With spring just around the corner and the ski season slowly drawing to a close, we gathered a group of passionate snow lovers in Davos to watch “The Meaningless Pursuit of Snow” – a Patagonia film that explores the connection between adventure, nature and community, followed by a discussion about snow, climate and (local) sustainability actions. 

Is the pursuit of snow truly meaningless and what role can one play in protecting our playgrounds?

A Night of Reflection in Davos

For one week each year, the village of Davos in the Swiss Grisons becomes the focal point of global attention during the World Economic Forum. Beyond that, it is a hub for winter sports enthusiasts and a site where climate realities are increasingly evident. Through its Climate Hub and Greenshare projects, Green Up brings nature and climate to the forefront, ensuring that sustainability remains part of the conversation—not just during WEF week, but all year round.

The Harsh Reality of Snow Scarcity

Winter sports have become highly vulnerable to snow scarcity, which is increasing due to climate change.  According to the latest information sheet on winter climate scenarios for Switzerland until 2050, winter temperatures have risen by approximately 2.4°C since 1864, as a result of human-driven climate change. By 2050, another 1°C rise is expected, with significant variations depending on climate action and natural fluctuations. 

This warming trend means more precipitation will fall as rain rather than snow, reducing the number of fresh snowfall days and thinning the snowpack. The statistics paint a stark picture:

• Snow cover has declined by 40% at altitudes of 1000–1500 meters, 33% at 2000 meters, and 17% at 2500 meters since 1961. 
• 54% of ski slopes in Switzerland were technically (artificially) snow-covered in 2023. 
• While snowmaking is the current stopgap solution, it will become increasingly energy-and water-intensive, given the predicted rise in temperatures.

In a nutshell, skiing as we’ve done until now is not sustainable in the long term. So what can we do ? 

Beyond the Slopes: Rethinking Our Approach to Winter Sports

Patagonia’s “The Meaningless Pursuit of Snow” follows five backcountry skiers across Japan, Europe and the US. United by their love of the mountains, they find joy in the struggle, a deep connection to nature, and a sense of belonging through their shared experiences. 

Could backcountry skiing be part of a more sustainable future for winter sports? Our audience in Davos seemed to think so. While backcountry skiing requires fewer artificial resources than downhill skiing, it alone is not the solution. It must be combined with broader sustainability efforts at both individual and resort levels.

 Some simple yet impactful actions include: 

• travelling by public transport rather than with individual vehicles, 
• repairing and re-using equipment instead of buying new gear each season.
• supporting ski resorts that embrace sustainable energy solutions and diversify their activities to adapt to climate change.

“I found that people who love the same thing really make a difference” said Vicki Fleckenstein Woodworth in the movie. Encouragingly, Swiss ski resorts are already expanding their winter offerings beyond traditional skiing—promoting winter hiking, backcountry skiing, and other lower-impact activities. Meanwhile, initiatives like Snowstainability, founded in 2022 by Swiss-Ski and energy company BKW, are actively working to make winter sports more sustainable through innovations in energy and infrastructure.

Local Actions for a Global Challenge

The discussion in Davos didn’t just focus on the big picture—it also sparked tangible ideas for local action. Some of the suggestions included:

• Strengthening support for public transportation to and within the region.
• Encouraging and educating young people on responsible backcountry skiing.
• Developing more community-driven sustainability initiatives, such as repair cafés and urban gardening projects.

An Inspiring Evening of Connection and Commitment

The evening in Davos was more than just a film screening; it was a celebration of community, shared experiences, and a collective commitment to protecting the places we love. Over drinks and focaccia rolls, snow lovers exchanged stories, ideas, and motivation to take action.

As Melissa Gil beautifully put it: “There is something magical about the white blanket.” Let’s ensure that magic endures for future generations.

Sources and resources:

https://www.patagonia.com/stories/the-meaningless-pursuit-of-snow/video-144108.html

https://www.seilbahnen.org/news/wissenschaftliche-grundlagen-zum-klimawandel-wintertourismus

https://fr.statista.com/infographie/29060/part-des-pistes-stations-de-ski-ayant-recours-canons-neige-artificielle-par-pays-alpes/

https://www.snowstainability.ch/fr/initiative/snow-sustainability/

Tsüri.ch made November its circularity month, partnering with Greenbuzz and One Planet Lab Switzerland for their event Product longevity & repairability in Switzerland and beyond, and Repair Thursday is at the door! 

While Switzerland is quite advanced when it comes to recycling, repairability and avoidance of waste are also gaining momentum. In 2022 already, 14 organisations from all parts of Switzerland have formed the Long live our products coalition to support the transition to a true circular economy in Switzerland. The coalition wants to support the creation of a framework at federal level and encourage economic actors to further develop their offer in extending the lifespan of consumer goods. 

According to the OECD indicator on municipal waste (waste collected and treated by or for municipalities, included waste from households, commerce and trade, office buildings, businesses, yard and garden waste, street sweepings, litter containers and market cleansing), people in Switzerland generated 700 kgs of waste per person in 2021,  a trend that had been increasing since 1990. In particular, an average of over 23 kilos of electronic waste is disposed of per capita every year in Switzerland. Some electronic devices are indeed difficult to recycle because of their complexity and the variety of materials they contain. According to Joelle Herrin from Greenpeace and the Long live our product coalition, if we were to recondition mobile phones instead of producing new ones, we would use 80% less resources while also avoiding 4 to 5 times the CO2 emissions usually emitted.

With Repair Thursday on November 28th, the Zuerich repair association decided to make our life easier so we could repair objects instead of throwing them away. Repair Thursday sees workshops, repair businesses and dedicated craftspeople open their doors throughout Zurich. Driving force behind the working group for the creation of a repair and upcycling centre in the city of Zurich, the association offers an online platform mapping existing repair businesses (including the repair cafés that we already know!) and partner with Entsorgung und Recycling Zürich (ERZ), offering repair advice as part of the Mobile Recycling Centre pilot project.

As the association joyfully says, “Repair Thursday – an opportunity to finally get those repairs you keep putting off done – because throwing things away is not an option!” Be part of the movement!

“We cooked a strange dessert”.This is one feedback we got after our Food Futures workshop last week in Laax around sustainable food, as we chose to make a vegan version of the French pain perdu, the French toast with recovered bread as an example of a recipe against food waste. In this workshop, we usually kick off by looking at facts around food production and consumption: did you know that the global food system is the single biggest contributor to climate change, causing 1/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions? We then question our food choices and brainstorm about sustainable solutions and actions to the food challenges we face today. Among those solutions, reducing food waste is key. According to the United Nations[1], almost 1 billion tons of food – 17 percent of all food available to consumers worldwide – goes into trash bins every year. Producing, transporting, and letting that food rot contribute more than 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitting country in the world. Good news is, as consumers, we can play a part in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions related to our food system by starting buying less and reducing (eliminating?) our food waste. That is why our Food Futures workshops always involve hands-on preparing of foodsave recipes. For this occasion we even cooked a whole meal together. What could be more satisfying than being able to measure, in your own kitchen, your impact on food waste solutions and the reduction of CO2 emissions?

A brief history of pain perdu

The history of French toast dates back to Roman times, when this dish was already consumed to avoid wasting stale bread. Over time, the recipe spread throughout Europe and evolved, giving rise to different variations depending on the country and era, and is now even offered in gourmet restaurants where chefs continually reinvent the recipe. The basic recipe involves soaking stale bread in milk, eggs, and sugar, then frying it and serving it with sugar, spices, fruits, or jam. Although the French toast is called French toast, it does not only exist in France. The English recipe closely resembles the French version, with bread dipped in a mixture of milk, eggs, and sugar, then fried in butter. However, the English have a tradition of adding cinnamon and nutmeg to enhance the flavor of the dish. French toast is often served for breakfast, accompanied by maple syrup, fruits, or bacon. In Spain, French toast is known as torrijas. Torrijas are traditionally prepared during Holy Week, a fasting period for Christians. The Spanish recipe differs slightly from other European versions. The stale bread is soaked in milk or sweet wine, then in beaten eggs, before being fried in oil. The torrijas are then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, offering a unique sweet and spicy taste. In Germany, it’s called Arme Ritter, which means “poor knight”, and refers to a meal that can be prepared with limited financial means using inexpensive ingredients. In Portugal, French toast is a traditional Christmas dish called rabanadas. Contrarily to the French who considered this bread was, if not cooked, lost (“perdu”), the Dutch language seems to have a more positive view as French toast is called gewonnen brood (“gained bread”, since it is recovered), and that’s under this name that it can be found in Belgium or wentelteefjes in the Netherlands.

Are old recipes the new weapon to tackle food waste?

Originally a way to avoid wasting stale bread, French toast is, at least in France, a dessert that has definitely become a classic and that can even be found today on the menu of some gourmet restaurants. Easy to make, yummy and trendy, it seems that this could help us change the way we see food waste. And thanks to the Dutch, who are definitely our narrative changer just starting with the name!

What do you think is the best recipe to avoid food waste? Tell us in the comments!

Know a company for whom a FoodFutures workshop would be perfect? Let us know here : https://green-up.ch/de/workshops/
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain_perdu
https://box-a-pain.fr/histoire-pain-perdu/
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https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/food