Elmhirst’s Resort has achieved Tourism GOLD Certification from Sustainable Tourism
A comprehensive assessment has led to Elmhirst’s Resort being awarded GOLD certification from North America’s largest sustainable tourism certification program: Sustainable Tourism 2030.
“Sustainability has always been an important part of the way Elmhirst’s Resort conducts its business activities. The Sustainable Tourism 2030 certification validated much of the work we have done so far but also highlighted some important next steps. Applying a clearer focus to measuring key energy, environment and social impacts, setting goals to sustain consistent improvement, and getting everyone involved on both sides of our guest relationships will amplify the work we have done already. The changes caused by the unprecedented challenges of 2020 create an opportunity to look at Elmhirst’s Resort in new ways and implement new solutions” said Greg Elmhirst, General Manager.
To receive a GOLD Certification, Elmhirst’s Resort had to meet specific standards after a Sustainable Tourism assessor completed a one-on-one assessment. The process compared Elmhirst’s Resort practices against a set of criteria in 16 different categories that align with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Criteria and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Some of the sustainability action plan items that Elmhirst’s has undertaken include:
- Commitment to achieve optimal efficiency in consumption of water and energy inputs with reduction of waste outputs.
- Implement a sustainable purchasing action plan
- Increase stakeholder engagement in the sustainability action plan
In order to uphold the integrity and credibility of the program, businesses are required to undergo a re-assessment every two years. Elmhirst’s will need to demonstrate continual improvement in our sustainability performance to maintain and improve our grading.
About Elmhirst’s Resort: Elmhirst’s Resort offers an authentic cottage resort retreat on the north shore of Rice Lake, Ontario, 90 minutes east of Toronto. Open year-round, the resort has a collection of 30 housekeeping cottages, two restaurants, Spa, health club and pools, conference and wedding facilities, boat docking, runway and air service. The 240-acre resort is a mixture of waterfront, working farmland, gardens, woodlands and natural landscapes, which are sustainably managed to lessen the environmental impacts on the property. To learn more, visit www.elmhirst.ca.
About Sustainable Tourism: Sustainable Tourism is the largest sustainability certification program for the tourism and hospitality industry in Canada. Certified Sustainable Tourism businesses have received a one-on-one assessment of their sustainability performance against a set of 81 criteria, and a customized action plan on how to make their operations more sustainable.
Sustainable Tourism is delivered by GreenStep Solutions. To learn more visit www.sustainabletourism2030.com, or contact Angela Nagy, CEO, by email: angela@greenstep.ca or by phone: 1-800-469-7830.