Environmental Tourism Going green

Going Green ‘Green’ tourism is all about organisations, businesses and individuals improving their practices in order to be more environmentally friendly and conscious. We will be focusing on: - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle campaigns - The Green Tourism Business Scheme

Largest Los Angeles Hotel Goes "Green" Many hotels around the world are going green by recycling their waste and conserving water, power and other resources The largest hotel in Los Angeles, the Westin Bonaventure, was recently certified as green Mike O'Sullivan reports, hotel managers say the change will help the environment, and is also good for business.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle This is an initiative designed to encourage a reduction in the use of new materials and resources by carrying out the three Rs instead: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Green Start is the name of the sustainable tourism initiative started by VisitBritan in 2008. The scheme is closed at the time of writing as it was initially a pilot to see how things went, but the idea was to help businesses take some first steps towards becoming sustainable. The scheme also aimed to help them prepare for joining a VisitBritain endorsed scheme (at the time only the Green Tourism Business Scheme was available). Businesses were offered a range of possible changes to make from nine different areas of their business including energy management, transport or purchasing.

The actions included things such as: Install water-saving toilets (Reduce) Reuse materials where possible (Reuse) Recycle waste (Recycle) Make sure they meet energy efficiency standards Insulate lofts

There was no formal verification by an assessor of actions taken, but businesses had to supply evidence on their self- assessment form. Once a minimum number of criteria had been reached a strapline (Working Towards Green Tourism) was shown on the VisitBritain suite of websites. VisitScotland have their own scheme called ‘Going Green’.

The Green Tourism Business Scheme The Green Tourism Business Scheme is the national sustainable tourism certification scheme for the UK

Here are some other things leisure and tourism businesses can do to help towards a Green Tourism Business Scheme Award: Green training for new employees Free staff travel passes to encourage use of public transport Providing information and leaflets to customers which raise awareness of green issues Recycling paper, cardboard, glass, cans and batteries Paperless billing Water- and gas-saving schemes in the kitchens Use of energy-saving light bulbs

Green Tourism Business Scheme Businesses can apply to join the scheme and, in return for improving their environmental, economic and social practices to set standards, receive a bronze, silver or gold award. This helps leisure and tourism customers choose businesses that are helping to minimise their impact on the environment.

Case study – Sustainable water and tourism There are over 120 areas in which The Green Tourism Business Scheme measures sustainability, including energy, waste, transport, wildlife and water. ‘Water is the vital component for life and important for health, refreshment, cleansing and sanitation. It should not be wasted or polluted. Drinking water in particular should not be squandered as it uses considerable chemical and energy inputs to make it fit for human consumption – yet we literally flush it down the toilet every day. The water section [of the scheme] assesses a wide range of water efficiency measures as well as using alternative sources to the mains. It also covers measures aimed at reducing pollutions arising from cleaning and wastewater disposal. Examples of the water assessment criteria include: Water-efficient showers, taps and toilets Washing machines and dishwashers Harvesting rainwater and grey water or using off-mains sources Chlorine and phosphate-free cleaners Natural-based cleaners and methods Ecological wastewater treatments’ (Source: The Green Tourism Business Scheme)

Key terms Grey water is wastewater from places like people’s homes. It could be water that has been used to wash up with, rainwater from the roof or bath water. It is likely to be contaminated with some chemicals and other things (like leaves) but it is not toxic and is safe to use again for things like flushing toilets and gardening White water is fresh unpolluted water and is safe to drink Black water is water that is polluted and contaminated

Summary Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and The Green Tourism Business Scheme are two examples of initiatives that address ‘green’ issues and affect the leisure and tourism industry