Photo / Rob Edwards
In yet another display of New Zealand’s world-leading sustainable tourism credentials, the small whale watching capital of Kaikoura has become the first destination in the world to receive EarthCheck’s Gold Community certification.
Previously, EarthCheck awarded Gold certification only to facilities such as resorts and not communities. However, given the significant and sustained commitment displayed by Kaikoura, EarthCheck has now awarded the prestigious Gold certification to the community.
Since 1999, when Kaikoura first adopted what is now known as the EarthCheck Sustainable Communities Program, it has been meeting EarthCheck’s rigorous environmental standards across a range of indicators. This provided Kaikoura District Council with a framework to reduce the environmental impact of the community’s activities upon the increasingly popular region.
EarthCheck Certification is the world’s leading program, used by the travel and tourism industry. EC3 Global has certified more organisations than any other; resulting in over 1100 clients in more than 65 countries. EarthCheck complies with the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 14064 range of standards for greenhouse gas accounting. Go to www.earthcheck.org
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