Really enjoy green

“Not towards Heidi, Heidi pushes!”. Toni Hairer has just marched into the goat pen with a delegation of ten children. The little helpers carry a bucket of muesli in their left hand, they have their right hand free to pet the goat. Grandpa Toni, as he is called here, makes sure that everything is done correctly and safely. As with the ponies, who were the first to be fed and stroked, he never tires of explaining everything calmly in the goat pen and later with the rabbits. “It’s great fun with the children,” says the 80-year-old: “The important thing is that you say it clearly when something doesn’t work.”

Grandpa Toni and the animals

“Feeding the animals with Grandpa Toni” is one of the daily highlights at the family country hotel “Der Stern” in Obsteig, Tyrol. The Fögers have been the innkeepers of the place for 20 generations, the current hotel manager René Föger has chosen children, nature and sustainability as the three focal points of his business. The fact that his ancestors once welcomed ski guests and that even those from Ischgl came to Obsteig to see the modern technology of the local lift is still evidence of the parts of the long-dismantled chairlift on the playground.

Today, families can enjoy snowshoeing, 16 kilometers of cross-country skiing trails from the front door, or tobogganing on a snowy day, and there are hotel transfers for skiing several times a week. After all, those who arrive green, i.e. by e-car or train, not only save five percent on the room price, they should still be able to experience everything during their vacation. Whether from the train station or for a night hike – there will be a “shuttle” until the last guest is where he would like to go.

So that the idea of ​​sustainability doesn’t come across with a green index finger, but is fun, people play in the star – stars are earned for climbing stairs instead of using the elevator, for drinking water instead of soft drinks, for not having sausages and for using towels several times. After all, in 2012 they were the first climate-neutral hotel in Austria and are constantly working to improve their own energy balance. Especially now that the “ecological Wüdsau” swimming pool has been brought into the house.

There, puzzle solutions are drawn on the pool floor, and she can see who is diving with special swimming goggles. More than just great fun: “If the children jump less and dive more, that reduces water consumption,” says Föger, explaining the trick behind the pastime.

Elfi also has a few tricks up his sleeve. As René Föger’s aunt, she is one of 14 family members who lend a hand in Stern. On Elfi’s “Mundraub” tours, the 55-year-old takes guests into nature, shows them where juniper berries and mushrooms grow and, above all, how these delicacies can be used and preserved. Ferment, boil down and a schnapps in between, let’s go!

Space for helicopter parents

Those who make themselves comfortable in the “Helikopterplatz” parents’ lounge may also need something to calm them down. At the top of the former barn, they get to see something that real helicopter parents probably don’t get much. The barn was converted into a climbing and adventure paradise that is second to none – including nets at lofty heights, tunnels to crawl through, a boulder wall and climbing elements above a bobby car race track. In addition, they refuel in a playful way – electricity, of course – because sustainability should be fun and learned at an early age; already in the lowered plastic car.