Laax, January 7, 2021. LAAX is starting the new year with good intentions: to do something about climate change. Glaciers around the world are melting due to the effects of climate change. Small glacier massifs such as the Vorab Glacier in the LAAX winter sports area are particularly affected. April 3, 2056, could be the last possible day of skiing on glacier ice. This is according to current calculations by ETH Zurich based on their glacier model and taking into account current CO2 emissions. In order to delay this last day as long as possible, LAAX has teamed up with Serviceplan Campaign X to develop "The Last Day Pass": the lift ticket for the day that will hopefully never come.
A turbulent year is coming to an end. We don't want to look back, but rather venture a glance into the future. And one thing is clear: the Vorab Glacier does not have a bright future ahead of it – we will soon have to leave it behind us in the past.
The day pass that can save an entire glacier
The Last Day Pass is a wooden keycard manufactured by ENLAIN in Laax. Thanks to its built-in chip, it can be used as a fully functional data carrier. But the real value of the Last Day Pass goes far beyond that. The proceeds from the sale of each wooden pass enable certified compensation of 1,000 kg of CO2, thereby postponing the last day on the glacier by ten minutes. And that's not all: the Greenstyle Foundation will also use the proceeds to plant trees at Crap Sogn Gion.
Trees on Crap Sogn Gion
The tree line in the Alpine region has been heavily influenced by humans for centuries. As early as 5,000 years ago, it was pushed back well below its original boundary of approx. 2,100-2,200 m above sea level. Currently, the local tree line is at approximately 1,800 meters above sea level, and the trend is continuing downward. LAAX would like to restore the original tree line.
Reto Fry, environmental officer for the Weisse Arena Group, which operates the LAAX winter sports resort, explains: "With the 'Last Day Pass', we are creating an opportunity for guests and locals to contribute to global climate protection. The rapidly melting Vorab Glacier is a striking local example of how fast climate change is progressing. The Last Day Pass not only enables one ton of CO2 to be offset, but also supports a pilot project: on Crap Sogn Gion, the Greenstyle Foundation is planting larch, Swiss stone pine, birch, and rowan trees up to an altitude of approx. 2,200 meters above sea level."
The trees store additional CO2, promote biodiversity, and are a climate-friendly raw material for future generations. The declared goal is to work together to delay the melting of the Vorab Glacier and, above all, to raise awareness of climate change and the associated glacier melt.