Saas Fee

Saas Fee: green factor

• Introduction to green factor assessments
• Environmental overview of resorts
• Environmental initiatives

Major Initiatives

No Cars
As long ago as 1950, when the road to Saas-Fee was built, the citizens of Saas-Fee decided that the village should remain car-free. Today, more than 50 years later, more and more people appreciate the peace and quiet and the clean air of a car-free resort.

Ten years ago, car-free resorts in Switzerland which care about a high quality of service and the environment joined forces to form the society of car-free Swiss resorts (GAST for short).

The sustainable development of Saas-Fee
Sass-Fee takes care of the "Pearl of the Alps" by actively protecting the environment. The foundation for creating a resort conscious of the environment and of quality was laid in 1951, when the community made the decision to keep the village car-free. Today we are always guided by the latest developments concerning the protection of the environment. Our model for sustainable or "gentle" tourism is the principle of "sustainable development".

This means that all actions taken by the present generation which effect future economic, social and environmental development must not cause future generations to be restricted in their possibilities for development. Unspoilt nature and habitat are and will remain the prerequisite and basis for tourism. To achieve these aims, strategies for protecting resources are necessary to guarantee that tourism is does not harm the environment.

Saas-Fee has time and again played a leading role in ecological and sustainable development with various concepts and projects over the last few years:

Green Accommodation

Saas Fee has a number of green accommodation options:

Hotel Ferieneck Hohnegg: BioChalets
Chalet Butterfly: This chalet is renovated according to environmental standards
Haus Alpenfirn: The apartments were the first ones in Switzerland which are certified with the EU Eco-Label.
Hotel Ferienart Resort & Spa: ISO 14001, Minergie Standard in one complex of the hotel, certificate of sustainable development (4 ibex), environment award from Hotelplan (the leading tour operator in Switzerland)

Alliance in the Alps 1996
Saas-Fee committed itself to the "Alliance in the Alps" project as a pilot community in 1996. This network of communities is an amalgamation of almost 150 communities in the entire region of the Alps. The member communities have joined forces to realise the goals of the Alpine Convention for sustainable development in the Alps in a concrete way. The Alpine Convention is an international agreement for the protection of the natural habitat and for the promotion of sustainable development in the Alps. The members work in close contact with local residents to improve the ecological, social and economic situation in their community and exchange their experiences and knowledge with the other members of the network.

The Q-Club
The "Quality-Club" label is awarded to businesses, hotels, holiday apartments, restaurants and many other businesses which come into contact with visitors in Saas-Fee which place great value on quality services. Note the quality sign in our list of hotels and apartments: "Quality-Club" - your guarantee of quality! All "Quality-Club" members also hold the grade I or II quality label for Swiss Tourism. The Saas Valley was the first resort in Switzerland to devote itself to quality in tourism and create a quality label carrying certain obligations. We offer our guests a guarantee of quality in their accommodation. If your accommodation does not correspond to the description given in the brochure, you can request a change of accommodation free of charge at the various tourist offices. A reservation in an excellent hotel or apartment encourages better quality and confidence and doesn't cost any more.

The tourist offices are always pleased to receive your suggestions.

A GAST resort: Your car can have a holiday too.
The lack of cars in Saas-Fee contributes considerably to the relaxed holiday atmosphere and romantic character of the village where there is no stress from traffic. Guests benefit from the peace and quiet, the good quality of the air and the freedom of movement in the streets. 10 years ago, car-free resorts in Switzerland which care about a high quality of service and the environment joined forces to form the society of car-free Swiss resorts (GAST for short). In order to bring attention to the special efforts being made to achieve quality, various aspects of the quality of being car-free were defined, and their application is checked at regular intervals.

The Energy Town Label
Saas-Fee was awarded the status of "Energy Town" in June 2002. The "Energy Town" label represents the introduction of actual quality control concerning communal energy policies and is awarded to towns and communities which - in proportion to the possibilities at their disposal - go to exceptional lengths to implement energy and traffic policies in their community. Receiving the "Energy Town" label is not only recognition of the policy followed by Saas-Fee up to now concerning energy and the environment, but also represents a commitment to continue the work it has begun.

Refuse management
Saas-Fee was the first resort in Switzerland to introduce fees for refuse bags in 1994. By means of this fee, residents are called upon to sort refuse exactly and to produce less refuse in general. Household refuse may only be disposed of in the official bags which carry a fee. You can obtain further information from the proprietor of your apartment. See also the notices in the resort.

The Winter Sports Diamond
In 2002 the Dutch Ski Association introduced for the first time a competition to choose the winter sports resort in the Alps which has best maintained its environmental standards. 10 resorts in Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland were nominated. Saas-Fee was presented with the first Winter Sports Diamond in Amsterdam in September 2003.

The appearance of the village and development planning
Saas-Fee has some of the most restrictive building and zoning regulations in Switzerland. All buildings must have a gabled roof and at least one third of the façade of a building must be built of wood. The typical Valais style of chalet can be maintained with these measures. In order to forestall overwhelming speculative building, the sale of apartments has been strictly limited. In this way, the glacier village of Saas-Fee has, in contrast to other resorts, managed to maintain a traditional village character.

Since resorts are continuously increasing and improving their environmental practices, we update the Green Resort Guide throughout the year. If you have any information about new resort environmental policies/practices or anything that you think we may have missed, please email greenresortguide@skiclub.co.uk.

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