Whitsunday Healthy Heart Project Opens Carbon Calculator Access to Entire Tourism Sector.

The Whitsunday Healthy Heart project, an initiative of the Whitsunday Regional Council, has recruited 37 ambitious businesses partners from the tourism sector to start tracking and reducing their carbon emissions.

The aim of the four-year project is to support the decarbonisation of the tourism sector by providing the tools and knowledge for businesses to measure and reduce emissions, improve region-wide sustainability and to work together to achieve a sustainable destination accreditation for the Whitsundays.

Lee Hawkins, Climate Change Resilience Officer said the project could not have come at a better time for the local tourism industry.

“The rise of environmentally conscious travellers is rewarding tourism businesses that are making an effort to reduce their carbon footprint,” she said.

“More visitors are looking for eco-tourism options that have a low, or even non-existent environmental impact.”

Whitsunday Regional Council has recently been awarded funding through the Queensland Government’s Eco-Certified Tourism Destination Program which is a key initiative under the Towards Tourism 2032 strategy to assist Queensland Local Governments and Regional Tourism Organisations to attain destination-level certification.

The funding will be utilised to expand the number of businesses that can access the online emissions portal and fast-track the Whitsundays to achieve an EarthCheck Sustainable Destination Certification.

Additional training and support sessions will also be implemented to assist the region to plan and action sustainability outcomes.

The project has been attracting partners from the marine tourism sector, island resorts and marinas since July 2021.

“As of December 2022, all tourism related businesses are invited to join the project and access the free online carbon calculator to measure their operational carbon footprint,” Ms Hawkins said.

“The online portal is easy to use and assists businesses to measure impacts, reduce environmental impacts and foster quadruple bottom line reporting.”

The emissions snapshot identifies the emissions from a business and recommends options to reduce them.

“Through our 37 partners, we are able to gain a snapshot of our regional tourism emissions and put plans in place to reduce them,” she said.

A total of 33,195 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent emissions have been measured by partners to date, with most emissions originating from Scope 1 emissions (fuel use in motor vessels) followed closely by Scope 2 emissions (purchased electricity).

For more information or to register interest in joining the Whitsunday Healthy Heart Project, email info@whitsundayrc.qld.gov.au

The Whitsunday Islands is one of three key locations with projects currently underway as part of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Islands Initiative, which is working to restore critical island habitats to protect ecosystems and save vulnerable species.

The 10-year program is supported by funding from Lendlease, the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, the Queensland Government, and the Fitzgerald Family Foundation.

The Eco-certified Tourism Destination Program provides grant funding to Queensland local government authorities and regional and local tourism organisations to support Queensland tourism destinations to achieve globally recognised certification.