Contiki Makes The Switch For Nature

With travel on pause, Contiki has been using the downtime to get ready to embrace the new world.

To that end – and to celebrate Earth Hour this past weekend and the fact that it made the #SwitchForNature – Contiki unveiled two special stays at its newly renovated French Château and Austrian Ski Chalet.

The Château De Cruix in France and the Haus Schöneck chalet in Austria, have moved to renewable energy, and both stays will be run on 100% renewable energy by Jan. 1, 2022.

Sheralyn Berry, president of Contiki Canada, said that: “We were already aligned with our not-for-profit, the TreadRight Foundation, to ensure sustainable travel, but now we’ve taken it to a whole new level, kicking some serious sustainable goals to ensure we’re aligned with the Global Goals set by the United Nations. This has also been driven by our guests and their need to travel consciously.”

Set within the rolling green hills of the Beaujolais wine region, the legendary Château De Cruix has been wowing travellers for decades. Now, after a luxe refurbishment, the sixteenth century property is looking spectacular. Complete with elegant rooms, a bar, pool, cinema room and picturesque vineyards as a backdrop, this is the place to be.

Over in Austria, Haus Schöneck is nestled in the quaint Austrian Tyrol village of Hopfgarten: the gateway to one of the world’s largest ski regions, and the perfect location for various mountain activities throughout the year.

In terms of its “How We Tread Right” goals, these include:

• Goal #1: 100% of electricity used at the Château and Haus Schöneck is renewable. Currently, 100% of the electricity at Schöneck is renewable and powered by water, using environmentally friendly “under earth” gas. The Château will be running on 100% renewable energy by January 1, 2022. ??
• Goal #2: Reduce food waste by 50% across the properties by 2025. In the future, staff training will include management of stock and portion control, internally tracking food wastage and adapting the menu to incorporate more local ingredients. Bio bins are already in place at Haus Schöneck, with the scraps being turned into fertilizer that is used on the fields to generate new food. Any leftovers such as old bread, fruit and veg is taken to a local farmer to feed the chickens, horses, goats and pigs.
• Goal #3: Increase local and organic products to our supply chain by 2025 with locally sourced produce such as fruit, vegetables and meat. Starting a garden to grow herbs and a few more items.

Go to www.contiki.com for more.