Feigl is co-founder of the Aachen-based green start-up everwave, which is dedicated to combating plastic waste in our waters. Unfortunately, there is more than enough of it – not only in the distant Pacific, but also here in Europe.
Everwave is a young, highly qualified team of dedicated scientists, engineers, architects, and ocean lovers who work on the joint idea, some full-time and some on a voluntary basis. The initiative came from Marcella Hansch, who, while studying architecture at RWTH Aachen University, set her sights on saving the oceans—and took action. Originally starting with the idea of ridding the Pacific of huge garbage patches, everwave now focuses on rivers, because that is where plastic enters the sea.
The team collected more than 20 tons of waste from the reservoir in Bosnia using the CollectiX waste collection boat manufactured by Berky GmbH – per day! The clean-up mission was made possible by the Rotary Club Aachen and Landmarken AG as the main sponsor, among others. "Everwave and Landmarken share the same goals; together we can make an impact," says Landmarken CEO Norbert Hermanns, adding: "We always focus particularly on ecological aspects in our projects. Just as Everwave wants to clean up the waters, we want to massively reduce CO2 emissions from buildings."
Financing a garbage collection boat
In Bosnia, waste with a total weight equivalent to around three single-family homes was recovered. Waste that will now be recycled to close the plastic cycle and create something new. The team also gained a lot of experience that will be useful in future projects. And now they are tackling this together on a permanent basis: Landmarken is financing a CollectiX waste collection boat for everwave for at least two years. The boat was first used in May on the Danube in Serbia and was later christened "Moringa by LANDMARKEN AG" in Venice. A name that couldn't be more fitting, because sustainability, as with the Moringa projects, means tackling the resource problem at its root. Whether plastic waste or building material: raw materials are raw materials, and they must be recycled again and again!
