Winton – About as True Blue as you can get!

The birthplace of Qantas, the home of Waltzing Matilda and the best place to two-step with dinosaurs, Winton may be a small Outback town, but it’s about as true-blue as you can get on Australia Day.

The tight-knit community has stuck yet another feather in its cap, securing funding to help its businesses improve their eco-efficiency. With the help of Tourism Queensland and EC3 Global, Winton is set to become a sustainable region.

A group of up to 20 Winton businesses will take part in the ClimateSmart Business Cluster program, developing individual action plans and measuring their environmental performance, with guidance provided by EC3 Global and Winton Shire Council’s Environmental Health Officer (EHO).

The ClimateSmart Business Cluster will build upon the existing tourism cluster, formed through Tourism Queensland’s Sustainable Regions program, and which currently includes representatives from the Waltzing Matilda Centre (including Winton Historical Society and Outback Regional Gallery); Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackways; Age of Dinosaurs; Windermere Station Stay; Carisbrooke Station Stay; Outback Aussie Tours; Winton Outback Motel; Boulder Opal Motel; Pelican Van Park; Corfield & Fitzmaurice, and Wookatook Gift and Gem.

Mayor Ed Warren, is excited about the project which will be rolled out over the coming 8 months. “We look forward to working with EC3 Global who bring their expertise and skills to enhance the ClimateSmart Cluster project. The project will create awareness in Winton’s business community of the opportunities to save money while contributing to more sustainable environmental practice” he said.

The majority of operators are small businesses employing no more than 5 staff, proving that regardless of size, we all have a part to play in keeping Australia beautiful. Through the ClimateSmart program the existing tourism cluster will broaden to include up to 20 businesses from a variety of sectors; including agricultural agents, local mechanics, retail and other service industries.

Individual cluster members will aim to achieve a minimum 5% reduction in energy use, with larger businesses employing more than 20 staff, aiming higher for a 10% reduction in energy use.

The ClimateSmart Business Cluster programme is an initiative of the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment and Resource Management and is designed to help businesses improve efficiencies and reduce operational costs.

“Through Tourism Queensland’s Sustainable Regions program, we have already seen the ecoBiz program adopted by more than 60 tourism operators in four Queensland regions,” explained Stewart Moore, CEO of EC3 Global. “The programme uses data that can be readily extracted from electricity, gas and fuel bills, to help assess current environmental performance and identify where action should be taken.”

EC3 Global has also worked at a destination level with communities and clusters in Tasmania, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, helping them prepare for the challenges of climate change and implement more efficient business practices.

In addition, EC3 Global owns and delivers an environmental benchmarking and certification program in over 60 countries worldwide. The company also delivers a business planning and design standard which provides eco-efficiency standards for new and renovated projects.