Interviews |

Green Line with Anže Čokl

Green Line Interviews: A sustainable chain of voices
by Monja Ferčec
December 20, 2023 · 3 min read
Anže in the slovenian mountains

We present the Green Line interview series, which highlights sustainability heroes in Slovenia and around the world. Each interviewee not only shares their insights but also suggests the next interviewee, to create a thread of green thoughts. With five basic questions, supplemented by two personal ones from the previous interviewee, we weave a mosaic of diverse, green views, one story at a time. Join us on this journey towards a brighter, sustainable future.

In this week’s Green Line, we present Anže Čokl, an engineer with an adventurer’s soul. A mountaineer, filmmaker, writer, owner of the Sunrose 7 hotel and eco-innovator who captures the magic of the mountain world with his lens.

 

INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN 5 POINTS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SUSTAINABILITY

  • Mountaineer and alpine instructor
  • Ski mountaineer
  • Paraglider and diver
  • Director of companies and founder of the sports club Freeapproved
  • Photographer and videographer

 

FAVORITE GREEN MEMORY / PROJECT / STORY

My life is composed of very diverse projects and numerous stories. I don’t know how I could choose just one, as I have put my heart and soul into all my projects. Therefore, I cherish them all: feature-length documentary films that I have shot and directed, mountaineering expeditions to the world’s mountain ranges, and travel adventures on various continents that I have organized, as well as engineering and construction projects and business challenges in the companies I lead. However, they all share a common green thread.

 

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE MADE BY HUMANKIND

Humans constantly make mistakes, and humanity always learns something new from the extraordinary mistakes of (extraordinary) people. Experiences are both good and unfortunately also terrible. To point out a single mistake of humankind seems impossible to me.

 

ON MY DAY OFF

I prefer to spend my free time in nature, both peacefully with family and adventurously with friends. Depending on the season, I prefer to climb rocks or ice, ski on powder, or fly through the air. Nature represents an environment of immense freedom and inspiration to me.

 

HOW I SEE MY HOMETOWN – BOHINJ – IN 5 YEARS

In five years, I ideally see Bohinj as a pleasant alpine destination with organized public transport, without congestion, and with satisfied locals who all share a desire for quality tourism – guests who are respectful of the environment and locals, who are good consumers and appreciate local quality. At the same time, understanding from the locals that this requires effort, especially in improving the quality of accommodation and services.

 

YOUR HOTELS HAVE TWO DIFFERENT SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATES (Green Key and Travelife). HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CERTIFICATES?

We now have experience in obtaining (sustainability) certificates for accommodation facilities with three different certificates. Limiting myself to Green Key and Travelife, which are among the latest, I can say that the requirements of these two are quite similar, and the differences are only in individual details. As recipients of the certificate or those trying to obtain them, the process of obtaining individual certificates also gives us some indirect knowledge. When we have to meet certain additional requirements, we have to educate ourselves about them and then implement them. Therefore, I view obtaining certificates primarily from the perspective of improving our operation and, of course, ultimately confirming our good work in the field of sustainability. The more certificates we have or the more conditions we face, the more we learn.

 

WHAT HAVE THE MOUNTAINS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU USE IN YOUR BUSINESS LIFE?

The mountains, or more precisely, alpine climbing in the walls of mountains, have taught me above all persistence and patience. When facing a problem in the wall, which you must overcome to progress towards the safer, flatter world, and you are occasionally confronted with strong winds, an approaching storm, or deteriorating weather with the coming night, you must be able to calm down, weigh your options, and tackle the problems one by one. After every climbed meter, after every step taken, you are closer to the final solution. Similarly, although with much less severe potential consequences, it is also in business. We are constantly solving problems, and if we are patient and focused, we solve these problems more successfully and learn to avoid them better based on experience. But life, whether in the walls, in business, or at home, cannot exist without problems or obstacles. Lastly, as an engineer, diverse problems are somewhat of a challenge to me, and facing them is easier.

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