explains Park Manager Andrew Daff. “As a NSW Government Agency, we serve as custodians of the natural environment and have a duty to walk the walk, when it comes to setting sustainability benchmarks. The EarthCheck Certification Program gives our organisation transparency in-market and helps set the standard for the caravan industry to follow.”

The EarthCheck Program is used by more than 1000 travel and tourism companies in over 60 countries. It takes a decidedly science-based approach to certification, providing a management framework that is of international standard.

“Our financial risk modelling points to energy and water costs that are set to rise to unprecedented levels. As such, we’re determined to become as self-sufficient as possible so that we can remain a low cost eco tourism destination. By investing now to reduce operating costs, we’re ensuring we won’t have to pass on escalating utility costs to customers.”

Ever since the Park started measuring their outputs and using EarthCheck technology to help reduce their environmental impacts, energy consumption has dropped to the point that they could offset enough on-site to be certified as carbon neutral.

In terms of financial savings, they’ve achieved savings others can only dream of! Take for example their ongoing gross profit growth rate of 12% annually since 2006. This translates to a consistent annual customer growth rate of 15%.  Visitor numbers have grown from 108,000 pa in 2006, to 160,000 (est) in 2010.

It would be expected that with such growth would be accompanied by an increase in operating costs, but due to the sustainability practices already in place, energy bills for 2010 remained at 2006 levels. And if that’s not impressive enough, water bills almost halved and waste costs remained at 2007 levels!

That puts paid to the argument that certification costs are too high (EarthCheck costs the equivalent of a cup of coffee a day) and that the hassle of having to undergo the process won’t have an influence on visitor bookings.

“Those businesses looking at certification as merely a marketing tool are missing the point,” says Daff “Making a meaningful commitment to sustainability has been the catalyst for our business growth and that’s not because we have a logo on our website.

“Rather, sustainability practices are incorporated into all habitat and biodiversity projects and that’s resulted in the re-establishment of species that we thought we’d never see again. Bandicoot populations have increased by about 70% on 2005 levels; sightings of yellow bellied gliders have increased and there have been confirmed sightings of nine different species of frogs (including a newly-established family of the endangered red crowned toadlet in our solar system habitat zone). There are also new populations of brush turkey, which had not been seen in Lane Cove Valley since the late 1960’s.”

Such abundance serves as draw-cards for visitors. They’re complimented by free wildlife tours and Indigenous cultural performances in a bid to educate visitors in a gentle, yet interactive manner.

“For the team at Lane Cove River Tourist Park, sustainability is not about the here and now,” concludes Daff in a matter-of-fact manner, “At some stage, we all have to consider the legacy we leave behind and I for one am damned sure that it’ll be a better one than what was inherited!”

About Lane Cove River Tourist Park
Established in the 1960s, Lane Cove River Tourist Park is a unique business unit within the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change (National Parks and Wildlife division). The Park is situated in the Lane Cove National Park and is the only such tourist park anywhere in the world, located so close to a major city. Lane Cove River Tourist Park features 28 fully serviced eco-cabins and over 300 caravan, campervan and tent sets set in pristine native bushland. It accommodates over 150,000 visitors every year.  The park boasts over 40 acres of native gardens – one of the largest native gardens in the Sydney area.

Since 2005, the self-funding Park has been transformed into one of the country’s leading low cost ecotourism destinations. The park has invested in a number of world first sustainability products and services.  The park is home to a variety of native animals including the vulnerable red crown toadlet and bent wing bat. Go to www.lcrtp.com.au

About EC3 Global: The world's largest certifier of sustainable travel and tourism operators, EC3 Global has more than 1000 clients in over 60 countries. The company’s EarthCheck Program responds directly to the major environmental problems facing the planet, including climate change, waste reduction and non-renewable resource management. It provides benchmarking, certification and performance improvement systems that result in average savings of 30 per cent for energy and waste stream, and 20 per cent savings for water consumption. Go to www.earthcheck.org  or   www.ec3global.com

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