Big things often start small...
Everyone is talking about sustainability - but what is the meaning of this very large term?
" We are not only responsible for what we do, but also for what we do not do".
Since November 2020, the Pitztal has been part of the Clean Alpine Regions (CLAR) project of the Tyrol, in which tourism regions are supported in their efforts to become more sustainable. The Pitztal wants to position itself as one of the pioneers in Tyrol. The TVB is currently working on strategies to further develop the sustainability of the valley in economic, ecological and social terms.
As one of the accommodation providers in the valley, we took the opportunity to join this project. In the course of this project, we were also allowed to take part in a climate journey and learned a lot.
For the first time, we thought that sustainability also meant conversion to an organic or ecological farm. Which, of course, does not correspond to reality at all. A little later on this journey, we realised that we are already more sustainable than we thought. For us, these are self-evident and often quite banal things that we have been doing for years in our house and for our guests. However, we have communicated them little or not at all, so that our guests have not even realised that a contribution to sustainability is already being made here.
Together with the Pitztal Tourism Association and Andrea Dietl from knallgruen.com, we went on a climate journey to the Hotel Stern in Obsteig.
At different stations we experienced on site how the topic of sustainability and regionality is implemented and lived in the "everyday life" of the hotel.
"Sustainability is about sticking with it, not perfection.
Our list of regional suppliers is impressive. Bread, meat, potatoes, eggs, dairy products and much more... we get from the following local farms:
Bakery Schranz
https://www.der-pitztaler-baecker.at/
Didi's egg world
http://www.didis-eierwelt.at
Meat farm Oberland
https://fleischhof-oberland.at
Village dairy lake
https://www.dorfsennerei.com
Wine Neururer
http://www.wein-neururer.at
Starkenberg beer
www.starkenberger.at
Erdäpfelkeller Arzl
http://www.schmacki.at/
Meat from the local farmers in St.Leonhard
Eggs from the Locherhof- Wöber family
Our bread selection at the breakfast buffet - the entire range is baked in the Schranz bakery.
produced fresh daily and delivered for our guests.
At this point, however, we have to be honest and say that we could do even more, BUT firstly, geographically we are in a rather modest position to cover everything within a radius of 10 kilometres and secondly, it is simply the case that many guests demand quality, which we are happy to provide, but are not always prepared to pay the corresponding price for it. The "stingy is cool" society is still omnipresent.
In the house, we have been using LED lamps and motion detectors for years, our electronic devices are regularly maintained so that they do not become power guzzlers in the first place, and we save water with appropriate shower heads and toilet water stoppers. With the help of our guests, we try to reduce the amount of laundry. Waste separation is a matter of course for us. When shopping, we pay attention to seasonal, regional, local and home-made products and it is also important to us to strengthen the local economy.
by relying almost 100% on local companies to keep the Sonnblick in good shape with their craft.
Corona was and is "shit", but this time has also brought about one or two positive things. In our case, it was or is the realisation that the responsible use of resources and the thought of future generations are topics that concern us all. So we have made it our task to intensify and, above all, communicate this topic in the future together with our team but also with our guests. We are of the opinion that if everyone makes a small contribution, something big can come out of it in the end. The fact is that sustainability does not necessarily mean doing without, but simply making conscious decisions (also on holiday).
