Huon takes its Green Tea with EC3

Businesses along Tasmania’s Huon Trail are no stranger to carbon constrained economies. While the rest of the world’s businesses grapple with how to adjust their operations to minimise environmental impacts, those in the Apple Isle provide a breath of fresh air.

Back in 2008, the Huon Valley Kingborough Tourism Association (HVKTA) entered into partnership with the world’s largest certifier of sustainable tourism businesses EC3 Global (www.ec3global.com). Together, they developed an environmental program that would cater to the unique needs of businesses along the Huon Trail.

Dubbed Green TEA (Tourism Environmental Audit), the programme’s objectives were to develop a cluster of operators that could collectively increase their operational efficiencies with regards to energy, water and waste. The desire was also to capacity build from within, rather than create an onlgoing reliance on external consulting services.

Supported by a Federal Government grant, the program enabled businesses to conduct their own sustainability audit with the help of 15 skilled community mentors who were trained up in tourism environmental.
Among those operators which were quick to see the benefits were award-winning Bruny Island Cruises, Huon Bush Retreats, the magnificent Tahune Airwalk and Premier Travel Tasmania.
Creating a business cluster helped to raise awareness among the wider community and gave examples of environmental best practices. Visitors were encouraged to adopt responsible behaviours while in the region, with careful consideration given so as they did not have to forego the creature comforts of a fulfilling holiday.

It’s now two years on and EC3 Global is again working with the region’s Tourism Association, to ensure the programme continues beyond the funded life of the project.

“We’ve developed a three-staged approach,” explains Stewart Moore, CEO of EC3 Global. “This includes a low-level entry stage of commitment and assessment of sustainable practices; something achievable for most operators.”

Each stage of the newly named “Green Tourism” programme involves a higher level of commitment by the operator, which is in turn matched by greater benefits. The programme links in with existing benchmarking and verification programmes such as Earthcheck Lite, providing participants with a means to measure and manage their environmental footprints.

“We’ve learned a lot from running the Green TEA programme,” confirms Michael Higgins, Chair of HVKTA. “In 2010, the cluster is keen to take the three-staged program to other operators along the Huon Trail and to make it available to Local Tourism Associations throughout Tasmania.”

Proving that tourism operators – regardless of size or structure – can make a positive contribution to improving tourism sustainability in the State, it’s nice to know that this Green Tourism initiative was home-grown in the fertile Huon Valley.

For more information refer: http://www.ec3global.com/products-programs/huon-valley-green-tea/climate-change-and-sustainability/Default.aspx