For the past 25 years, we have run Alpine Property, an estate agency in the Northern French Alps, currently we are a team of 16, we all live in the ski areas we cover. Like so many others who live here, we came for the mountains – for the beauty, the environment, the outdoor lifestyle. Yet the reality is, through our business, we encourage people to travel thousands of kilometres to experience the same pleasures. It’s a contradiction that is easier to ignore.
For the last few years we have donated 1% of our turnover to environmental charities. We have done this via 1% for the Planet. So far that has amounted to almost 60,000€. It’s an important contribution, but I often ask myself – is it the right thing to do? Or is it just Greenwashing? It seems whatever we do, just by living in the environment, we are contributing to its degradation. And in our case, the simple act of facilitating travel and tourism puts us a long way from being carbon neutral.
Our donations are not capped, and they don’t depend on whether we make a profit. Even in tough years, like 2024/2025 we give. Company profits don’t always have to end up in the shareholders’ pockets. But even with these efforts, I’ve struggled throughout my career with the knowledge that what I do helps to degrade the environment I love.
This tension has been a constant thread in my life. I studied Fuel and Energy Engineering in the early 90s, although I focused on wind powered turbines, I could not escape the main part of the course which was how to crush and burn coal. My first job was offshore in the oil and gas industry. Even then, I was a member of Greenpeace. I appreciate the effort and sacrifices from the likes of Swampy in the 90’s and Just Stop Oil now (though I read that they are about to become extinct). I’m willing to give a little money to encourage others but I’m not willing to go to prison myself. Is this wrong? After University, I became a Police Officer – a role full of contradictions too, where you must not lose sight of the bigger picture despite the actions of a minority or your colleagues.
When I ran a mountain biking holiday company, I promoted an eco-friendly activity – but relied on EasyJet flights to bring people to us. Once again, good intentions clashed with the realities of tourism.
At Alpine Property, we have always tried to be honest about these contradictions.We speak openly about the costs of travel and tourism, and the damage they can cause. But we support local groups like Montagne Verte, who work to reduce tourism’s impact locally. EcotriVelo who cycle around Chamonix collecting bio waste and turn it into compost and Rêve d’abeilles who educate people in the importance of looking after our pollinators (full disclosure, they do give us some honey in return to say thanks).
So what can we do, realistically? Giving money is one step. Educating ourselves and others is another. But action matters too: encouraging visitors to travel by train rather than plane; working with second-home owners to become active members of the community; pushing resorts and tourist offices to make sustainability a real priority.
These measures are not perfect. They are not the answer. But they are our answer- for now. And we are determined to keep evolving.
We will keep at it. We need more businesses to act. Real change will only happen when many companies, across the valley and beyond, move in the same direction.
I have three children, born, raised, and educated here. Their future depends on the health of this environment, but also on the health of our communities. Overtourism, climate change, and short-term thinking threaten both.
We live with contradictions. There’s no easy way to resolve them. But doing something – however imperfect – is still better than doing nothing at all.
