The ostseequelle.camp is located in the middle of nature, right in a Baltic Sea bay. It is important to the Ehrlich family, the owners, to use this privilege responsibly. That is why they are focusing on a natural design, photovoltaics and technical solutions such as booking exclusively online.
The ostseequelle.camp is located directly by the sea in a Flora Fauna Habitat nature reserve
For 30 years, the Ehrlich family has been running the campsite directly on the Wohlenberger Wiek, a nature reserve and wonderful bay with particularly warm, shallow water. For the Ehrlich family, this is not just a privilege, but also an incentive to operate in a particularly sustainable manner. Since the generation change in 2020, the site has been heavily modernized and since then the goal has been consistently pursued of no longer emitting any emissions as a company from 2026. "We can only speak for our company," says owner Alexander Ehrlich. "But we hope to find many imitators, especially among our suppliers." They underline their commitment with two environmental certifications - the EU Ecolabel and the ECOCAMPING award. There is a serious background to this, because the location deep and close to the Baltic Sea makes the campsite vulnerable to the extreme weather caused by climate change. The next winter storm surge is only a matter of time, says Ehrlich. That is why the campsite owner wants to do his part to limit global warming and thus climate change.
Soon fossil fuels will be replaced by camping operations
Sustainability is lived at ostseequelle.camp. It means camping in harmony with nature and at the same time enjoying high levels of comfort and hospitality. One of the focuses is on expanding self-sufficiency with renewable energies. It was only in July 2024 that three new photovoltaic systems went online. The campsite has always used only green electricity anyway. The north sanitary building and the sauna have not used fossil fuels since they were modernized three years ago. The hot water comes from a 42-square-meter solar thermal system. The last gas heater in the south sanitary building is to be replaced next season. Likewise, many gardening tools such as the lawnmower and hedge trimmer have gradually been replaced with battery-operated devices. This is not a disadvantage for guests, the maintenance of the campsite takes place in the background and no guest has to forego comfort thanks to flat rates. The exact booking of the pitch is only possible online in order to save resources here too.
Ostseequelle campsite receives the EU Ecolabel for its outstanding commitment to environmental protection In addition to focusing on renewable energies, the Ehrlich family, who operate the campsite, pays particular attention to the ecological design of the site. Since 2020, they have been planting up to 300 native shrubs a year and promoting bees by refraining from mowing in the autumn wherever possible. Since then, guests have felt like they are in a park. The ostseequelle.camp is closed for seven months of the year and is available solely to nature. Wolfgang Pfrommer from ECOCAMPING, who acted as auditor, gave the green light for the award: "We are pleased that the Ostseequelle campsite has successfully implemented everything. And we hope that others will soon follow the good example. Because in this way, camping makes an important contribution to more sustainable tourism."
The EU Ecolabel: the Europe-wide path to greater sustainability
The EU Ecolabel is the path recognised throughout the EU for companies that want to be role models in environmental protection. The European Ecolabel has been recognising environmentally friendly products and services throughout Europe for over 30 years – and since 2005 also hotels and campsites. In Germany there are already 15 campsites that carry the EU Ecolabel and are therefore among the ecological pioneers. What these campsites have in common is that they have implemented concrete measures for more sustainability in their operations and meet the strict criteria of the EU Ecolabel. Campsites must meet 22 compulsory criteria and some of the 47 optional criteria. These include the mandatory exclusive use of green electricity, LED lighting and water-saving shower heads. One possible measure could be to only offer environmentally friendly means of transport, such as bicycle rental.
