Yellow flower meadow with snow-caped mountain panorama in the background ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Müller Marketing Gstaad / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Yellow flower meadow

Two people standing on a snow-covered plateau, surrounded by a winter mountain landscape with forested slopes and peaks. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Melanie Uhkoetter / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Campaigns Visual Winter hiking

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EcoLab Gstaad

Workshops and fascinating background information on various sustainability topics in the Gstaad holiday region

Together with various stakeholders from the surrounding communities, we are committed to sustainable development across a range of sectors. Raising awareness and providing in-depth information on the topic of ‘sustainability’ in the three areas of society, the economy and the environment plays a crucial role in this.

For this reason, we have put together a range of activities for school classes, groups and organisations. We are committed to continually expanding these offerings so that we can reach as many different people as possible. We look forward to your visit!

Clean-up: for a cleaner environment!

Goals:
Visitors receive information and facts on littering, types of waste and how to sort them, as well as their correct disposal.
Through active participation (collecting and sorting), concern and awareness of the issue of littering are heightened.

Activity:
Participants spend half a day (3–4 hours) helping to clear a specific area of nature and the landscape of waste.
Blue option: On footpaths and roads in the valley floor
Red option: On footpaths with gentle inclines or in the forest
Black option: On ski slopes and toboggan runs and on steep terrain (only possible in spring and autumn)

Requirements:
Suitable from approx. 6 years of age, physically fit enough to walk for 3–4 hours (possibly

Enquiry
Two men, one carrying a baby on his back, clearing metal scrap from a steep slope. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 unbekannt / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Men cleaning up

Children in red jackets looking for litter at Clean Up 22. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 unbekannt / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Clean up 22 Saane riverside

Clean Up 22 volunteers proudly presenting the rubbish they have collected. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 unbekannt / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Clean up 22

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A dairyman cuts the cheese mixture with his harp. The large cheese vat is full to the brim and stands in the kitchen of an alpine hut. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Marlene Müller / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Stir cheese

The cheesemaker in the light blue Edelweiss shirt has removed the fresh cheese mixture from the cheese vat in a cheesecloth and is about to place it in the cheese mould. Three children watch in the background. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Placing cheese in the press

In one corner of a building made of long wooden pillars stands a miniature version of an Alpine hut with a cheese vat over a gas stove. Next to it is a wooden cheese press. The cheese mould, cheese cloth and two presses are already laid out on top of it. ©  (c) Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Traditional cheese making after the Alpine summer

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Cheese-making: discovering a 500-year-old tradition

Goal:
Participants will learn about traditional cheese-making and storage, agricultural cycles, other methods of milk processing, and the link to sustainable development in the region.
During the process, participants will see just how precisely and with what dedication mountain cheese or a ‘Mutschli’ is made. There will be an opportunity to taste different cheeses.

Activity:
Over the course of half a day (2–3 hours in the morning), participants will learn about the 500-year-old tradition of cheese-making.
July/August option: Visit to a nearby alpine pasture, combined with a short hike
Spring/Autumn option: Outdoor cheese-making at the Gstaad Dairy

Requirements:
Ages 6 and over (in summer, participants must be physically fit enough to hike for 30–45 minutes to the alpine hut)

Enquiry

From Tree to Future: Focus on Forest Sustainability

Goal:
Guests will learn about the functions and roles of the various parts of the forest; the challenges they face; and what the future holds for the forest. The topics of tourism, personal behaviour and other related issues will also be discussed.

Activity:
Participants spend 2–2.5 hours visiting a specific section of a local forest accompanied by the local forester. During a walk through the forest, they learn about the various roles and challenges of the forest.
Option A – «The forest as a sanctuary»  in the Primalod area near the Grundbrücke (accessible by public transport)
Option B – «The forest as a recreational area and habitat for many wild animals»  in the Lauenensee area near Lauenen (accessible by public transport)
Option C – «The forest as a recreational area and habitat for many wild animals» in the Arnensee area near Feutersoey (accessible only on foot in approx. 1.75 hours or by private transport in 20 minutes)

Requirements:
Ages 12 and over, maximum 12–14 people (or in two groups one after the other)

Enquriy
View from a meadow of the Geltenschuss waterfall and a beautiful mountain landscape with forest. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Yannick Romagnoli / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Enjoying fondue amid stunning scenery.

Landscape with a green meadow in the foreground, a calm lake in the middle, and wooded hills in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds. Two people are standing on the shore of the lake. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Nicole Schafer / Nicole Schafer, Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Two people enjoy the tranquility by the lakeshore.

A deer with a fawn in a meadow, with the forest in the background. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 unbekannt / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Watching deer in the wild

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A woven square basket lies on a wooden frame. In it is a rye loaf and a dark bread ring with sesame and seeds on it. To the right is a dark loaf made from six small rolls. In the background you can see another four darker-coloured loaves. Dried ears of wheat and rye and a small bowl of flour can be seen in the foreground.

Various dark loaves

©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Larissa Dubach / Chnusper-Becke

Regional products: sustainability in action at Earlybeck Bakery

Goal:
Participants visit the production facilities at Earlybeck Bakery and learn more about the company’s sustainability strategy, how it has developed, and its vision for the future. By making a chocolate cow or a loaf of bread themselves, participants can experience first-hand just how much manual labour goes into these regional products.

Activity:
Option A: «Sweet Responsibility – Sustainability in the World of Chocolate»
Experience the fascinating journey from the cocoa bean to the chocolate cow. Learn more about sustainable strategies and how they are implemented, and create your own sweet work of art.
Option B: «From regional grain to indulgence – experiencing sustainable bread production»
Immerse yourself in the world of traditional baking. Discover the challenges of sustainable bread production and bake your own loaf – a genuine taste of the region.

Requirements:
Children aged 12 and over, maximum 14 participants (or in two groups one after the other)

Request