Making a Difference - Ski Holidays
At Neilson, we recognise that there are certain impacts associated with ski activities, both negative and positive, over which our partners and we have considerable control. We send thousands of skiers on holiday each winter so even the smallest adjustment to the way we run our holidays will have a considerable effect. So the best course of action open to us is to identify those impacts, build on the positive, reduce the negative and continue to seek solutions to the challenges facing us.
We have already started along this road with the following initiatives:
Awareness:
- 'On the mountain advice' is printed in our ticket books and is covered at all client ski briefings by our reps in resort
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General tips for responsible travellers are available on our website and cover such issues as energy and water conservation, littering, buying locally, and ski specific tips.
- Our travel documentation contains tips for winter travelers.
- At our start of season staff briefings, we task our overseas staff to identify 3 long-term initiatives that will bring positive benefits to the economies, communities and environments in which they live and work during their season.
- The Travel Foundation has produced a DVD aimed at introducing overseas staff to the principles of responsible tourism. All our ski staff take part in this new training at the start of the ski season.
Social/Economic:
- We are focusing on mountain based activities run in partnership with local suppliers such as ski clinics, dog sledding and visits to national wildlife parks as alternatives to bar crawls.
- In Neilson operated properties, we source our food and drink locally where possible.
- In Neilson operated properties we leave one night per week free to encourage our guests to try out the local restaurants.
Environmental/Waste Management:
- We no longer routinely provide toiletries to guests in Neilson-run accommodation - they must bring their own or buy a Super Service Package.
- Our ski brochure is printed on paper from managed forests, we made it 25% lighter and our print run has been reduced by 27% over
the last few years. We tell our customers about this in our brochure.
- We have an auto-dosing system for all cleaning materials in our own run properties.
Getting it Pegged
We have tasked our overseas staff to identify 3 long-term initiatives that will bring positive benefits to the economies, communities and environments in which they live and work. The initiatives must be based around the three facets of sustainability via our own acronym PEG (People, Economy, Green). Here are some of the initiatives our staff have taken on.
Making a Difference – Neilson Run Properties in Austria
In addition to the extensive recycling that is so prevalent in Austria, in all Neilson-run properties we now have our own PEG Policy (People, Economy, Green):
People
- All staff have at least one training session on Neilson’s Responsible Travel policy and how they can play their part in implementing this in resort.
- Hospitality staff have a German phrase sheet to help with suppliers and visitors to their properties.
- We encourage guests to participate in our PEG policy by having daily actions on notice boards and water saving tips in the rooms.
- We employ 4 local staff. They all work within the legal guidelines and are paid locally complying with all local tax and employment laws.
Economy
- All tap beer we sell in our hotel & lodges is brewed locally in Vienna.
- House wine and complimentary chalet wine is supplied by an Austrian winery in Vienna.
- The chalet managers monitor the utility consumption manually on a weekly basis.
- Our Chalet hosts days off means money is put into local bars and restaurants.
Green
- The Lodge Mounty has a biodynamic wine on the wine menu. It takes organic wine making a step further!
- All Neilson-run properties have to recycle in accordance with the strict local guidelines.
- Staff are targeted to ensure appliances are switched off (not left on standby!) in public areas and in staff accommodation
- A bulb replacement programme was started for all properties to change the old style bulbs for new energy efficient ones as and when they need to be.
- Proactive light energy saving policy rolled out to all staff at training.
- Customer welcome pack documentation now on A5 paper to reduce waste
- All computers set to economy printing which has saved on toner
- Paper used in faxes/printers to be used on both sides for internal company documents.
Making a Difference – Neilson Run Properties in France
In France we have been:
People
- All staff have at least one training session on Neilson’s Responsible Travel policy and how they can play their part in implementing this in resort.
- Our hosts include our green outlook in their guests’ welcome speeches regarding recycling, water and electricity usage.
- We employ two managers, two cleaners and a waiter locally. They all work within the legal guidelines of the country and are paid locally complying with all local tax and employment laws.
- In established Neilson resorts we have maintained long-standing and successful relations with numerous locally based businesses and suppliers, for example chalet owners, ski schools and ski hire shops, some of whom we have worked with for decades!
- During Winter 2010/11 we ran a charity initiative raising money & awareness for disabled people who want to ski. We raised €6040, enough money to buy a chair for our resort that can take people who can’t walk out on the slopes, with an instructor, to enjoy the mountains.
- We have been working with “Resto du Coeur” an organisation that feeds people in need, who may be homeless, struggling to buy food and just needing some general help to get through the winter months. We have been donating clothes and food to help where we can. For Easter we have asked all our chalet hosts to bake an extra chocolate cake so they can have a treat, too!
- We asked the Aalborg kitchen team to make a big cake to thank our lift pass office in Les Deux Alpes who we work with very closely. They were all very surprised and happy in the lift pass office making us their favourite tour operator!
Economy
- All of our guests are encouraged through the resorts’ social programme to be sensitive to the local community, and to support local private business. For example for chalet guests a meal night is offered once a week in a local restaurant, offering the opportunity to sample regional dishes such as fondue and raclette.
- The wine company we use, PERRET, is local to the Savoie region and all wine is made on the property. Perret recycle all their water and use this for crops and washing delivery vans and bottles. They also use natural products on their vines.
- We do a local French night, using local cheeses, vegetables and wines.
- All our suppliers are local to the region and also use local products from France.
- For all maintenance issues where we need an outdoor supplier, we use locals from the resort where possible.
Green
- "Water shared is Water spared" posters feature in all chalet bathrooms.
- Several of our properties use water saving devices such as water saving tap nozzle. Such measures are important to help keep the reservoir levels at an appropriate level after a winter season of long showers and snow making.
- Suppliers now receive all orders by email reducing fax and paper usage significantly.
- All Neilson-run properties recycle waste including glass, paper, cardboard and plastic, where local facilities are provided. We have biodegradable rubbish bags in the chalets.
- In resort we are encouraging guests to use any public transport systems already in place and are using lift shares between resorts for our staff.
- All of our chalets are using Neilson rucksacks or re-usable bags when shopping locally to minimise the use of plastic bags.
- This winter all Neilson run properties will be monitoring their use of utilities on a regular basis and looking at ways to save energy and reduce consumption.
- Several of our French chalets are now fitted with movement sensors on indoor and outdoor lights in public areas to help save energy.
- We have placed energy saving lights bulbs where possible
- The cleaning products we use have a stamp of bio degradable abilities.
- Soap hand pumps are placed into the bathrooms and hotels and we use re-fill bags rather than buying a new pump.
- The hotel has a quick dry hand dryer rather than paper, using less electricity.
- We use plastic coated table cloths in the chalets, this saves on washing powders, ironing and water.
- We use hard wearing bags for the collections and deliveries of the laundry. These use to be in plastic we changed them, saving us all money and plastic rubbish.
- Chalet Hosts are asked to turn down the heaters when they do the morning clean in the rooms and turn the lights off.
- We buy as much as possible from the local second hand shop such as ramekins, serving bowls, candle sticks, vases, bunk beds etc. All these things are of course in good condition and now get a second life.
- Christmas decorations this season were hand made in most of the chalets, the hosts had recipes for frozen tea lights, using tree foliage, salt dough and napkin folding.
- Green and Black rubbish bags are going into the buses on the trip back from the airport, plastic to be collected in one and paper/ waste in the other.
Making a Difference – Neilson Run Properties in Norway & Sweden
In Norway and Sweden we have been:
People
- We use Hove Stott, who have been in Geilo for years, for all our excursions and they are a purely eco-tourism (won many awards) based company who use local suppliers for all their excursions and try to reduce CO2 emissions by asking guests to walk to pick up points! They have excursions such as dog sledding and ‘forge a hook’ which teaches tourists about Geilo’s cultural heritage of being a blacksmith town and the guests get to make hooks!
- The hosts also collect all the used plastic and glass bottles and recycle them for money which they then re-spend in the local community and therefore providing more jobs!!
Economy
- Again recycling the bottles gives the hosts money that they then spend in local shops which is good for the local economy.
Green
- We have been given 2 kick sledges for the team by Hove Stott, which the staff can use to get to work. Three of the hosts are also getting cross-country ski equipment so they can ski to work.
- Again using Hove Stott for the excursions, e.g., snowshoeing and kick sledge safaris, they never use the same route twice so they do not harm the environment around them.
- Hosts recycle bottles
- Hosts try and ask guests if they really need a midweek towel change. Again this will reduce the impact on the environment.
Making a Difference – Andorra
In Andorra we are:
People
- Reps in Arinsal will be involved in the clear up after the Big Snow Festival in March.
- Neilson Andorra employs 2 staff members on local salaries and all correct wages & contributions are adhered to as legally required.
- All Neilson staff members have received induction training on responsible operation of the business relevant to Andorra.
- All usable old Neilson Jackets were donated to Aina, the Andorran branch of Caritas, the Spanish charity that guarantee that it will be distributed in non touristic areas where we do not operate, normally in central Portugal and Spain.
- All Neilson notice boards are displaying “think before you drink” posters that have been provided by the British Consulate.
Economic
- All Neilson information books include our statement on responsible Tour Operating
- All Neilson information books contain “green” tips and advice for our customers
- All Hoteliers are accepting all reservations on email now, moving away from the old printing and faxing process and this has reduced our paper consumption drastically.
Green
- Customer Service Questionnaires given out by reps are counted out and in again to ensure we are not wasting unused ones and putting them straight in the bin
- Office – Ink cartridges are taken back by the stationary provider and recycled as the instructions on the boxes recommend.
- Office heating is turned down to a minimum at night – part of office closing procedures
- Additional lights that are not needed in the office have had the bulbs removed.
- Paper is used on both sides for internal company documentation
- All office computers are shut down at night with the exception of one night a week for the updates.
- There is a great bus service in Andorra and reps are advising guests of the benefit of using the public transport system instead of costly private cabs.
- All light bulbs in the office are energy saving.
Making a Difference – Italy
In Italy we are:
- Advising our guests during snowbriefs that they should be turning lights off and shutting windows before they leave for the slopes and that they need to take their rubbish off the slopes with them.
- Asking hoteliers if they can put an extra bin in the guests bedrooms for recyclables.
• Sending all the old uniforms left in the office away to charity
- Using old paper for reps checklists and printing in the office
- Running another littler sweep at the end of January like last year under the chairlifts in Sauze as this was great last year and we got a lot of support
- Promoting a new après event in Bardonecchio of snowshoeing up the mountain rather than using the skidoo’s
- Promoting the local latteria in Livigno which sells all the local produce from the town including cheeses, yoghurts ice creams etc.
- Asking customers in Livigno to donate all unused foods and toiletries at the end of their stay in apartments and donating to the local church for charity
- Putting a recycling map in Livigno welcome packs promoting all the different places as there are a lot of self catering apartments for rubbish
- And the town of Bardonecchia collected rucksacks for the children of a small village in Africa where they have to walk 4km to school, the rucksacks will enable them to carry their books. Neilson were able to contribute 24 of last years’ Neilson rucksacks which they were delighted with
Making a Difference – Canada
- No bar crawls are offered here and a good selection of mountain friendly outdoor activities are offered such as snow-shoeing, nature walks, dog sledding, ski clinics, wildlife observation tours and a night time snow-shoeing event with stargazing called "Heavenly Bodies"
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Banff and Lake Louise (and their ski areas) are located in Banff National Park and Jasper is located in Jasper National Park. Many aspects of environmental protection in these resorts are controlled by Parks Canada.
- For example, there is no commercial snowmobiling in the Parks, no dog sledding, no heli-skiing - you have to leave the Park to take part in these activities. The ski areas in the Park have strict limitations on development.
- All Canadian ski resorts (except Tremblant) have non-smoking policies in bars, restaurants and hotel lobbies.
- In Fairmont Hotels, all guest rooms are supplied with a leaflet called “Making a Difference Together” which includes information on waste reduction (they have an extensive recycling programme which covers most things from paper to wine corks!), water conservation measures (the installation of flow restrictors and other such measures has reduced their water consumption by an average of 31%), habitat and species protection schemes and encouraging customers to help too.
World Environment Day
For World Environment Day, many of our colleagues from around the world like to get involved in assorted and sometimes silly activities to promote this special day locally. In 2009 activities ranged from a recycled fashion show to a competition to see who could have the fastest shower.
So in February 2010 some of our ski centres ran their own World Environment Day activities:
Litter Picking in Sauze D’oulx:
The team found some “fag bags” and spent an afternoon skiing down the 3 main chair lifts in the ski resort picking up any litter and cigarette ends they found along the way. They told us it was a bit of an eye opener for them all, and they were amazed at the amount of litter and the crazy amount of cigarette butts they found, especially since it had snowed only three days before they did the litter pick. They got lots of cheers from the people above them on the chair lifts and a couple of rounds of applause which was really welcomed by the team. Even the Police stopped to help for a few minutes!
Folklore and Crafts in Bulgaria:
The Bulgarian team organised a Bulgarian Night where they invited the local craftspeople including a coppersmith, woodcarvers, icon painters and a folklore assembly with local music and dances to show their products and crafts. This was all promoted with the help of the local community and economy.
In 2011 in Norway, Beitostolen, they changed their snowboard guiding session to a ski guide session to do a litter pick/environmental awareness guide. Beitostolen has had lots of visitors over the past few weeks in resort so the team and guests who wanted to join, skied all the runs collecting any litter. It was also aimed towards the kids to make it fun.
In addition to this, the reps in Norway visited guests in the self catering apartments and cabins on the second from last day of their holiday to collect all cans and bottles, which were recycled and generated a small monetary value which was to be donated directly to charity via the recycling machine. It savedthe guests doing it themselves and went towards keeping Norway green!
Last Updated: March 2011