RACV Noosa Resort is a jewel in the crown of Noosa tourist destinations, having been voted Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice for best accommodation in Queensland in both 2023 and 2024.
One of the strings in their bow for guest satisfaction is their commitment to sustainability values and practices.
Across the resort, they are taking actions to reduce waste, as well as water and energy use.
These actions not only reduce emissions but bring in savings. And with Booking.com’s recent global data showing that sustainable travel is important to 83 per cent of travellers, the resort team are also adding to their guests’ experiences.
Resort manager Darren McClenaghan said, “We want to give guests the peace of mind that they are staying in a resort with a lighter footprint.”
Some of the major changes being introduced are across their power use, water consumption, recycling and EV transport. These steps have led to them obtaining Gold EarthCheck Certification. The certification process benchmarks them against other tourist businesses across the region.
The resort transitioned to 100 per cent renewable energy in January 2023, with around eight per cent of their power coming from solar panels on the main buildings and 40 villas.
They have replaced 5000 lights with energy-saving LED bulbs and run exhaust fans, pool filtration, air conditioning and hot and cold water system pumps using variable speed drives to be more sustainable.
The Noosa team has also installed a new building management system which will monitor and control electricity and water across all 170 apartments and the central facilities. This is anticipated to provide significant environmental benefits. The system monitors water consumption which assists with leak detection – no need to wait for the quarterly water bill to know if there is a problem. The system is also linked to the guests’ booking system so air conditioners can be turned off automatically when rooms are vacated. Similarly, the system will control the air conditioners in function rooms, so they are only on when the rooms are in use. Being able to set minimum and maximum ranges for the thermostats will further reduce electricity use and cost. Additionally, they will be able detect faults in the solar panels and pool pumps – again saving time and money on repairs.
Conserving water is another sustainability goal. The resort has two 20,000 litre underground water tanks to collect rain and groundwater, which is then used for garden irrigation and pressure washing.
“We also have an active recycling program,” Darren said.
“Cardboard, e-waste, glass, mattresses and even old staff uniforms are recycled.”
The management of waterways and habitats for native wildlife is another important initiative that impacts the local ecology and enhances the guest experience.
In the transport space, they have upgraded their four EV chargers for RACV Noosa Resort guests and have three EVs available for guests to hire. “This is a great way to introduce more people to EVs. They are often surprised by how well the EV performs.”
Lastly, the resort aims to give back to the local Noosa community. Over the last two years, $10,000 was donated to Wildlife Noosa, and guests have the option to forgo a daily room service and convert the savings into a $10 donation to Wildlife Noosa.
Having sustainably aware and proactive businesses such as RACV Noosa Resort in our region is something we can all be proud of.
If you would like to learn more about how to make your business more sustainable check out zeroemissionsnoosa.com.au
