OUR PHILOSOPHY

Environmental Protection

Located 12 km from the nearest town and 1 km from the nearest small village, Green Climbers Home is immersed in nature and surrounded by Karst mountains with their saw-tooth silhouettes. Behind the huts, a small river leads through the wonderful cave, Xiangliab. For us, it is a new experience to live surrounded by nature, and it’s a major challenge to preserve the beauty and cleanliness of the place.

We can massively influence this with our own behavior. We will try with all our power to protect animals, plants, air, and water.

Below are some of the ways we help to reduce our impact on the local environment to a minimum.

WASTE REDUCTION

  • When shopping, we take our own bags and do not accept additional bags.
  • We prefer purchasing items in large packs.
  • At Green Climbers Home, we offer the refilling of bottles with clean drinking water at a very low price.
  • We offer packed lunch to take to the crag in reusable tupperwares.
  • When possible we sell drinks in glass bottles that we can return to the beverage shop.
  • We use both sides of paper.
  • We continue using all resources until they become trash.

WATER

Green Climbers Home is supplied with groundwater, which we receive from a 30m deep well drilled specifically for us. The water is pumped with a pump into a huge plastic tank standing on a 5m-high tower. This setup ensures that the water has sufficient pressure to provide showers, sinks, and toilets for all bungalows, dorms, the employee lodge, and restaurant.

For wastewater, we have our own system. Behind every hut, large concrete tanks are sunk into the ground and filled with sand and gravel. In these tanks, we filter wastewater in several steps before it can then seep into the groundwater.

Waste seParation

Waste is separated into 6 different categories and thus disposed of more cleanly:

  1. Food waste (raw or cooked): Some leftovers are taken by our employees to feed the pigs.

  2. Compost (everything organic, including what the pigs leave behind): is piled in a specific location and allowed to decompose naturally, turning into compost.

  3. Plastic, metal, and cardboard (such as plastic bottles, tubes, cans, and packaging): We take these items to a facility in Thakhek, Vietnam, for recycling. Sometimes we receive a few Kip for each kilo recycled.

  4. Bottles: Returnable bottles are given back to the dealer. Disposable bottles pose a more difficult issue since they cannot be reused, so they end up in the garbage.

  5. Batteries: Currently, batteries are not disposed of separately in Laos. To prevent them from ending up in the Mekong River, we collect batteries separately, in hopes that there will be a disposal station in the future.

  6. Egg boxes: We return these to the market.

  7. Residual waste (such as packaging, paper bags, cardboard, and disposable bottles): We transport these items to the dumpsite.

POWER AND RESOURCES

During the day, a large water tank is warmed by the sun, contributing significantly to heating the water. Unfortunately, this is not sufficient for a warm shower. As such the heating is supplemented by water heaters.

The camp is supplied with power from the grid, as solar energy is currently too expensive for us. We eagerly await an affordable way to power the camp with renewable energy.

To minimize long transportation routes, we have been meticulous in selecting ingredients for our menu, prioritizing regional options whenever possible. There are a however a few imported items, such as milk, cheese, ham, and cereal.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Green Climbers Home is a joint venture established in 2011 by two German climbers and the Laotian enterprise Green Discovery, deeply involved in climbing and other adventurous outdoor activities. The name “Green Climbers Home,” derived from this partnership, is not only symbolic of our commitment to environmental sustainability but also reflects our dedication to social responsibility towards the Laotian people and the country as a whole.

Laos, with its charming landscapes, rich cultural traditions, and welcoming people, offers us a unique opportunity to pursue our dreams and passion for climbing while turning it into our profession. This realization brings with it a sense of obligation to give back to the country that has provided us with such opportunities. Therefore, it is our firm intention to involve local people in the Green Climbers Home project in various capacities. This includes providing employment opportunities at the camp, sourcing fresh food and other items locally, and potentially offering volunteer positions in collaboration with local schools. We are committed to remaining mindful of these possibilities and continuously seeking ways to bring them to fruition.

Furthermore, we are dedicated to supporting our employees year-round, ensuring they receive their salaries even during the rainy season when Green Climbers Home is closed. Additionally, we provide personalized health insurance for our local staff and their families.

As our business grows and thrives, we anticipate further opportunities to expand and deepen our social engagement. However, we are committed to respecting the beliefs and values of the local community and will avoid imposing measures that contradict their convictions, even if we believe our ideas would benefit them. We believe in nurturing progress slowly and intend to stay in Laos for the long haul.

In this spirit, khawp jai lai lai Laos!