5 Cs: Conservation | Commerce | Community | Culture | Consciousness
Sustainability is not a side arm of Wolwedans, it is our heart and soul and who we are. Recognised by The Long Run as a Global Ecosphere Retreat, Wolwedans is committed to promoting an inclusive, holistic paradigm of conservation that enhances livelihoods and fosters intercultural dialogue.
During the Covid lockdown of 2020, Stephen Brückner used the time to establish The AridEden Project, underpinned by a philosophy of balancing people, planet and profit in everything Wolwedans does. AridEden provides the framework and identity for the Wolwedans journey ahead.
Every stay contributes through:
Paying the Sustainability Levy of NAD 1 450 per adult (18 and older) and NAD 725 per child (under 18) per night, above the accommodation rates. This levy includes NAD 410 NamibRand Nature Reserve Park Fee and the balance is allocated to the Wolwedans Foundation to drive its 5C’s Sustainability, as outlined through The AridEden Project.
You are supporting a lodge that not only employs an all Namibian team but one that has its own Hospitality Training School, the Desert Academy, as well as a range of other skills development projects.
Contributing to the conservation of the NamibRand Nature Reserve, a private nature reserve established to help protect and conserve the unique ecology and wildlife of the south-west Namib Desert.
Every visit by a guest contributes to the AridEden Project, a practical framework for building more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive tourism conservation economies.
One may wonder why it is that not every single tourism product across the globe doesn’t invest in the 4C’s – a Global Ecosphere Retreats and Long Run Destinations initiative – however, the commitment, by in large, is a big one and it takes a dedicated team to engage the four areas of focus: commerce, community, conservation and culture.
Perhaps one day, all businesses will adopt the vision of balancing people, planet and profit; so as to embrace sustainability in all we do, whether commercial or personal. At Wolwedans, we exist to inspire a new way – it’s our Wolwedans vision. We believe that there is one and we’ve chosen to call it the Wolwedans Way. One of the things we choose to do differently is empower young Namibians through education whilst affecting the countries communities in a positive way. Over 10 years ago, we established the Wolwedans Foundation (Trust) and it’s certainly been an investment that we are proud to support year in and year out. After all, it’s responsible for educating over 300 young Namibians in hospitality and culinary art - through its Desert Academy at Wolwedans and Windhoek-based Nice academy (Namibian Institute of Culinary Education) both supported by the Namibian Training Authority.
So when you visit with Wolwedans Collection of Camps & Lodges, you won’t be surprised to see our Foundation levy on your invoice, payable along with park fees to sustain our efforts in vocational training, community upliftment and the improving of livelihoods in our organisation and communities for the long run.