Northern Lights and Icehotel holiday in Sweden
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We have a close working relationship with our suppliers and encourage them to share our concerns about minimising impact on the environment. Environmental awareness is naturally of prime importance in such pristine and beautiful locations and Abisko Mountain Station and the ICEHOTEL have stringent responsible travel policies.
The ICEHOTEL itself is a commendable example of responsible tourism in practice – it certainly takes the phrase ‘reduce, re-use and recycle’ to the extreme! Each year it is constructed of the organic elements of snow and ice and at the end of the winter it simply melts back into the Torne River.
The ICEHOTEL’s goal is to become carbon neutral by the year 2015. This will be achieved in partnership with Gävle Energi, which supplies renewable-source energy and is one of ‘Sweden's most environmentally-friendly energy companies’, according to Greenpeace. Steps towards this goal include raising awareness of employees, reviewing the infrastructure including all building structures to ensure minimal energy loss, and sourcing electricity that is 100% renewable to ensure there are no carbon dioxide emissions generated by its energy consumption.
Currently 80% of the buildings at ICEHOTEL are heated with ground-source heat; tail-water is recycled to cool the production hall; all laundry is handled in-house to save on transportation and they strive to work with sub-contractors that are genuinely committed to sustainability.
We are aware that some think the use of snowmobiles may be environmentally unsound. On the contrary, the snowmobile is a way of life here providing a vital link between remote communities. The alternative would be large, gas-guzzling off-road vehicles. The Polaris snowmobiles used on the ICEHOTEL activities are equipped with the latest four-stroke engines to ensure minimal impact on the environment.
We are proud to hold the AITO 3-star Responsible Travel accreditation recognising our commitment to sustainable tourism. One of the organisations we support is the Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) at the University of Cambridge. Their pioneering research investigates social and environmental issues in the Arctic and Antarctic, such as global warming.
Back home we have an active environmental policy in our office including recycling bins throughout; printing our brochures on FSC accredited paper from sustainable forests; systems to encourage a paperless office; and movement sensor lights which use the latest energy-saving long-life elements.
We are proud to be working in partnership with Scandinavian Airlines to considerably reduce carbon emissions through the more effective use of aircraft. Since 2007, we have exclusively chartered a series of direct flights from London to Kiruna (instead of via Stockholm). By doing this we better utilise the aircraft and save on fuel by using a shorter more efficient route.
Community
Abisko Mountain Station and the ICEHOTEL are located in small villages north of the Arctic Circle. Tourism has become one of the main income sources for these remote communities, providing vital economic benefits to local businesses and employment for residents, thus avoiding a drift towards more urban areas. Both of these establishments are locally owned, employ local staff and use local food products. The owners, staff and guides living in this spectacular environment are committed to its conservation and have a deep understanding of the importance of minimising the impact on the environment whilst maximising the benefit to the local communities.
Abisko Mountain Station is certified to use the European Ecolabel, awarded to operators that meet high enviornmental and performance standards.
The native Sami inhabitants are the indigenous peoples of Lapland. Activities at the ICEHOTEL in which the fascinating Sami way of life can be experienced are offered by a Sami culture excursion operator which is certified according to the UN’s ecotourism label ’Nature’s Best’. Our guests are encouraged to respect the local Sami, their culture, traditions and customs and the beautiful and unspoilt environment in which these peoples live.
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