How to have an eco-friendly skiing holiday
It’s no secret that going on a skiing holiday can have a big impact on your carbon footprint. Surrounded by the most picturesque mountains in the world, we’re passionate about looking after our beautiful planet. We believe in making changes to make this a better place for future generations to enjoy. We are dedicated to finding ways to have a skiing holiday as eco-friendly as possible, while still maintaining the luxury of a Consensio holiday.
Even chauffeurs and private jets can’t overcome the sheer facts of geography. Most ski resorts are located a fair distance from airports. This means that however we might wish it, there’s no such thing as a quick journey to the slopes. However, there is a new company in town that provides train travel from the UK to the French Alps. We got in touch with Daniel Elkan, founder of Snow Carbon an independent website dedicated to helping skiers and snowboarders reach ski resorts by train from the UK.
“In terms of duration, there might not be much difference between train and plane, but in terms of sustainability, the difference is huge. When you fly to Méribel from the UK, for example, the carbon emissions your return trip is approximately 220kg of CO2. Travel by train to Méribel and it’s only about 26kg of CO2 (source: Best Foot Forward, 2010). Quite a contrast!” he tells us. The trains to the French Alps run on Saturdays, perfect for a Saturday to Saturday, week-long holiday in one of our luxury alpine self-catered apartments.
In 2011, environmental charity Mountain Riders studied the total carbon emissions of a typical French ski resort. They found that 64% of all the CO2 created was the result solely of transport of holidaymakers to the resort. Dwarfing things like hotel heating, electricity for ski lifts and snowmaking.
Within our chalets, we are making big changes as part of our commitment to become as eco-friendly as possible. All Consensio properties are single-use plastic-free. We have replaced all plastic water bottles with reusable or glass bottles, and use only reusable shopping bags. We also provide recyclable, biodegradable paper straws. Our wonderful staff are all fully trained in local recycling policies and waste is separated by hand and recycled where possible. Not to mention that all of our guest invoices, rental agreements and staff employment paperwork is sent and signed electronically. Significantly reducing the amount of paper used.
We source our incredible fresh produce from local independent sellers where possible to invest in the community. As such we provide fresher and better-tasting ingredients and reduce our carbon footprint as a company. From our delicious cheeses and fresh bread collected by hand from the nearby fromagerie and bakery, to vegetables sourced from the local farmers’ market, to our meat and fish bought fresh directly from neighbouring butchers who are supplied directly by nearby Savoie farmers. Everything is sourced locally.
In addition, a number of our chalet pools are chlorine-free including chalet Grande Corniche in Les Gets which uses ozone technology. In addition, lightbulbs across our chalet and apartment portfolio are changing to energy-saving bulbs.
We believe that the mountains should be accessible to everyone which is why we have partnered with the charity Disability Snowsports UK. For each week of the winter season, we donate a private accessible snow sports lesson for a child with a disability.
Going green helps the environment by reducing the amount of pollution that enters the soil, water, and air. Because we’re using alternative energy sources rather than fossil fuels, and recycling and reducing waste and operating more efficiently, fewer pollutants are released into the environment. Making for a greener and happier world.
So if you’re looking for a skiing holiday with a company that cares about the environment and is doing all they can to create an eco-friendly skiing holiday, please get in touch. You can view all our luxury catered chalets here, and our alpine self-catered apartments here.