carbonneutraltourism.co.uk

The decision by Hidden Valley Cabins to go green has paid dividends with the operator reporting record occupancy levels and a massive reduction in energy expenses. Now the team behind the move wants to help other operators make the switch to sustainable power.

The $75,000 investment into solar panels is set to pay for itself in two years. Diesel prices are skyrocketing and the McLennan family has not turned on their generator since making the switch to green power six months ago.

The maintenance free solar panels aren’t just a head turner - with diesel costing $1.80 per litre delivered to the property outside Paluma, and the operation of the generator using upwards of 26,000 litres a year – they’re saving the family business $46,800 a year on fuel costs alone.

Operations Manager Ross McLennan said other remote operators face annual bills of between $100,000 and $150,000 for their diesel generators – and the cost is increasing annually.

“We made the switch to solar power in December – since then we’ve had huge publicity and our numbers have swelled dramatically. We’re really surprised that we haven’t had to turn on the generator as a back up power supply. Not only have we increased our bookings – but we’ve significantly decreased our operational costs.”

“We’re looking to run some workshops at our property to encourage other operators to make the switch to solar. It’s a real sustainable solution – it stacks up economically and environmentally,” Mr McLennan said.

Townsville Enterprise Destination Marketing and Development Manager Brent Randall applauded the initiative and encouraged other operators to consider their impact on the environment and the savings to be made.

“Hidden Valley Cabins have been recognised as pioneers, leading the country in green initiatives. Their willingness to share their new knowledge with others shows this is more than a marketing ploy – it’s about making a difference.”

“With rising fuel costs costing regional operators both in bookings and in operational costs any steps to cut back on spending and encourage environmentally conscious visitors are steps we should be making cooperatively as a region.”

“In this age of environmental awareness and threats such as global warming – visitors are looking for tourism operators who are committed to sustainable tourism development and an environmentally friendly approach.”

The Eco Lodge, in Lincolnshire has been recommended for the the Times Green Spaces award.

The Solar Eco Cabins and Interpretive Centre at Hidden Valley Cabins are an inspiration for the tourist industry and the community to follow, Stephen Pahl CEO of Ecotourism Australia said today.

“Hidden Valley Cabins is Australia’s first fully carbon neutral resort and tour business, and they have recently achieved Advanced Ecotourism Certification,” said Stephen.

“The official opening of the Solar Eco Cabins on 4 April is the culmination of the McLennan family’s commitment to environmental improvement over more than 20 years and they have achieved a model that should inspire the rest of the tourist industry and anyone interested in ways to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Visitors to Hidden Valley Cabins now not only enjoy a relaxing stay and awe-inspiring tours in the spectacular and pristine natural environment north of Townsville but can also visit the new Interpretative Centre that explains more about the solar technology used to power the resort.

Hidden Valley Cabins operations manager Ross McLennan said their carbon neutral milestone is another important step in the journey they began 22 years ago.

“Hidden Valley is not on grid power and, over the years, we have developed ways to decrease our reliance on generator power while making sure our guests enjoy all the comfort and facilities they need,” Ross said.

“Now, we are generating all of our own renewable energy and have saved 78 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

“For the carbon emissions we cannot yet eradicate – such as those of deliveries to the resort and tour buses – we are buying carbon offsets,” Ross said.

On Friday 4 April, over 80 guests, including Brian Cuthine CEO Townsville City Council, Ben Callcot Mayor of Charter Towers and Shane Knuth MP Member for Charters Towers, visited the resort northwest of Townsville near Running River on the western slope of the Coastal Range in North Queensland. They celebrated the official opening and toured the Interpretative Centre.

Ecotourism Australia’s Stephen Pahl said other businesses, both within the tourist industry and beyond, must take up the challenge to reduce their emissions.

“I urge anyone responsible for a business to combine an unforgettable few days at this magnificent Queensland destination with a fact-finding mission to see how renewable energy can power all the essentials for comfort,” Stephen said.

“Ecotourism Australia’s world-leading ecotourism accreditation system has been challenging our industry to achieve measurable environmental results since it began 11 years ago and the ecotourism industry now has an important role in showcasing its solutions to the broader community.

“We congratulate Hidden Valley Cabins on their achievement and on opening a window for others to see how it’s done,” Stephen said.

Ecotourism Australia is the peak national body for the ecotourism industry in Australia. It aims to grow and promote ecotourism and to assist tourism operators to become environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially and culturally responsible.

It is a non-profit organisation with membership that includes tour operators, ecotourism accommodation, tourism planners, protected area managers, academics and students, regional tourism associations and travellers.

Ecotourism Australia’s certification program is a world first. It provides objective monitoring and auditing of organisations’ ecotourism claims and provides travel agents and tourists with an assurance of best practice ecological sustainability, natural area management and quality ecotourism experiences.

A note from Six Senses Hideaway Samui:

“Six Senses Hideaway Samui is located on a headland on the northern tip of Samui Island, Thailand.

It is set amongst twenty acres of indigenous plantings and offers stunning views of the surrounding sea and outlying islands. Our resort is managed by Six Senses Resorts and Spas, an acknowledged industry leader in environmental responsibility through careful consideration of the effects that operating systems, materials and purchasing policies have on the environment, we are continually developing new initiatives and procedures to minimize our ecological impact.

Six Senses Hideaway Samui has been Green Globe 21 Benchmarked on 20 December 2006. In particular we have achieved Best Practice results in six indicators: Water Saving, Waste Recycling, Community Commitment, Community Contributions, Paper Products and Pesticide Products.

In the last year we have started a lot of projects to minimise our impact on the environment and the (local) community. A few examples are creating our own bio-diesel, filtering and recycling our wastewater and working together with UNICEF and Restaurants Against Hunger. Currently we are looking at many more upgrading projects at our Heart of the House area in order to support the environment.”

To findout more about Six Senses Hideaway Samui click here.

 A note from Gardeners Rest B&B

Affordable Luxury on the Kent Coast Gardeners Rest B&B is an Award Winning 5 Star Gold Accommodation in an AONB which was voted one of the 50 Best British B&Bs in 2007.

The house was designed and built by the owners Sandra & Ken Upton and is set in 1 acre of colourful garden designed & planted by them.

Lifelong Disciples of recycling and protection of the environment, Sandra & Ken have attempted to balance nature and reduce or offset the carbon foot print of themselves and their guests, by incorporating numerous ecological features into the house and garden.

Food miles are practically nil as almost everything is either home grown or locally sourced, including homemade bread & scones, jams & potato hash browns, free range eggs, Kentish bacon and sausages made by the local butcher. The smoked salmon & kippers travels a little further but is caught and packed in UK!

Ideal for those who like to balance their work life with walking, cycling, sailing, golfing, riding or fishing or just relaxing in the country and taking in the peace & quiet, stunning views and fresh sea air.

There’s lots to do in the local area including visiting National Trust and English Heritage properties.

You can book both rooms for a truly exceptional break with friends or family. Minimum stay 2 nights please. No children under 9. For more details visit www.HolidaysDeal.co.uk

Under the Thatch who provide self catering breaks in a range of unique properties in Wales have recently launched their first top end luxury property: Ty Mawr in Laugharne.

A post from Yangshuo Mountain Retreat in China.

“In a country where the economy has been growing at an average of 9% over the past 3 years and one that receives more than 70% of its power through burning coal, the words Eco and China are not often associated with each other.

However, one pioneering entrepreneur who has lived and worked in China for over 17 years has made his sustainable business vision come true in Yangshuo. Chris Barclay built the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat (YSMR) in 2001 on the banks of the pristine Yu Long River 8km from Yangshuo Town. The hotel was built on Chris’s firm beliefs in sustainable tourism, both in terms of the environment and local cultures that come from the area. The hotel has a policy of only employing local people from Yangshuo County, apart from the foreign coaches that come to give continuous training to the staff in English and hospitality.

The location of the Yangshuo hotel is one of its most compelling pull factors. Built on what were once fallow rice fields Chris and staff planted over 400 trees and shrubs creating lush grounds where guests can eat, relax and simply enjoy the views. Huge karst formations surround the hotel jutting out of the ground like rows of dragon’s teeth and the Yu Long River flows gently by making it a perfect place for a swim in this sub-tropical region of China. With emerald rice fields interspersed with ancient Ming dynasty villages dotted around the Yangshuo Countrysuide, this is a favourite place for many an expatriate and lucky traveller that happens to find this hidden gem.

The Yangshuo hotel practices ecotourism through a variety of ways including water conservation techniques, reducing their carbon footprint through supplementing coal briquettes with agriwaste (sawdust/shredded newspaper/clay/straw) which is made on premises by the staff. They also continuously train their staff in hospitality management including learning English and trips abroad to tourism destinations. The local staff is also encouraged ownership of the hotel through their profit sharing scheme and decision making processes.

The Yangshuo hotel donates 5% of its annual profits to the Chinese-US Medical Foundation (CUMF) also founded by Chris Barclay. CUMF is a non-profit organisation aimed at helping and supporting children with OI (Osteogenesis Imperfecta) or brittle bone disease in China. The charity was founded as a direct result of Chris’s experience with Zhao Chun Li or Angel as she is commonly known with guests of the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat. Angel suffers from a very severe form of the disease and is unable to walk or use her limbs freely. Chris met Angel in 1999 in a village nearby Yangshuo and helped educate and train her to work at the hotel. She now works as the front desk supervisor, bookkeeper and is a source of inspiration for anyone who has the pleasure in meeting her. They also have a charity shop that sells handicrafts and antiques from local villages and other parts of China which is scheduled soon to go online that supports CUMF.

Economically China is changing rapidly and figures from both The World Tourism Organisation and The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) indicate huge growths in the tourism sector. Unconfirmed estimates from CNTA for example suggest that China’s tourism industry pulled in a record $128.6 billion USD of revenues in 2007, an increase of 10% over 2006. However, this kind of growth comes at a cost and the inherent paradox of the tourism industry is inevitably revealing itself in places like Yangshuo and across all of China.

Increasing accessibility to beautiful locations such as Yangshuo should not mean progressive destruction through unsustainable practices to meet the fresh demand in the tourism sector. Hotels and institutions like the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat across the world help combat the negative impacts of tourism and bring awareness of the importance of ecotourism to the masses. This small Yangshuo hotel is making inroads into changing peoples perspectives, and simply by doing what they are doing, help promote Ecotourism in China. They have received international recognition for their efforts in keeping their business practices sustainable. In 2007 they reached the finals for the Virgin Holidays Sustainable Tourism Awards and in 2008 have been nominated for the Conde Nast World Saver Awards (results will be decided in September).

They are a model example for the large corporations in the tourism industry but the question is will the big players take heed and listen before it’s too late?

Follow this link for more information on this beautiful Yangshuo Hotel.

Baillie Lodges is an Australian company which offers guests luxury breaks at their two lodges. Capella Lodge is located on Lord Howe Island and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangeroo Island.

In terms of the environment:

• Baillie Lodges has created the Southern Ocean Lodge Environment Fund in partnership with the South Australian Government. The fund is expected that the fund will raise between $20,000 and $50,000 annually, with voluntary guest contributions making up part of the funds.

• During the construction of Southern Ocean only 1 hectare of land was cleared which represents approximately 1% of the total 102 hectares purchased. The remaining 99% has been placed under a Heritage Agreement to protect against future development.

• Capella Lodge employs a solar power hot water system.

• Southern Ocean Lodge has employed the latest heat pump technology for an energy efficient hot water system, which is equivalent to a solar powered water supply.

• Water is harvested from all roof surfaces at Southern Ocean Lodge and stored in tanks with a total capacity in excess of 1.5 million litres.  A key aim of management is to have the property rainwater self-sufficient every four out of five years.

• Capella Lodge captures up to 50% of all its water needs in rainwater tanks, with a total storage of 180,000 litres supplied by more regular rainfall patterns.

Domaine Royal Palm is a luxury development in Morocco of villas, two hotels and leisure facilities including a golf course. Covering some 600 acres Domaine Royal Palm is home to 251 villas.

In terms of the environment:

• The earth used for walls and plaster is taken directly from the site;
• Solar generated energy is used to provide hot water and it also used to heat the swimming pool

Soneva Kiri is a luxury resort located on a 102 acre estate on the island of Kood, Thailand. The resort operated by the Six Senses group and will open in September 2008.

At Soneva Kiri Six Senses are prototyping a ‘zero emission’ Ecological Suite which is meeting the needs of today’s eco-conscious travelers.

The Ecological Suite:

• Uses rainwater harvesting, storage and filtration

• Uses solar panels
• Energy usage is autonomated via hybrid wind turbine, solar PV and micro-hydro applications
• The natural swimming pool uses plants to clean the water
• Uses local materials