Can sustainable tourism stop the melting of a glacier in Switzerland?

In the picturesque town of Grindelwald, Switzerland, almost every discussion about sustainable tourism begins and ends with a glacier.

The Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest in the Alps, stretching across 80 square kilometres of rugged granite mountains. And it is melting.

In the station of the new Eiger Express, a gondola lift that takes you up to the historic cog railway, you can see a picture of the Aletsch in 1850 and another from today. In the 19th century, the glacier covered most of the valley; today it has retreated to the top of the mountain.

The black-and-white images are a stark reminder of all that Grindelwald has already lost – and the urgency of becoming sustainable.

“Sustainability is part of what we do – and in fact, it has always been part of what we do,” says Kathrin Naegeli, a spokeswoman for Jungfraubahnen, which runs the local trains and cable cars.

In 1908, four years before completing the final phase of the railway line to the summit of the iconic Jungfraujoch, the company built a hydroelectric power plant in the nearby Lütschental valley to supply green energy to the new train. Today, the newly renovated plant, with two large turbines, powers trains, cable cars and ski lifts in the Jungfrau region, including those in and around Grindelwald.

Grindelwald is aiming to become one of the most sustainable destinations in Switzerland. Some of its hotels are going even further with new programs designed to encourage guests to think about recycling and renewable energy. The village is also doing its best to keep sustainability at the forefront while trying to preserve its cultural heritage.

How does Grindelwald pursue sustainable tourism?

When you live under a melting glacier, sustainability becomes imperative. And that’s what’s happening in Grindelwald.

Public transportation

Grindelwald strongly encourages its visitors to travel by train. When you check into a Grindelwald hotel, your receptionist will provide you with bus passes that will allow you to travel around the city. Visitors can also purchase a Jungfrau Travel Pass, which offers unlimited travel on all the mountains of the Jungfrau Railway.

Recycling

Grindelwald, like other Swiss cities, has a strict waste management policy. This includes recycling programs and efforts to reduce the use of single-use plastics. Hotels encourage their guests to participate in these initiatives.

Controlled development

The village carefully regulates new construction in order to preserve its alpine character and avoid overdevelopment. In particular, second homes are prohibited, and new projects, such as the planned renovation of the Grindelwald-First gondola lift, scheduled for 2030, must undergo rigorous public scrutiny. Even sustainable projects, such as the solar park project, are not automatically approved.

But spend a little time in Grindelwald and you’ll discover that the commitment to sustainability runs much deeper.

Going beyond expectations at Bergwelt Grindelwald

New hotel projects often seek to exceed sustainability standards. For example, the Bergwelt Grindelwald, a new luxury hotel, was built to the highest sustainability standards, says general manager Tanja Münker. But that didn’t stop it from going even further. It has just obtained an IBEX certification, which she describes as a rigorous 360-degree assessment of its sustainability practices.

“Following this evaluation, we will launch a programme in September aimed at reducing food waste,” explains Mr Münker.

But there are other advantages too. As the second hotel in Grindelwald to be IBEX certified, it enjoys an advantage for certain meeting and incentive groups. Meeting planners often prefer hotels with well-developed sustainability plans.

Part of the hotel’s mission, she says, is to remind guests of the importance of sustainability, beyond the free bus passes and mandatory notices in bathrooms to reuse towels. Münker says the spectacular Alpine scenery does the rest. When people see the beauty of the mountains, they understand how fragile they are. They get it.

Climbing First Mountain, a reminder of what was lost

Right next to the Bergwelt Grindelwald, a cable car takes you to the top of First Mountain. This is the side of the mountain range that receives the most sun at the beginning of the ski season and, on the way up, you can see the famous Eiger, the Schreckhorn, the Wetterhorn and the Fiescherlücke with the lower Grindelwald Glacier.

Local guide Sandra Kaiser carefully examines each glacier.

“My parents remember a time when the glaciers were all the way up here,” she says, pointing halfway up the mountain. “Now they’re up there,” she adds, looking at the top of the mountain, where the glaciers stop abruptly.

Climate change is the last thing on your mind when you’re at First Mountain. There are mountain bike rentals, zip lines, and a spectacular hike to Bachalp Lake.

But once you see the “before” and “after” images of Aletsch in the terminal, you can’t help but mourn all that we have lost to climate change and how long it will be before all the glaciers disappear.

Efforts are being made to reverse – or at least slow down – this process. But even in Switzerland, resources are limited.

Construction of a new thermal power plant

According to tourism officials, Grindelwald is doing its best. Melanie Trummer, product manager at Grindelwald Tourism, says the most notable sustainability project in the municipality is a wood-fired power plant. It uses a process that converts wood into lean gas, bringing it very close to truly carbon-neutral energy. It is the first thermal power plant in Switzerland to use a complete dehumidification process, including heat recovery and combustion air conditioning.

Burning wood chips, sawmill waste and other wood waste from the region generates carbon-neutral thermal energy. From there, long-distance lines connect businesses and households to the power plant.

“This can cover 100% of their energy needs for heating and hot water,” she says.

That, combined with Jungfrau Railways’ planned new solar park and a more energy-efficient cable car to First Mountain due in five years, represents a huge effort for a small destination like Grindelwald.

But is it enough?

Can Grindelwald save his glaciers?

The glaciers of Grindelwald are unrivaled in beauty. Even on a recent snowy day, visitors to the summit of Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station, seemed fascinated by the solid ice that cuts through the Alpine gorge. It’s no wonder this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and people are keen to preserve it.

But will hydroelectric power, a food waste management program or a solar farm really make a difference? When it comes to tourism and sustainability, that’s the question. Why bother when just downstream are coal-fired power plants and sustainability is just a marketing ploy?

For the Swiss, and especially for the people of Grindelwald, seeing their beloved glaciers retreat a little more each year has pushed them to action. They are doing everything in their power to preserve their heritage, even if they know it will not be enough.

For visitors, the sustainability imperative is quite different. They come to Grindelwald by the busload to see the glacier while it is still there.