Sustainable Vacations
In the Davos klosters Mountains
Alpine rose leaves | © Davos Klosters Mountains

environmentally  CONSCIOUS BEHAVIOR

in the mountains

We all enjoy the nature of the mountain landscapes, whether for skiing in winter or hiking in summer. In order to continue to enjoy this natural landscape for a long time, everyone's commitment is important. Only if we all behave environmentally conscious, the nature and biodiversity can be protected. Here you will find important tips for sustainable travelling and how you can adapt your behavior on the mountain and in the hotels.

Protect the nature

How everyone can help!

Mountain Clean-up

We all love our beautiful mountain landscape. It is important to keep it clean. That's why we collect litter from winter on our mountains in summer. You can help too! During our Mountain Clean-ups we collect litter left behind so that nature can recover. We are happy about every volunteer that wants to help. Please sign up!

Wildlife rest areas

Just as we need rest on the mountains, so do animals too. In the marked wildlife rest zones, wildlife finds peace and protection. Respect this retreat of the animals and stay on the marked routes and paths. Especially in winter, escape is life-threatening for an animal, as it needs a lot of energy during winter months.

Pocket ashtray

If you want to smoke on the mountains, then get a pocket ashtray at the cash desks. With it, you can put the cigarette in your pocket and then dispose of in the valley. Cigarettes that get into nature are toxic to plants and animals. The harmful substances can also get into the drinking water.

Sustainable holidays

Tips for the arrival

Train instead of car: When traveling to Davos, it is best to avoid the car altogether and switch to public transport - or form car pools. For example, the train journey from Zurich to Davos produces 25 times less CO2 than a car journey.

Hit the slopes with Snow’n’Rail
Get to Davos Klosters by public transport and enjoy reductions on your ski pass.

If you arrive by car, only marked parking spaces should be used. Parking on roadsides or meadows not only disturbs the farmer, but also destroys the roadsides and the biodiversity there. There are various parking options at our Mountain Hotels and Resorts. We also offer car loading for electric cars. Please ask our friedliy staff when booking your hotel.

Digital travel documents: Instead of printing your travel documents on paper, it is sufficient to call them up on your smartphone and present them. This also applies to the mountain railway ticket at the cashier desk.

Carpooling is a great way to make your journey to your holiday destination more ecological. Carpooling Switzerland - the two best portals:

Blablacar: Both as a passenger and as a driver you register for free and the Blablacar app is also free. The price for the ride is determined by the driver. As a rule, this corresponds to a compensation per kilometer and passenger.

Idosh: The carpooling agency from Zurich, brings drivers and passengers together, regardless of whether the trip is spontaneous, planned, one-time or recurring. Both registration and the Idosh app are free.
Especially cool: Passengers save a lot of money, because they don't pay anything. Drivers are rewarded with points via a bonus system, which can be redeemed with partner companies such as Swiss federal railways (SBB).

Tips for your stay 

Use the public transport in Davos and Klosters (free with the Davos Klosters Premium Card) instead of using your car. In addition, our Mountain Hotels offer e-bikes for free use in summer.

Eat local products on site. Strong riders need healthy food! Here are some examples:

  • The speciality shop, AlpäTraum: Here you can enjoy specialties from the region all year round. In addition to local cheese and sausage specialties, homemade jams, fine wines, drinks, pasta, sauces, teas and many other delicacies are available.
  • At milk & more you will find dairy products and specialties for gourmets. All products are from the region, produced here and carefully selected. Best quality and natural freshness are a matter of course.
  • Some farmers in the Davos Klosters region offer fine homemade specialties in their own farm stores from house sausage and beef entrecot to yogurt and fine pastries.

Bring your own water bottle. Reusable systems are generally more environmentally friendly than single-use systems. In addition, the drinking water in Davos is very clean and comes 100% from the mountains. So you can equip yourself every day with fresh drinking water for the road.

Recycled material: Before buying your new jacket, backpack or board, ask if they are made from recycled materials and produced in an environmentally sustainable way. This way, existing resources can be used and no new ones are needed for your hobby.

Pass on your old ski clothes, skis or snowboards to others:This way you make someone else happy and don't have to dispose of the equipment. We organize an annual snowboard exchange, as well as a clothing exchange in the Bolgenschanze.

In addition, the association "IG offenes Davos" gladly accepts used sports equipment. They offer it to refugees who have been accepted into the region and give them an opportunity to better integrate and try out snow sports.

In addition, there are regional marketplaces on social media platforms where sports equipment that is still in working order can be offered for sale.

Conscious behaviour in the mountains

In the mountains there is no garbage collection. That's why you won't find any trash cans along the paths. It's true: in the mountain landscape, your footprint leaves 10 times the damage compared to a city. This is true for any kind of waste. So also for the banana peel! Because biological waste also composts much slower at altitude. So take any kind of waste back with you or deposit it in appropriate waste containers.

Many smokers are not aware of the harmful effect of cigarette butts for nature. The toxic substances in the filters are washed out with the rain and enter the environment. One butt poisons more than 40 liters of groundwater and the animals and microorganisms living in it. The filters themselves are eaten by animals or they break down into tiny particles over 15 years and end up in nature as harmful microplastics. So help us and deposit your filters in a pocket ashtray. You can get them free of charge at our sales points.

Especially with increased human traffic in the mountains, we should avoid polluting the ecosystem. With the use of nature as a toilet, the unwanted nutrient input can lead to changes in plants, harm animals but also negatively affect the groundwater. Therefore, please always use the public toilets at the valley and mountain stations.

Tips for summer holidays

When hiking and biking, always stay on the trails. Otherwise you will trample very sensitive plants that often need decades to grow just a few centimeters. The trampling of loose stones also promotes erosion, which in extreme cases after rainfall can cause large debris flows down to the valleys. If you are on pastures, you should always close the cattle gates. Cows that run away often have to be searched for a long time. In addition, they can cause damage to nature, or even die themselves by falling.

Due to the picking of mountain flowers, such as the alpine roses, the gentian or of course the edelweiss, these have been severely threatened in the Alps. Please take only photos and leave the flowers their habitat.

Tips for winter sports

Please stay on the marked and opened slopes. Experienced freeriders we ask to respect the protection zones and not to damage nature, especially in forest areas.

Maintain your snowboard or skis with environmentally friendly wax. Waxes containing fluorine are harmful to humans and nature.

A beautiful forest trail leads from the Jschalp to the Clavadeler Alp. | © Davos Klosters Mountains

Conscious behaviour at the hotel

Even at the hotel, there are many things you can do to make your ecological footprint smaller. Our tips can be easily implemented and have a great effect. You want to stay completely CO2-neutral? Then discover the Hotel Ochsen 2 - our first CO2-neutral hotel!

 

At your room:

  • Room cleaning: Ask for no room cleaning during your stay or use it only on certain days. This saves water and energy costs as well as cleaning personell.
  • Towel change: Use your towels several times to save water and energy. If you want to change towels, simply lay them on the floor in the bathroom. Tip: This also applies to the sauna.
  • Change bed linen: We will change your bed linen only at your request. So if you want a linen change, place the linen card on the bed. Otherwise, it will save important energy.
  • Save electricity: Turn off lights when you leave the accommodation.
  • Close windows: In winter, close the window when you are not in the room. This can save important heating energy.
  • Reduce water consumption: Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. If you leave the water running while brushing your teeth, about 12 liters of the best drinking water will flow down the drain completely unused. The same applies to showering while soaping up, so up to 30% water can be saved.

At breakfast:

  • Food waste: At the buffet, only take as much as you really want to eat.
  • Dishes: You can use cups and glasses several times during breakfast. This means that less dishes need to be washed and less water is used.

 

At departure:

Paper consumption: If you wish, we can send you the room statement simply by e-mail.

What we do?

for sustaible travelling

For years, we have been implementing measures in our hotels that conserve resources and make your stay more sustainable. Taking into account the current energy situation, we have again defined further goals and taken measures. Our goal is to work in a resource-saving way and to increase production and efficiency in a sensible way. 

SUSTAINABLE ACTIVITIES WE IMPLEMENT

  • Conscious renunciation of disposable products and reduction of disposable packaging to a minimum.
  • The water carafes in the hotel rooms are filled with fresh tap water. The guests enjoy the excellent water of the region and at the same time we reduce the consumption of plastic bottles.
  • Purchasing in the region and optimizing quality with our local partners (such as the Weber bakery).
  • Minimizing the consumption of electricity by always turning off light sources and using power strips with standby.
  • Optimizing heating systems for years and upgrading to renewable and more sustainable energy sources, such as heat pumps or pellet heating.
  • Forgoing Christmas lights this year. Our light logos will also be turned off each night this winter.
  • Reducing off-peak times for breakfast or for sauna sessions to a reasonable length of time. For example, sauna sessions can be done during 3pm-7pm, right after skiing.
  • Our boot heaters in the ski room are turned off overnight. So that you do not start the day with cold feet, they are automatically switched on in the morning for a few hours.
  • We offer you the possibility to make your stay climate neutral. When booking your hotel, you can support our sustainable projects in the area of environment and biodiversity.
  • Together with partners such as the Davos Klosters destination, we are working on climate targets and a joint climate fund to support environmentally friendly projects.
Small lake surrounded by juicy, green field with mountains in the background | © Davos Klosters Mountains
Solar flat roof Ochsen 2 with Seehorn in the background | © Davos Klosters Mountains

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