Did you know that we’re Eco Certified at Go West?
Here at Go West we work closely with Ecotourism Australia to ensure that we do everything we can to deliver quality experiences that follow ecotourism principles. Since 2005, Go West Tours has been accredited with EcoTourism Australia. We were the first tour operator in our niche to achieve this accreditation, and we remain as committed to the guiding principles of sustainable tourism today as we were back in 2005.
About Eco Tourism Australia
Ecotourism Australia (EA) is a not for profit organisation focused on inspiring environmentally sustainable and culturally responsible tourism. They design and deliver certification programs for tourism products, representing more than 500 environmentally responsible ecotourism operators and 1,500 products across Australia. While promoting sustainable travel around Australia, the primary focus is to work with nature–based tourism products & operators, to promote and encourage environmentally sound practices.
What is Eco Certification?
The ECO Certification program assures travellers that certified products are backed by a strong, well managed commitment to sustainable practices and provides high quality nature-based tourism experiences. The ECO Certification Program is a world first and it has been developed to address the need to identify genuine nature and ecotourism operators.
What’s our role?
As a tourism operator whose primary function is to show visitors to Melbourne the natural assets of our state, we take very seriously our obligation to operate in a sustainable fashion and do what we can to ensure that our natural assets are maintained for future generations – and visitors.
At Go West Tours we take pride in working with accredited organisations, who aim to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage environmentally sound practices. As an organisation, we are committed to being a leader in sustainability, and constantly look to improve all aspects of our environmental footprint.
Other Initiatives
In our administrative space, we aim to lower our carbon footprint were possible. Our depot & offices are fitted with LED lighting which consumes up to 90% less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs, and have close to no UV emissions. Also, areas of our depot are fitted with push timers to reduce energy waste.
We encourage staff to avoid, reduce, re-use and recycle wherever we can. Our busses are cleaned with biodegradable cleaning products, and we use a water filtration system to separate waste water and soap. Bike parking is available onsite and we encourage staff to ride into work.
We also focus on recycling our waste where possible. Printer cartridges are recycled to avoid adding to landfill, where they have the potential to contaminate groundwater and the environment. Much of our organic waste is recycled, with a number of team members taking coffee grinds and other organic matter home to add to the worm farms.
After all, we want to share the beauty of Australia for future generations. To find out more about Ecotourism Australia and how you can get involved visit their website!
And while you’re here, check out this awesome article from our friends at Alandis Travel on all things sustainable tourism!
