It is not a new realization that the tourism industry in particular is facing major challenges when it comes to sustainability. The key question is: How can economic growth be reconciled with ecological responsibility? Effective measures are needed to reduce environmental pollution while maintaining the attractiveness of travel destinations.
In the large Austrian holiday region of Schladming-Dachstein, the operating companies of the various mountain railways have already implemented several ecological projects. These include the continuous expansion of photovoltaic systems, the reduction of CO2 through the increased use of alternative fuels for vehicles and piste machines, the grazing of piste areas by sheep and innovative concepts in the field of mobility.
Sustainability is not a trend, but a commitment
With 3.9 million overnight stays per year, Schladming-Dachstein is one of the five largest destinations in Austria. "We recognized years ago that sustainability in tourism is not a trend for us, but an obligation. We have therefore set ourselves the goal of implementing long-term, environmentally friendly initiatives in order to offer our guests authentic and responsible holiday experiences," explains Andreas Keinprecht, Chairman of the Schladming-Dachstein Tourism Association (TVB). "As a tourism region, we must take responsibility for the people in the region, for nature as a basis for life and for a sustainable economic area."
Planai-Hochwurzen-Bahnen with ambitious goal
In an alpine destination like Schladming-Dachstein, the mountain railways naturally play a particularly important role. The Planai-Hochwurzen-Bahnen have set themselves a particularly ambitious goal: by 2029, the company wants to be 16 percent energy self-sufficient. This means that one sixth of the required energy should come from renewable energies. To achieve this, the company is pursuing various strategies and is relying on technologies such as the continuous expansion of photovoltaic systems. Outstanding examples of this are the system on the roof of the main cable car valley station and the innovative facade cladding of the "Energiekristall" mountain station at the summit of the Dachstein, which covers 80 percent of the total electricity required with solar energy.
Tfuel from vegetable and animal fat waste instead of diesel
The company took another visionary step by becoming one of the first cable car companies in Austria to use organic fuel on a large scale. All piste groomers on the Planai, Hochwurzen and Galsterberg, the company's entire fleet of company vehicles and suitable vehicles from the Planai bus fleet were converted to run on the palm oil-free fuel "HVO100" - made from vegetable and animal fat waste. The result is sensational: "Emissions were reduced by around 90 percent with the hydrogenated vegetable oil compared to the use of conventional diesel, without losing any of its effectiveness," says Planai Managing Director Georg Bliem.
Riesneralm: Entire snowmaking system powered by green electricity
The Riesneralm is also characterized by a unique energy supply concept, which makes it a pioneer in terms of sustainability in European ski tourism. In contrast to other ski areas that rely on external power sources or additional storage ponds for snowmaking, the Riesneralm has developed an innovative solution: the snowmaking system is directly connected to its own hydroelectric power plant. This concept, unique in Europe, enables the operators to generate 100 percent green electricity from their own hydroelectric power. The hydroelectric power plant uses water from the Donnersbach to produce around 6.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year - more than twice as much as the entire ski area needs for lift operations, catering and snowmaking. The surplus is fed into the public grid and is enough to supply over 850 households with green electricity. For the implementation of the projects, the Riesneralm was awarded in the “Lived Sustainability” category at the “Primus”, the major prize of the Styrian economy.
Hauser Kaibling: Sheep instead of heavy machinery and equipment
Finally, an idea on the Hauser Kaibling shows how ecological and economic interests can be reconciled in tourism: for several years now, the ski mountain has been using sheep instead of machines to maintain the slopes and alpine meadows in summer. Grazing the areas with a flock of sheep brings both ecological and economic advantages. The use of sheep reduces the need for heavy machinery and equipment, which significantly reduces the ecological footprint. The sheep help to preserve the alpine pasture and slope landscape and at the same time symbolize sustainable tourism and environmental protection. This approach shows how humans and animals can work together in harmony to protect the environment and conserve resources.
More than just ecological measures: Region also implements socially sustainable projects
“In addition to environmentally friendly initiatives, we also focus on social projects in Schladming-Dachstein,” emphasizes TVB Chairman Keinprecht. “These include, among other things, networking agriculture and direct marketers with local restaurants, promoting employee retention and new projects such as the 'Senior Talents' project, which aims to involve experienced workers more closely. From January 2025, we will start a broad-based, structured sustainability process accompanied by experts. Our goal is to develop existing measures in a targeted manner and to define new ideas that meet ecological, social and economic requirements equally.”
Further information is available at schladming-dachstein.at.