SUSTAINABILITY IN PRACTICE

Sustainability is a matter close to our hearts: we protect what we love – our natural world. For decades, we have been harnessing the earth’s heat and making full use of every drop of our precious thermal water across six different stages. Enjoy the beauty of nature and regional delicacies, fresh from our herb garden and sourced from local producers in the surrounding area. Here, you won’t find artificial environments, but the full power of nature – your reliable source of relaxation and energy at Therme Steiermark. Thanks to the heat from the property’s own thermal water and a unique multi-stage energy utilisation system, the entire complex is heated completely emission-free, saving 261 tonnes of CO₂ each year.

FROM THE GARDEN ON YOUR PLATE

The best produce comes from our local area and forms the basis for our culinary creations. “We’d much rather have good, conventionally grown fruit and vegetables that are so fresh they crack and drip than those imported from far away, harvested unripe and spent months in transit,” is our kitchen team’s motto. If the best producers are right here locally, why look further afield and increase our carbon footprint?

ELECTRICITY FROM SOLAR ENERGY

“With two solar power systems, we generate around 300,000 kWh of electricity a year, enabling us to save approximately 145,000 kg of CO₂ annually,” said spa manager Erich Weinzettl. “That is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 90 diesel-powered cars (based on 10,000 kilometres driven).” Here, too, there are plans to expand the system further in the future.

HEILTHERMENKASKADE: UTILISATION OF FLOODWATER

In 2013, the world’s only thermal spa cascade was built. Thanks to this, the entire complex can be heated with zero emissions. With a total of six stages of utilisation at the thermal spa energy centre, every drop of thermal water is put to optimal use.

In 2014, the ‘Surge Water Utilisation’ project won an Energy Globe Styria Award.

The alternative energy centre makes it possible to make optimal use of the outflowing thermal water, known as ‘surge water’. A heat pump extracts the residual heat from the used water and uses it to generate around 800 kK of heat to heat the entire therapeutic spa, the spa centre, the Quellenhotel and the hotel spa.

IN-HOUSE LAUNDRY AND DRY CLEANING

Last but not least, here’s one more point that can make a significant difference, particularly in the hospitality sector – our in-house laundry!

Thanks to our in-house laundry, we avoid the daily delivery of hired linen by numerous lorries. We can also save on chemicals, water and electricity by handling bath linen with care. This is yet another way to support sustainability.

All our cleaning areas are analysed in the same way. Wherever possible, we avoid using chemical cleaning products in favour of eco-friendly alternatives. Ultimately, this is also about the health of our staff: a study by the University of Bergen shows that, when used frequently, chemical cleaning products are as harmful as smoking a packet of cigarettes every day for 20 years.

EXPERIENCE SUSTAINABILITY