Committed students from varying years and programs at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management met once again to make a valuable contribution to the community by cleaning the banks of the Rhine to raise awareness about waste management for the 2021 Rhine CleanUp. The campaign was organized by the student initiatives "SensAbility - The WHU Impact Summit" and "WHU Studenten Helfen e.V. (WHUSH)", which promote the sustainable economic and social responsibility of students and businesses.
The students started at the Rhine parking lot in Vallendar and moved in small groups to the banks of the Rhine at Niederwerth, where a particularly large amount of trash had washed up, among other things due to the flooding in the last few months. Many students were shocked by the amount of trash they collected during their time on the river, which they felt they had not noticed before to this extent. Simon Sperl (BS.c. 2023) comments: "It was great to contribute to the Rhein CleanUp together with my fellow students and thus be able to give something back to society. But I think it's a shame that so many people just leave their trash lying around and don't think about the impact of of their actions."
During the event, the atmosphere was very relaxed and there was an opportunity to get to know each other better and enjoy discussions with peers. The nature on the Rhine and especially on the island of Niederwerth was beautiful to behold.
Seeing the beach clean and free of trash after the Rhine CleanUp and coming back to Vallendar with heavy, full trash bags was a very fulfilling experience for the participants. They made a great contribution to environmental protection and to the community in Vallendar and Niederwerth. One participant and Bachelor student at WHU shared, "At Rhine CleanUp, you experience the effects of collective carelessness up close. I am happy about every piece of trash that we were able to remove from nature - however, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that the work does not stop here."