Fam Trip on the Theme of Sustainability

70 percent of greenhouse gases relating to events are caused by travelling to and from the event. As Zurich is easily reachable by train, especially from southern Germany, already in the invitation participants were encouraged to travel to Zurich by rail. Thanks to committed players in the field of sustainable mobility, the carbon footprint of group events in Zurich is also reduced.

In Zurich, the participants checked in at the centrally located 25hours Hotel Langstrasse. The hotel complies with the latest “Minergie” building standards and features a number of thought-provoking impulses on how to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle. For example, the slogan, “Stop the water while using me!”, appears on every bar of soap to remind hotel guests to use water sparingly. In the hotel rooms, there are bags from the Zurich cult label, FREITAG, for guests to use during their stay. An on-trend urban product – and a sustainable one, too, for the bags are made from old truck tarpaulins.

On the first evening, the group headed directly to the sister hotel, 25hours Hotel Zürich West, for a round of “Food Waste Ping Pong”. The focus here was not just on raising awareness for the topic of food waste, but also on getting to know each other. There was also a small surprise in the form of a gin-tasting session.

After a restful night, the next highlight followed: sustainability pioneer Louis Palmer welcomed the group and then drove them in a Tesla and the world’s first electrically powered tour bus to the Umwelt Arena Schweiz. The program at the “most sustainable event location in the world” included a guided tour of the interactive exhibition and test drives with various electric vehicles. Whether with electric automobiles or e-bikes – fun was at the center of the activities.

During a stopover at Zurich Airport, the event organizers were given an impressive insight into the large-scale project, “The Circle”. The convention center with its fascinating architecture, which is located directly opposite the airport, offers space for events with up to 1,500 persons. The train ride from Zurich Airport to the city center takes less than 10 minutes – one good reason why locals and tourists alike highly value Zurich’s public transportation system.

Thus the next destination – Zurich Zoo – was reached in no time at all. After a delicious lunch at the Altes Klösterli, Marcel Ritter, CEO of Zoo Restaurants GmbH, presented the sustainable catering concepts at Zurich Zoo. The zoo is exemplary in its focus on ecological, economic, and social sustainability, from purchasing right through to processing the produce.

The absolute highlight of the trip was the grand finale of the fourth edition of the FOOD ZURICH Festival in the evening. At the “Chuchi Fäscht”, which was held outside in the open air on Europaallee, 32 Zurich restaurants together with guest chefs from all of Switzerland’s language regions served up a wealth of culinary delights. Fam trip participants enjoyed great food and delicious drinks, and philosophized about sustainability until late in the evening.

As a souvenir of their weekend in Zurich, each guest received a Sigg drinking bottle and beer mats with tips on how to apply sustainable practices in everyday life, in line with the theme of the trip.