Environmental Responsibility

Energy use

A lot of electrical energy is required to build, produce and maintain the services and infrastructure of a ski resort. Sappee has used Ekoenergy, certified by The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, since 2016. Ekoenergy is zero-emission bio energy. When it comes to electricity consumption, the resort is already at zero emissions.

The resort uses combustion engine machines and devices (snow groomers, snowmobiles, ATVs and other machines). All the resort’s two-stroke snowmobiles have been replaced by four-stroke snowmobiles that produce lower emissions. Equipment is renewed regularly. The resort has also investigated the suitability of electric powered snowmobiles and considers making the switch to electric as soon as the machines are suitable for the needs of the resort.

Regarding fuel use, the resort is looking into switching over to bio fuels and measuring true carbon dioxide emissions. After the emissions have been calculated, the resort can make compensations. The goal is to direct the compensations domestically and make full compensations for the emissions produced.

In terms of lighting, the resort has changed the area’s general lighting to more energy-efficient LED lights and is in the process of doing the same for slope lights, according to their renewal schedule.

All the slopes in the resort have artificial snow. In the past 10 years, the resort has invested around one million Euros in making its snowmaking system more efficient. The aim of the investment has been to make the system more efficient when it comes to production but also energy efficiency. Along with these investments, the resort’s need for electrical energy has decreased in comparison to the amount of snow made in cubic metres.

The resort encourages its guests to pay attention to energy consumption when staying in resort accommodations. Once the recycling services expand, the guests will be instructed to recycle correctly.

 

The Environment

The resort is located on the outskirts of the Laipanmaa wilderness area. The surrounding nature and the environment play important roles in the services the resort provides, and the resort emphasizes the diversity of nature and the condition of the environment in all their operations.

The resort’s ski slopes have been built on land owned by the company. As customer numbers have increased, the need for building more slopes has become a reality. New slope areas have been planned. Landowners, the environment and minimizing the impact on nature have all been considered in the planning process.

If new slopes were to be built, they would be built in wooded areas. The trees in these areas would be cut down and compensated through ecological compensation, which means that Sappee plants the same number of trees in another location that was cut down during this operation.

All the slopes in the resort have snowmaking systems. These systems require water, energy, manpower and machinery. The water required for making snow is pumped from Iso Arajärvi lake located at the northern end of the slopes. The surface area of the lake is 44 hectares, it is 1,6 kilometres long and 700 metres wide. The lake has four bays protruding in different directions: Soukonlahti to the northwest, Hyyrätinlahti to the east, Pitkälahti to the southeast and the fourth bay bends to the southwest. The lake drains into Sappeenjärvi, which then drains into Pälkänevesi. The lake is part of the Kokemäenjoki waters.

Pumping water from Iso Arajärvi is subject to permission. The resort keeps track of the amount of water pumped as well as the water surface elevation of the lake regularly. The resort works in close cooperation with Kvvy Ry, the Water Protection Association of the River Kokemäenjoki. In accordance with the program agreed in the permit regulations, Kvvy Ry monitors the effects on the waters in Iso Arajärvi and Sappeenjärvi and produces an annual fishery monitoring report. These reports are then submitted to the authorities at ELY Centre, the environmental protection authority of Pälkäne municipality, the Sappee cooperative society, and to the representative of the Roine-Mallasvesi-Pälkänevesi fishing area. The current water abstraction permit is sufficient for the current slope area. The resort supports the operations of the Sappee cooperative society (635-432-876-1) and with the resort’s help, the society plants fish in Iso Arajärvi and Sappeenjärvi.

Landowners, the environment and minimizing the impact on nature have all been considered in the planning process and building of Bike Park routes. The soil materials used are environmentally suitable. An environmental permit has been applied for, if required, for the soil materials used, or a MARA notification has been made to the ELY Centre.

Sappee is located on the outskirts of Laipanmaa, surrounded by nature, but close to large centres of population. No public transport options are available which presents a challenge for the resort when it comes to environmentally friendly access. Sappee has created its own carpool groups in Facebook with separate groups for different areas and separate groups for skiing and downhill cycling. This enables a more environmentally friendly way of reaching Sappee from various areas. The groups are promoted on the Sappee web site and on Sappee’s social media accounts. Sappee works closely with a local bus company to improve the transportation situation. Sappee recommends carpooling for its employees and enables cohabitation in the resort area.

Sappee has stopped using fireworks in the year 2000. Fireworks do not belong in the environment Sappee is in and they disturb the animals in the area. Sappee does not recommend using fireworks in the area.