Sustainable
thinking
We love our beautiful hotel and the magnificent South Tyrolean cultural and natural landscape into which it is nestled. For over a century, four generations of the Holzner family have had the opportunity to grow and develop here.
Today, we feel “at home” in the world and that it is our duty now more than ever to ensure that also future generations – be it our children or those of our guests or staff – continue to have room to grow, for personal development and happiness.
Today, we feel “at home” in the world and that it is our duty now more than ever to ensure that also future generations – be it our children or those of our guests or staff – continue to have room to grow, for personal development and happiness.
OUR MEASURES UNTIL 2021
Bio-heating
plant
With the construction of our spa area in 2007, we started questioning the traditional heating of our hotel. Taking into account the heating of the two new pools and the spa, we would have had a need of more than 130,000 liters of fuel oil and thus a CO2 emission of about 338.0 tonnes per year. For us, that was in no way acceptable. So we opted for a switch to renewable energies. Since 2008, the entire hotel, the spa area, the indoor and outdoor pool as well as the private homes of the Holzner family have been supplied with clean energy from Holzner's bio-heating plant.The decision for woodchips as a renewable, regional resource in comparison to other renewable energy sources was quite easy: Not only does wood provide clean energy and only releases as much CO2 into the atmosphere as it had previously stored, it also comes directly from the region, so that transport routes can be kept as short as possible and we can therefore really act sustainably. In 2018, the bio-heating plant was expanded to be able to efficiently supply the new areas of the house as well.
Green
electricity
In South Tyrol, more than 30 hydropower plants produce about 4,500 GWh of clean electricity annually. In 2019, we switched over to the "Green Energy" supply plan. Thanks to energy generated from renewable sources without CO2 emissions, we can now be sure that we are supplied with 100% green energy and have already saved 239,054 kg of CO2emissions in 2019.Handling
of water
Drinking water is precious. On dry, arid Renon mountain, which has hardly any sources of drinking water and where the ground cannot store rain and melt water well due to the rocky subsoil, we have learned to use this valuable resource sparingly over time. Since the 1970s we have had rainwater collectors and cisterns so that we can irrigate our tennis courts and the park without straining the drinking water reserves on Renon mountain. In addition, towels and bed linen are only changed at request of our guests and not automatically every day. All linen is washed in the in-house laundry with the biodegradable R.046 Ecoline detergent, which meets the technical requirements of the EU-ECOLABEL environmental criteria.Chandeliers 2.0
In 2017, we have made all the original Art Nouveau lamps and luminaires throughout the house future-proof: A total of 253 new and historic lamps and chandeliers have been fitted with low-consumption LED technology. The comprehensive concept led to a reduction in energy consumption and an annual saving of the corresponding CO2 emissions of 85%. Since then, we have been able to save over 11 tons of CO2 emissions annually.Green
lungs
In the 10,000 m2 park surrounding the Holzner, a total of over 59 trees of more than ten different species grow at a leisurely pace. Some of them are over 100 years old, and the older, healthier and bigger a tree is, the more CO2 it converts, which is why every spring the "tree doctor" comes to visit us, trims branches, secures trunks with staples and sometimes has to remove trees that can no longer be saved or for which their life span has simply come to an end. According to the estimation table of the Bavarian State Institute of Forestry and Forest Management, our tree population is storing about 25 tons of carbon, probably even more, since the characteristic values "refer to forest trees and are therefore only of limited use for park or garden trees; due to their solitary position and the often better developed crowns and roots, non-forest trees can usually achieve a higher storage capacity.” At the same time, our trees release over 250 kg of oxygen per day, which corresponds to the oxygen demand of an average of 295 people.Drinking
truly well
According to our credo “think global, act local”, we highlight a wide range of fine South Tyrolean wines. South Tyrol is not only a political, but also a viticultural, autonomous region: The wide range of different soil conditions and the climatic diversity from north to south results in a remarkable spectrum of different wines. Because of our efforts to give South Tyrolean wine the status that we believe it deserves, we were awarded with the Wine Culture Prize of the Province of South Tyrol.Our desire is for the world to feel like home for everyone, and home represents safety, joy, community and development. Home is something you commit to, create, nurture and protect. We have over 120 years of experience safeguarding, maintaining and crafting our historic hotel – our home. And this process, spanning generations, is intrinsically linked to protecting the nature surrounding us and conserving our resources.
From our long-standing responsibility as entrepreneurs and hosts, as mothers and fathers, we have developed an unfettered tradition. A tradition that looks to the future with confidence and provides a framework for future-oriented, committed action. This is the New Tradition at Holzner.
From our long-standing responsibility as entrepreneurs and hosts, as mothers and fathers, we have developed an unfettered tradition. A tradition that looks to the future with confidence and provides a framework for future-oriented, committed action. This is the New Tradition at Holzner.
Climate neutral
vacation
In cooperation with the climate neutrality alliance turn to zero, we have been measuring and analyzing the CO2 footprint of our business every year since 2021. The second step to enable our guests to have a climate neutral vacation with us is to compensate this CO2 emission. As compensation, we support a community reforestation project in Esteli, Nicaragua. We chose Nicaragua because our brother Klaus' wife is from Nicaragua and they will be able to see the project for themselves and tell us about it during their next visit there.More about turn to zeroOur measures 2022:
New Tradition Cuisine
From 2022 onwards, the best products sourced from small producers in the region are set to take centre stage in the gourmet half board. This practice, which has already been the case in certain areas, is now being systematically introduced into our entire culinary concept within the framework of the New Tradition Cuisine.
These are our set objectives:
These are our set objectives:
Reducing the
carbon footprint
...created by our food and beverage services for guests and staff.After calculating and offsetting our annual carbon emissions for the first time in 2021 in cooperation with the climate neutrality alliance turn to zero, we were shocked to learn that our food and beverage services are by far the biggest emission drivers at our hotel. Around 67% of our total emissions can be attributed to the hotel’s culinary offer. Our measures to reduce emissions include:
- Focusing on seasonal, regional products
- Focusing on plant-based products and thus the reduction of meat and fish on our menu
- Increasing the share of organic products
Strengthening
the social aspect
This area of action concerns each of our measures and includes:- Supporting local farmers and consequently the small-scale regional economy
- Informing and raising awareness among as many people in our community as possible
- Supporting fair trade
The conservation
of our resources
The two objectives listed above already result in the conservation of resources by promoting organic, integrated farming and shorter delivery routes. We are also committed to adopting the following measures:- Reducing food waste
- Removing saltwater fish from our menu
The advantages of the New Tradition Cuisine are plain to see. The shorter delivery routes, increase in the share of organic products, conservation of resources and promotion of biodiversity and animal welfare benefit us all. In addition, by using seasonal products, we can offer our guests far more nutritious food than products from conventional farming, industrial animal husbandry, greenhouses or food imported from afar.
Welcome to the New Tradition Cuisine and a world of sustainable delight.
Welcome to the New Tradition Cuisine and a world of sustainable delight.
Future areas of action
The New Tradition is progressive and comprehensive. It is intended to serve as a foundation for future-oriented action for us and generations to come. For the next three years, we have chosen to focus on areas of action that have the greatest potential for improvement regarding resource conservation and emissions reduction.
Additionally, we wanted the areas to take human and social aspects into account – without which sustainable action remains abstract and isolated in a technical realm. We look forward to embarking on this journey alongside our staff, our partners and suppliers, our fellow citizens and, last but not least, our guests. The first step we want to take together is to optimise the food and beverage services for our guests and staff within the framework of the New Tradition.
In the coming years, the additional areas of action will include:
Rethinking the way we use our resources so that we use them more efficiently.
Supporting and significantly strengthening the regional economy.
Promoting sustainable travel for our guests’ arrival and local transport.
Providing our employees with an exceptional and meaningful workplace.
Additionally, we wanted the areas to take human and social aspects into account – without which sustainable action remains abstract and isolated in a technical realm. We look forward to embarking on this journey alongside our staff, our partners and suppliers, our fellow citizens and, last but not least, our guests. The first step we want to take together is to optimise the food and beverage services for our guests and staff within the framework of the New Tradition.
In the coming years, the additional areas of action will include:
Rethinking the way we use our resources so that we use them more efficiently.
Supporting and significantly strengthening the regional economy.
Promoting sustainable travel for our guests’ arrival and local transport.
Providing our employees with an exceptional and meaningful workplace.
