Angela Nagy
The prospect of going green and doing so in a way that customers won’t poke holes in can be daunting. Yet, consumers are demanding it and there is no shortage of evidence to prove it.
“Seventy-one percent of travellers will actively make environmentally friendly choices when travelling this year.” – Trip Advisor 2012
“Sixty percent of Canadians consider themselves ethical consumers and 50% are inclined to buy environmentally friendly products.” Business Development Bank of Canada 2013
“Green is the new black when it comes to vacations. The U.N. World Tourism Organization predicts there will be some 1.6 billion eco-inspired trips taken by 2020.” Harrison Group 2013
So what are you doing to tell your green story? If you don’t think you have one yet, what are your goals and how are you measuring progress? Where do you even start?
These are the kinds of questions I hear when talking to tourism businesses interested in sustainability and going green. Some are already doing it and want to go further, and some are just starting down the path.
Sustainable Tourism has been defined by the Global Development Research Centre as “an industry, which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems.”
Improving environmental and social performance is enough motivation for many businesses to get started, but for some it’s not enough. The good news is that taking action on sustainability can also reduce operating costs by an average of 20%, and increase profits by attracting new guests and improving customer loyalty.
To help you get started or go further along the sustainability journey of your business, here are my top five tips.
1. Make a Commitment to Sustainability
This can be as simple as integrating sustainability into your existing corporate mission or purpose, or working with your team to create a new over-arching vision for how you see your business operating in a sustainable future. Imagine a headline about how socially and environmentally responsible your business is in 2020 or 2030. What would it say? From here, you can start changing or creating policies to help support this overall commitment.
2. Measure, Measure, Measure!
I can’t repeat this enough. If you don’t know where you are starting from, it is going to be very difficult to know where you are going and if you’ve arrived! It also can prove to be a problem when you’re trying to report on your progress to your guests and other stakeholders. Start simple. Measure your annual energy, water and waste for the previous business year, and then compare quantity and costs to a useful metric for your business. In the wine industry it might be hectolitres produced, for the accommodation sector it is often room nights and you can always just stick to gross revenues. If you want to get more advanced, plan to measure and reduce your carbon footprint too.
3. Set Goals
Once you know your “baseline,” or what your starting point is, you can then set reduction goals. For example, “reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2017,” or “achieve zero waste by 2020.” I would also suggest creating some shorter-term goals by quarter or year to help you monitor your progress. Post your goals somewhere that all staff, and ideally customers, can see them. Your lunchroom and website are both great places to do this.
4. Create an Action Plan
With your goals established, you now have to figure out how to achieve them. This is where the action plan comes in. Keep it short-term and accountable, with the name of the person responsible next to the action, and its deadline. Ask your staff and customers to help you come up with actions that will help you reach your goals, and then post your action plan next to your goals and update it frequently. Make reviewing it a part of your regular staff meetings.
5. Track Your Progress and Share Your Success, Repeat!
Monthly, quarterly, or at very minimum annually, compare your current energy, water and waste data to your baseline and measure your results. Your progress towards your goals is great news to communicate on your website and via social media to help you get recognized for the actions that you’ve taken. Once you’ve achieved most of your action items, go back and update your action plan, or make your goals more ambitious.For specific ideas and actions that you can take to green your businesses, join me and Green Tourism Canada for one of our regular free webinars. Check for upcoming dates at www.anymeeting.com/greentourismcanada