17 October 2008

Tourism industry adopts environmental ââ¬Ëœheath checkââ¬â¢

The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) is urging Australian inbound tourism operators to prepare for global changes in supplychain requirements ââ¬' and to reap bottom line benefits ââ¬' by measuring their carbon footprint and adopting sustainable practices.

In a partnership announced yesterday, ATEC has put its support behind the just-released Green Globe Lite program ââ¬' a user-friendly, cost-effective online program that enables businesses to assess their environmental performance.

"With the rapid changes occurring in the global tourism supply and distribution chain, the Australian export tourism industry must move quickly to maintain and grow its competitive position,ââ¬~ said ATEC Managing Director Matt Hingerty.

ââ¬ÅâœDemonstrable environmentally-sustainable practice is now a key discriminating factor for both business investment and consumer purchases."

"Green Globe Lite will enable ATEC members to measure and adopt sustainable practices and policy that will stand up to rigorous scrutiny in the international arena,ââ¬~ Mr Hingerty said.

ââ¬ÅâœIt will provide the tools for our members to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability in the international marketplace.ââ¬~

Developed with input from the Australian Hotels Association, Green Globe Lite is specifically designed for accommodation, restaurant and spa operators, visitor information centres and administration offices.

The programââ¬â¢s operational ââ¬Ëœhealth checkââ¬â¢ involves a quantitative assessment of the businessââ¬â¢s performance in the areas of energy consumption; CO2 emissions; water consumption and waste production. It also provides guidelines for developing and implementing a sustainability policy.

It meets international standards for carbon-footprint calculation and is backed by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), the worldââ¬â¢s leading tourism research body, which is in turn backed by 17 of Australiaââ¬â¢s leading tertiary education institutions and industry bodies.

ââ¬ÅâœThe tourism and hospitality industry is facing a challenging future ââ¬' one in which it will be held accountable for its environmental performance,ââ¬~ said EC3 Global CEO Stewart Moore, who manages the Green Globe programme on behalf of Green Globe Asia-Pacific.

ââ¬ÅâœGreen Globe Lite has been developed in answer to industry demand for a user friendly, cost-effective tool to manage environmental performance, which can also lead to significant reductions in resource costs and increased profits.ââ¬~

A Report by The Mole

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