Sustainable business

Jungfrau Region

The Interhome Group is supporting a bee project in Austria. It has leased 100 000 m2 of flowering meadows for the bees for two years. The land is planted with flowers instead of the usual potatoes or vegetables. The flowering meadows have the perfect flower species to attract all kinds of bees. The meadows are left for nature to take its course. In addition, Interhome customers worldwide have the option to fully offset their stay in a holiday apartment or holiday home. To achieve this, Interhome works together with “myclimate” and the money goes entirely to the M-Climate Fund. Interhome is also in the process of categorising its holiday accommodations by sustainability. However, this will take a while.

Haslital

The “Chalet Briinigstein West” in Hasliberg Reuti has been thermally insulated, the old oil heating system has been replaced with a heat pump and an agreement has been sought (and reached) with the local heritage organisation to install solar panels. All that needs to be done now is purchase a salt battery. This will make it possible for the holiday home to operate without any external energy supply for nine months of the year. In addition, guests are encouraged to travel by public transport. If they come by car, there is an electric car charging point at the house. Guests are also encouraged to shop locally. Local shopkeeper Thomas Meyer will deliver groceries to the holiday home free of charge. Even the wine you get here is made locally. It comes from the highest vineyard north of the main Alpine ridge.

The CVJM Zentrum(YMCA Centre) on the Hasliberg uses only green electricity.  It also uses a systematic recycling system and does its own composting. The facilities are heated using a wood chip boiler. The centre has its own forest with great biodiversity (measure to preserve biodiversity). More than 80 per cent of the food/hospitality materials come directly from the Bernese Oberland or Switzerland.

The Handeck and Grimsel Hospiz hotels have been certified according to IS0 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 for some time now. As of this winter, Grimselwelt (to which the two hotels belong) is one of the first companies to be awarded the new Swisstainable label from Switzerland Tourism at the highest level III, as it already has comprehensive and recognised sustainability certification. One of the reasons for this is that chef Roman Crkon and his team practise their creative cuisine from the fields, forests and meadows at the Grimsel hotels. They focus on local and regional products and, since 2021, they have been using a regional network as a purchasing association to help shorten supply chains and transport routes and support local producers. Last but not least, Grimselwelt restaurants and businesses serve local spring water (sparkling or still), with no transportation involved at all.

Wengen

The Energie-Agentur der Wirtschaft (Energy Agency for the Economy) runs a voluntary programme in which businesses pledge to actively reduce CO2 emissions and optimise energy efficiency. The Wengen Classic Hotels are taking part. The agreed objectives are recognised by the federal government, the canton and business partners.

Grindelwald

The B&B an der Egg uses wood pellets for heating, so there is no need for oil or gas. The breakfast here includes many regional products, including products made from “Eiger milk”.

The Derby Swiss Quality Hotel has rooms fitted with a tap attachment that reduces water consumption. The bread, milk and similar staples served here are locally sourced. All of the lamps have energy-saving bulbs. The take-away tableware is from Handelsgrün and is plastic-free. The hotel avoids using plastic wherever possible. It also offers a palm oil-free alternative to Nutella. The dishwashing system and kitchen appliances have been modernised in an environmentally friendly way, and now have detergent dose regulation. The housekeeping team also has a new carpet cleaning machine that works in a sustainable way.

At Hotel Glacier, chef Robert Steuri, who has 15 Gault Millau points, has put together a menu featuring as many regional products as possible. Almost all the dishes served here are based on home-made basic products and change according to the seasons. Several dishes include preparation steps such as fermentation, smoking or dry-ageing. These processes often take longer than a month. Only once they are complete can the kitchen team begin to make the magic happen. Hotel Glacier achieved the highest possible rating (platinum) from the leading sustainability label Ibex Fairstay at the end of 2022.

At Parkhotel Schoenegg, they grow their own potatoes to make their special “Schoenegg Pommes Chips”. Most of their kitchen scraps go into their own compost, which is used as fertiliser for the potatoes. They also grow peppermint (for making Hugo cocktails, herbal tea, garnishes, desserts, etc.) and onions, and they recover heat from the cooling systems. The hotel is connected to the Grindelwald district heating supply.

Hotel Belvedere is one of just three hotels in Switzerland to have achieved platinum status with the IBEX sustainability label. It actively encourages guests to make their stay at the hotel carbon neutral. They offer this option in cooperation with “my climate” and “cause we care”. The Belvedere is the first family-run hotel in the canton of Bern to work with “my climate”. The hotel has also purchased a hybrid car to pick guests up from the station and bring them back to the station after check-out. During their stay, guests have the option of using the air-cooling system in their room. The system works like an air-conditioning system, but is cooled by groundwater and therefore does not require much electricity to work. The hotel’s electricity supply is 100 per cent hydroelectric. In addition, a heat pump has been connected to the air cooling system, generating warm water for the indoor pool. Hotel Belvedere is heated by Holzwärme Grindelwald, which produces energy from wood. Regular renovations in the hotel have improved the insulation throughout and triple-glazed windows have been installed so that the heat stays inside the hotel in winter and outside in summer.

The Jungfrau Lodge is part of the Holzwärme Grindelwald (HGW) network. The hotel is heated with heat generated from wood in Grindelwald.

For years now, the Swiss Youth Hostels – including Grindelwald Youth Hostel – have been committed to putting sustainability into practice in cooperation with the IBEX label. The new food concept at the hostel is built around vegetarian and vegan cuisine, with meat only available as an alternative. Guests have been paying a voluntary offset fee of 30 centimes for years. This money is used to pay for sustainable buildings and equipment (e.g. solar panels) at Swiss Youth Hostels. Grindelwald Youth Hostel already has a solar power system on the roof, as well as its own water source and a large garden.

Haslital

Since the 2021 summer season, guests have been able to travel from the Hospiz to the Oberaarsee on the longest industrial railway in the Grimselwelt, the Oberaarbahn. Now that this gondola cableway is open to the public, the Oberaar area is accessible by public transport. A shift in traffic from the Oberaarstrasse (road) to the gondola cableway was already evident in the first year since the opening.

Grindelwald

When the Fly-Line was built on the Pfingstegg in 2019, the water supply in the Pfingstegg supply area was made more environmentally friendly at the same time. The storage volume for the mountain spring water has been increased and the flushing systems in all the toilets are now fed with rainwater. The rainwater is collected at the mountain station and stored in a 50 m3 reservoir. From there, it is pumped to the sanitary facilities.

Haslital

Wollreich Haslital processes its own sheep’s wool into various products, such as fillings for bed pillows, nursing and positioning pillows, baby comforters, fleece for duvets and mattress toppers. Wollreich Haslital also ensures the sustainable development of flora and fauna by having the sheep spend the summer on various Alpine pastures.

The Aare Gorge is committed to sustainable tourism. This commitment is reflected in the many combined public transport options available, the promotion of biodiversity, the use of regional wood (processed in the Schwarzwaldalp sawmill), the employment of local people and support for local artists. The Aare Gorge has also been awarded Swisstainable Level 1.

All Grimselwelt power station tours cover the Grimsel cantonal nature reserve, the local fauna and flora and the ecological achievements of Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG (KWO). Visitors are made aware of the importance of conservation and KWO’s commitment to conservation. Throughout the year, KWO offers free guided tours of the Innertkirchen I power station for school classes. These tours teach pupils about renewable energy and the processes that happen “behind the power socket”. KWO also provides financial support for public transport in the region. This helps ensure that the service remains an attractive option for locals, visitors and their own employees and a viable alternative to travelling by private car. As a producer of hydroelectric power, KWO also acts as a role model for the expansion of e-mobility infrastructure. The network of e-mobility charging stations is continuously being expanded. Last but not least, Grimselwelt is part of the regional network for cross-industry cooperation between hotels, restaurants and other sectors. This network strengthens the regional economy by promoting sustainable cooperation.

Grindelwald

OUTDOOR Switzerland AG endeavours to make everything it does as environmentally friendly as possible and strives to optimise its internal processes in accordance with this goal.

Reduce, reuse, restore, less plastic, less waste, less CO2: These are the words they live by at the Bus Stop Bar. They serve drinks by the glass and buy very little, trying to use what is available instead. The bus itself was rescued from the scrapyard and much of the furniture is made from pallets. Everything is bought second-hand as much as possible and reusable bottles are used. Wherever possible, the Bus Stop Bar uses natural and recyclable materials and ensures that these are sorted correctly if they must be disposed of as waste.