Igloo Villages are to reduce their carbon footprint this winter

Igloo Villages, the chain of six igloo resorts built each year above six key resorts in the Alps and Pyrenees (a seventh venue, new for 2009-10, is due to be announced shortly), have decided they will aim to be completely carbon neutral in future.
Already operating a pretty small carbon foot print, the Igloo Villages, for which 2009-10 bookings are now open with reservations available from Christmas Day, have announced plans to cut energy use still further and to buy in green electricity for the remaining power still needed.
During last winter, energy provider BKW FMB Energie AG (BKW) toured the Igloo Villages and analyzed their CO2 emissions. The conclusion? “Compared to conventional hotels, the Igloo Villages are definitely very good in terms of energy efficiency and electricity consumption. But there’s still room for improvement,” says Bruno Spring, the product manager at BKW in charge of energy efficiency for nonresidential customers.
The Igloo Villages draw most of their energy from the local power supply and use hardly any fossil fuels. The sauna and the whirlpool use the most electricity, but these are key components of the romantic Igloo Villages.
“We are very aware of this,” explains Igloo Villages founder and CEO Adrian Günter , “This is why the company chose the most energy-efficient whirlpool with the least heat loss and also insulated it. Optimal insulation is a crucial factor in the design of the village’s saunas. Other measures are aimed at improving the smallest details.”
Iglu Dorf GmbH plans to reduce CO2 emissions by using green electricity and obtaining certificates from MyClimate, a climate protection organization. The company has not yet decided which projects it will support through these initiatives.
“We are considering becoming involved in the area of hydroelectric power. This would be a good fit for us since our starts out as water and then becomes water again in the spring,” Günter explains.
Igloo Villages operate at the six locations of Davos-Klosters, Engelberg, Gstaad, Zermatt, the Zugspitze in Germany and Grandvalira in Andorra.

www.iglu-dorf.com

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