Green tourism sets 'big hairy audacious' million tonne co2 goal

Jon Proctor Technical Director of Green Tourism announcing ambitious Green Tourism carbon goals

Million tonne carbon saving target announced plus Goldstar tourism businesses awarded at green convention.

200 delegates saw this year’s Green Tourism get-together at the Palace Hotel Manchester break new ground at many levels including massive emissions savings and pilot Green Tourism projects in Zimbabwe and in Italy.

To help tourism businesses reduce costs and manage their carbon emissions, Jon Proctor, Green Tourism’s Technical Director, announced an ambitious – in his words "Big Hairy Audicious Million Tonne of CO2 goal".

Green Tourism members will be helped to achieve a total of a million tonnes of carbon savings each year from 2015 – this could mean up to an astonishing UK£200 million of energy savings – apart from the benefits in terms of pollution and global warming.

Green Tourism will shortly unveil a carbon calculator to help in this aim.

Felicia K Munjaidi and Sophia Zirebwa of Zimbabwe Tourism with Andrea Nicholas of Green Tourism and Les Solley Best Western Kings Manor Hotel, Edinburgh

Green Tourism also announced an arrangement with Zimbabwe to run a pilot scheme in the African country to audit and certify 50 hotels initially.

A Memorandum of Understanding has also been agreed to run a similar pilot project in the Emilio Romagna province of Italy.

For the first time a certified Green Tourism Canada business has featured in the Goldstar awards.