Sustainable South Tyrol

South Tyrol 14 April 2009

South Tyrol is the leading region in Italy when it comes to sustainable living and tourism. With 48% of energy used currently renewable and a target of 70% by 2013, the region is implementing various schemes to make living or staying in this alpine region as sustainable as possible.

Bolzano/Bozen - Alpine Town of the Year 2009
Bolzano, the main town in South Tyrol has been named Alpine Town of the Year 2009. The title is awarded to a town, which has shown particular commitment towards implementing the Alpine Convention - an agreement for the protection and sustainable development of the Alpine region. One of the key criterion of the convention is to shape the future in the most sustainable way possible, undertaking real and innovative steps in areas such as energy, transport, culture and protection of the natural surroundings. alpenkonvention.org/index

Every scheme counts
Several towns and areas of South Tyrol are creating their own sustainable schemes at grass roots level. For example, cars have been banned on Seiseralm, the largest high plateau in Europe, with cable cars provided instead (seiseralm.it) and villages of Dobbiaco/Toblach and San Candido/Innichen are heated throughout using wood chips and biomass technology. The villages' district heating plant also has a visitor centre (fti.bz/en/), which is the first of its kind in Europe, where visitors can learn about generating energy in the most sustainable way possible.

Sustainable farms
Farmers are integral in maintaining a balanced mountain eco-system, which is why South Tyrolean farmers are supported by the local government so that they are not tempted to emigrate to busier areas. As a result, they are encouraged to take part in the Red Rooster scheme (redrooster.it/en/) which offers farm stays to tourists visiting the region to create extra income. Over 1300 farms in the region are now taking part in this popular and innovative scheme, which often provides one of the cheapest ways to spend the night in South Tyrol. For example, all the guest apartments at the Fliri family farm (fliri.net) have been built from natural and hypoallergenic materials, with prices from less than €16 per person, per night.

KlimaHaus (klimahaus.it)
All new buildings in South Tyrol are classified in a KlimaHaus/Casa Clima category, based on how much energy they take to both build and run. The first scheme of its kind in Italy, KlimaHaus ratings are calculated based on a building's energy requirement and calculated in kWh/m². The highest KlimaHaus certification is KlimaHausplus, which is awarded to residential buildings, which fulfil the following criteria:
· Heating energy consumption under 50 kWh/m²a
· Heating fuelled by renewable energy sources
· Use of environmentally-friendly, non-health-damaging building materials
· Inclusion of at least one of the following measures: a photovoltaic system, solar panels for water heating and/or integrated with heating system, rainwater usage, green roof etc.

Examples of where to stay with a clean conscience
Hotel Esserhof (esserhof.com) aims to provide a haven in the mountains that combines modern architecture and contemporary design with tradition and serenity. The hotel was created to have minimal impact on the environment, and Esserhof has been classified as KlimaHaus A+. This means that it uses less than 30 kWh/m² energy to run each year - a leader in its category. Prices for Hotel Esserhof start from €70 per person per night.

Designed by South Tyrolean architect Matteo Thun, vigilius mountain resort (vigilius.it) sits above the spa town of Merano and is only accessible by cable car. Rated as KlimaHaus A this design hotel also uses less than 30 kWh/m² to run each year, despite luxurious facilities such as the spa with infinity pool. Design features such as the grass roof satisfy tough eco-criteria in an aesthetically pleasing way. Rooms start from €272 per night, including breakfast and use of the cable car.
For more information, visit www.suedtirol.info
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