"I schaug auf Di. Du schaugsch auf mi." (Tyrolean for: I take care of you, you take care of me) sums up the philosophy at Stern. Hotel Stern followed this motto for generations and will continue to do so in the future. But they don't want to use it as a slogan, they want to live it unspectacularly as a matter of course and incorporate it into everything they do.

“Butz und Stingl” – Tyrolean for “from nose to tail”.
Potatoes come from Stern's own fields, fruit and herbs from Stern's own garden, meat and milk from local producers: The food at Stern is regional, seasonal and Tyrolean. "Butz und Stingl" translates as "eat the core and stalk". For example, nothing is left of the apple or pear - so waste is avoided and the food is healthy.

Using regional products.
The Hotel Stern grows different varieties of potatoes and cereals in its own fields, thus contributing to the preservation of biodiversity. The milk comes from farmers in the village, the herbs from the Stern garden and the meat and fish from local producers.
Green journey.

“How our guests arrive at our hotel has to be considered in our carbon footprint.” – René Föger. As incentive for a green journey, the Hotel Stern offers 5 % reduction on their booking! In addition, on site the Hotel Stern offers a comprehensive mobility offer for their guests: e-mountain bikes, snowshoes, electric car, hotel shuttle, free public transport and much more.

Sustainable decision-making.
“We always take all three pillars of sustainability into account when making operational decisions: economic, social and ecological.” – René Föger from Hotel Stern.

Vegetarian Cuisine.
“Offering mostly vegetarian dishes helps us to significantly reduce our water consumption associated with food & beverage.” – René Föger (Hotel Stern) The Hotel Stern offers modern vegetarian cuisine with a nose-to-tail approach.

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Eco indoor swimming pool.
René Föger from Hotel Stern has made it his mission to design an indoor pool as sustainably as possible. However, this was a major challenge. The solution: use of 100% regional and renewable energy, 25% energy self-sufficiency thanks to the sun, use of natural and recycled materials, transparent swimming pool technology for everyone to experience, open to all. Find more information via https://hotelstern.at/oko-hallenbad/

STERN-Mobility calculator.

No matter if you arrive by car, train or plane – with the STERN Mobility calculator (which can be found via https://hotelstern.at/nachhaltigkeit/) you can find out your CO2-emission.

Green Nudging.

Green Nudging means offering alternatives and to nudge guests in the green direction. A good example for a green nudge is the water bottles and water bars at the Hotel Stern. Each guest receives a glass Emil bottle as a welcome gesture. Instead of soda from a plastic bottle, fresh water with herbs or fruit from the garden is tapped daily.

Explaining the Nudge Theory: The nudge theory explains that people often act irrationally due to cognitive limitations, such as not exercising enough or eating unhealthily. Theses behaviors arise because many decisions are made automatically and without reflection. “Nudges” offer a tool to compensate for this lack of rationality and self-control. With nudging you can help your consumers to more sustainable decisions. (Source: Cameli Hoque, Corporate Nudging (2021) page 2)

Nudges which help people to decide for the more sustainable option are called green nudges. They are positive and gentle persuasion to encourage sustainable behavior. For example: 97 % of our guests shower before entering the swimming pool to help save chlorine. Be a sustainability hero too & save chlorine!

How to nudge? (Source: UN environment programme, The little book of green nudges, page 9)

A nudge has to be…

·        Easy: People are lazy in general. Encourage them by default or by redesigning choices.

·        Attractive: Humans are more likely to adopt a behavior when it captures our attention e. g. with visual cues.

·        Social: Human Behavior is hugely influenced by others. You can promote actions by highlighting the fact that other people are adopting them.

·        Timely: Nudges are most effective at moments of change in people’s lives.

Why use green Nudges?

·        Nudges help people live their values.

·        Nudges can work better than raising awareness.

·        Nudges are cost-effective & cheap to implement.

·        Nudges are simple to implement.

·        Nudges are needed now in the fight against climate change.

Summing up.

 “For me, working or living sustainably doesn’t always mean doing everything 100 % right, 80 % is enough in most of the cases.” – René Föger from Hotel Stern

Here you can find more information about sustainability measures in the Hotel Stern: https://hotelstern.at/nachhaltigkeit/

Source: Best-Practice-Speech of René Föger within the ETSM2030 project, which took place on May 15, 2024 and https://hotelstern.at/.