Bio Hotel Leutascherhof - Family Wandl

Already Margit and Otto aimed to make a difference for the region and have always had the vision of the Leutaschtal as a Bio Valley. As head chef, Otto used only local produce as much as possible to offer his guests good quality. By 2008, that was no longer enough; an additional criterion had to be found. “The quality of many purchased products had declined, and much was determined only by price,” recalls Christian. “My father told me at the beginning of the summer season: ‘Either we switch to 100% organic, or I’m done.’” Since father Otto always has a plan ready before he speaks, the transition went quite quickly. Four months and countless hours of work later, the Leutascherhof was certified as an organic hotel on October 1, 2008; since then, nothing has been served that does not come from organic farming. Due to this consistency, sometimes the decision is also made against regional products. “But fortunately, this is becoming increasingly rare; the regional organic production is becoming more comprehensive.” A committed decision by an individual can often achieve a lot.

This experience drives Wandl: Not only to engage with the Plateau Pioneers and to be a role model for as many businesses as possible on Tyrol's high plateau, but also to take on volunteer roles where he can make and change things. For many years, he has passionately served as a board member of the Seefeld Tourism Association, as well as the chairman of the Karwendel Nature Park and the Austrian organic farmers. Six years ago, he started a special project with the nature park: the living trees. "Every guest can choose at our wooden woodpecker at the door whether their room should be cleaned or not. If the room cleaning is waived, three euros go into the living tree fund." Additionally, three euros are donated to the fund for each bottle of certain organic wines sold. With the money, about 150 deadwood trees have been purchased in the past five years, which will remain standing for another 30 years, thus providing an important service for biodiversity. "At first glance, it sounds absurd, but they are incredibly important for woodpeckers, owls, and many other animals in our forests,” explains Wandl. In 2023, the money will support the volunteer team of Karwendel, which performs essential maintenance and care work in the nature park.

It actually sounds quite impressive what is happening at the Leutascherhof? "No, because it can be much more,” Wandl candidly admits. The businessman, fascinated by quality seals, had a first alarming aha-moment in 2010 when he had the CO2 footprint calculated after two years of running the bio hotel. The result was 26 kilograms per overnight stay. "To visualize it, I put 26 bags of flour on a table,” he recounts. "And then I thought of our 22,000 overnight stays per year." His conclusion was immediate: "This cannot continue." Many small projects followed for CO2 reduction. One of the most exciting ones – the sustainable staff clothing from Peggy Lukac Design Berlin. "Inspired by the apron dresses of old farmers' wives, we had dirndl-like dresses made from old tablecloths and bed linens for our service team." Each piece is a unique item with partly 60 years of (fabric) history.

Brave steps like this inspire exciting discussions with staff and guests about sustainability and the future. And so the hotel, having implemented many small projects by 2022, maintains an impressive 6.8 kg of CO2 per overnight stay. This reduction is still not enough for Wandl and his wife Eveline. "To meet the 1.5-degree path, we need to reduce our emissions by another two-thirds; that will be a real challenge." The Wandl family, like the other Plateau pioneers, aims to achieve the reduction through actual savings in operation, monitored by concrete figures. They are aware that the journey ahead will be painful. "Therefore, it's important that we pioneers push each other and ideally bring 50 to 60 more businesses on board."

In any case, the Leutascherhof is already gearing up for the next steps: replacing fossil energy with biological alternatives, intensifying the use of public mobility, and providing incentives for public arrival of guests. Additionally, a biodiverse garden is currently being created, just as it originally was for the region. "It may not look very pretty right now, but that's part of the process," says Wandl, proudly pointing to small deadwood logs, rocky humus sprouting countless wildflowers, and a small natural pond. The feeling evoked by this sight can be briefly described as: The future will be different, but good!