30 cents while in Indonesia, this sum corresponds to a whole meal. This way, the Ecobrick deposit system grants every local, who wants to create something for not only themself but the whole world too, an additional income!

In 2020, already more than 102 families took part in the Ecobrick program.

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SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

What is sustainable agriculture?

Unlike monoculture, it does not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Diverse plants are grown in such a way that the soil can recover sufficiently after the harvest and the subsequently grown plants require different nutrients than the previous fruit or vegetable.

So a sustainably managed garden is suitable for anyone who wants to get a lot of variety and yield from their garden with little work! We grow mostly food, which means fruits and vegetables. A few spices and ingredients to make other products also find their place here.

The garden is located right next to the recycling village and is developing excellently. The first yields (corn, peanuts, Butterfly Pea Flowers, chilies and more) have already been harvested. Everything that grows here will be on your plate in the Culture Kitchen of the recycling village in the future, as well as for sale at the recycling marketplace.

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REGIONAL

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Project days at educational institutions

By working together with different educational establishments, we are reaching the younger generations. They form an important pillar of our system when it comes to the topic of environmentalism.

We are regularly visiting schools and designing project days and weeks together. Therefore, the children and young people already learn from a young age what ´environmentalism´ fundamentally means. With help of interactive lectures, numerous workshops and strong school projects, the children quickly get to know various ways to act more environmentally aware.

We act with children and young people on equal terms and show why we need to help our planet – all in an age-appropriate manner. For this, we have drafted a concept which provides educational establishments and adults an initial outline. Aside from project days, we are also conducting individual teaching-units and are represented at school events.

Donate your deposit bottles and recycle half a kilogram of plastic waste!

On request, we can create deposit-containers with the students which will be set up in the school. For every deposit-bottle thrown in, we can buy an Ecobrick in Indonesia. On the one hand this will see half a kilogram of plastic waste collected from the rainforest, whilst at the same time someone can get a hot meal from this money.

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REGIONAL COMMITMENT

KOTTENHEIM MEADOW ORCHARD LTD

With the support of the meadow orchard in Kottenheim (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) we support the preservation of flora and fauna locally. Meadow orchards are habitats worth supporting, as well as being a home for various types of animals and plants. Consequently, we are creating a safe area of living with sufficient food, especially for bees, our most important pollinator. The meadow orchards in the Kottenheim area give shelter to one of the greatest populations in Rhineland-Palatinate. In a long-term project, volunteers were recruited to revive the cultivation of fruit trees. For the salvation of the population and planting new trees the annual cost is 20,000 Euros. Large parts of it can be covered by subsidies.

What has been achieved for the small superheroes: