GREEN RESORT
Avoriaz, a eco-friendly resort
The Green Snowflake Certification
The green snowflake is a certification label which guarantees the sustainable commitment of
tourist destinations in the mountains.
Contact
For more information, you can get in touch with the Tourist Information Centre : +33 (0)4 50 74 02 11 or by email.
Caring about the environmental impact if its activities, the resort successfully began the Green
Snowflake process.
On September 9th 2021, Morzine-Avoriaz became the 9th resort to obtain the Green Snowflake
Certification Label.
Do you know this certification label ?
The Green Snowflake label was set up in 2011 by the Mountain Riders association, which was
founded in 2001. The aim is to raise awareness and teach people about sustainable
development to make these resorts greener and to make them sign up for an eco-friendly
tourism.
Green Snowflake, it’s a certification label which guarantees the sustainable commitment of tourist destinations in the mountains following 21 criteria on 4 main themes :
- Governance & Destination
- Local economy
- Social & cultural matters
- Natural ressources & Ecology
This label gives to the mountain lovers a clear vision of the committed resorts who cares about
their environment.
More concretely, when you choose a Green Snowflake destination for your holidays, you choose a territory that puts forward its concrete actions in favor of sustainable development. You :
- Support committed actors
- Encourage committed actors
- Send a message to the people who are working for sustainability
Here in Avoriaz, our desire is shown by the commitment of multiple actors of our territory.
Because a tourist destination is a complete ecosystem, it is a collective, collaborative,
participatory approach, which answers an established request.
Concretely, how do we show our commitment ?
We chose a few actions we put in place on the territory :
A pioneer resort on soft mobility
Forget your car ! During its creation in 1966, the resort has been thought to be 100% pedestrian.
Our streets are utterly snow-covered.
Avoriaz offers a real service of soft mobility to the visitors thanks to its carriages (our local taxis).
The resort counts 2 electric snowmobiles, 4 charging points for electric cars.
An ideal resort for families
Avoriaz has developed 2 unique playful areas in France dedicated to family ski :
The Lil’Stash, located on one of the beginner areas of the domain, is a magical place, a
playground and a space for picnic outside of time. A route on skis leads you to the perched
wooden huts.
The Stash, located on an intermediate area, there are several blue tracks throughout the forest.
Here, each member of the family is pleased.
These 2 snowparks convey a message on the preservation of forests. The spaces are completely
made with recovered woods.
Transition at the heart of governance
The new local council committed in the transition of its territory with a program that has been set
up since June 2020, implying economic actors and reinforcing the admission into the Green
Snowflake process.
Some projects to come : validation and raising awareness of the eco-friendly acts of shopkeepers
and artisans, realization of an energy performance of the municipal buildings, reflection on the
treatment of organic waste, supporting the project for a rail link supported by the « Montagne Verte » association, etc…
A model layout policy
The measures that have been taken to guarantee the landscape integration of the resort during its creation is remarkable. The resort keeps the original architectes’ commitment concerning the landscape integration.
The sunshine is one of the advantages of the site. It enables the development of an urban ecology that exploits the Southern exposure where are located all the living rooms, and a « back » to the North, made for the accessory parts and the passageways.
In addition to providing real comfort for the inhabitants, the sunshine and natural light allow
significant energy savings.
A natural and cultural heritage
A committed territory is also an area that preserves the beauty of its natural spaces and the
diversity of its flora and fauna. It includes a Natura 2000 area and multiple wet areas.
15 hectares are forbidden for skiers and are reserved to the protection of the Black Grouse on the
domain.
Favorable working conditions for the seasonal workers
The ski lifts and Avoriaz’s tourist information centre favor the internal evolution of the employees and facilitate the versatility thanks to training courses.
A reception in Montriond guides the seasonal workers at the inter-municipal level. They benefit
from financial and material advantages.
