Vitalpin Climate Investment Award 2022/23 Winners Announced
At this year's Climate Investment Promotional Prize from Vitalpin and ClimatePartner, the focus was on the topic of energy. Under the chairmanship of Dr. Franz Fischler selected the top-class expert jury five winners.
The Vitalpin Climate Investment Promotional Prize, initiated jointly by Vitalpin and ClimatePartner, has been awarded for the second time. This year, a total of 70,000 euros from voluntary premium payments by companies were awarded to promote sustainable projects in the Alpine region. Initiatives that save energy, contribute to increasing energy efficiency, use renewable energy sources or combine these elements could apply.
“This year, numerous organizations and companies took the opportunity to receive funding as part of the climate investment. Together with the other expert jury members, we selected five winners. I am happy together with the winners and am convinced that the winners have taken the right path when it comes to acting in a more energy-efficient and energy-saving manner and thus saving valuable resources," says Dr. Franz Fischler, jury chairman and former EU Commissioner.
Interdisciplinary and top-class jury
The other jury members are experts from the field of energy:
- Prof. Karl Rose, Supervisory Board of OMV & President of the Supervisory Board of Energie Steiermark,
- Dr. Ulrike Baumgartner-Gabitzer, former CEO of Austrian Power Grid AG,
- Prof. Dr. Konrad Bergmeister, BOKU Vienna and Dr. Willie Stiehler, head of the Energy Agency Ebersberg-Munich and international sustainability experts:
- Mag. Karin Huber-Heim, Circular Economy Forum,
- Mag. Alice Schmidt, POW Science Alliance and Prof. Dr. Christian Baumgartner, CIPRA International & FH Graubünden.
The winning projects
A total of three main prizes, each with a grant of €20,000, and two recognition prizes, each with a grant of €5,000, were awarded.
The winning projects were:
- The Ayurveda Resort Sonnhof from Thiersee (Tyrol) shows with its energy concept how innovative technologies such as green hydrogen can be integrated and thus in particular the high energy requirements in a SPA hotel can be generated in an environmentally friendly way. Through the combination with local food production and sustainable guest mobility, the Ayurveda Resort Sonnhof has a great impact in resource protection and is a role model.
- The travel company Christophorus Reisen convinced the jury with the four electric buses that have been in use in the Zillertal since March 2023. The battery-powered vehicles are part of the public transport network and are supplied with future-oriented, environmentally friendly, renewable energy. They also promote the use of public transport as a sustainable form of mobility.
- The Kaunertaler Gletscherbahnen were also among the three winning projects. With their building-integrated photovoltaic systems and the other planned measures in the field of renewable energy supply, they are pursuing one goal: the gradual transformation into an energy-autonomous ski area.
- The recognition prizes went to the South Tyrolean manufacturer of snow groomers, Prinoth, with its electrically operated Husky eMotion snow groomer, and the Naturhotel Pfösl from Deutschnofen South Tyrol for its activities in the field of regenerative energy production and extensive sustainability measures.
The initiator Theresa Haid, Managing Director of Vitalpin, and project manager Sarah Twardella were also delighted with the projects submitted: "We need ambitious goals and more deeds than words if we want to promote climate protection, but we also have to highlight the successful pioneers who made it there are already many in alpine tourism.”
Energy as a central field of action
Jury member Prof. Karl Rose, Supervisory Board of OMV and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Energie Steiermark AG, on the topic of energy: “It is obvious that it is currently more important than ever for many companies to be well positioned in terms of energy. The topic of energy with savings and efficiency measures also plays a decisive role in efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. I am therefore very pleased that we were able to support lighthouse projects and bring them to the fore.”
