As the first business funded by Destination NSW to complete their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard, Bandicoot Pottery is committed to continuous improvement on their sustainability journey.

Bandicoot Pottery opened in the 1980s when two classically trained ceramicists, Daniel Lafferty and Gabrielle Powell, decided to open a pottery studio to share their passion with their guests. After the Black Summer Bushfires forced Bandicoot Pottery to rebuild their studio from the ground up, the owners sought to strengthen their business’s resilience. Through completing the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard in partnership with Destination NSW, Bandicoot Pottery is determined to make the most of their new beginning and believe adopting sustainable operations can help their business in the long run.

Owner Gabrielle Powell said, “During tough times, sustainability may help my business survive. I may be able to increase profitability by looking at my costs. The less resources I use, the less I spend, and the better I will perform.”

Bandicoot Pottery are committed to improving their environmental sustainability and maximising the resources used in the studio by locally sourcing ‘wild’ clay and reclaiming and reusing old clay and packaging materials. Ingeniously, they also recycle fired clay as aggregate on their driveway.

Offering a variety of workshops for enthusiasts of all ages, they encourage guests to flex their creative muscles by expressing their imagination, experiences and thoughts through pottery. Fierce advocates for mental health, Bandicoot Pottery participate in disARTster in collaboration with the NSW Government and Charles Sturt University. This initiative provides young rural Australians an opportunity to share their experiences of the Black Summer Bushfires and climate disaster.

Striving to improve their sustainability initiatives, the Scorecard helped them to measure their current practices and identify recommendations across the four pillars of sustainability: sustainable management, environmental, socio-economic and cultural impacts.

“The objective is to provide a snapshot of our operations and the way we can improve sustainability in our business in key environmental and cultural areas,” said Powell. “As well as providing me with suggestions on how to improve my sustainability score, the Scorecard has also given me ideas on how to improve our business overall.”

Using Ecotourism Australia’s clearly formatted online application portal to complete the Scorecard simplified the entire process for Bandicoot Pottery. By identifying what documentation is required to complete the criteria, they can plan for their next Scorecard.

“Based on the criteria and feedback, I’ve already created a few documents. I’m going to use what I have and continue to develop to make improvements in my score,” said Powell.

Bandicoot Pottery found they had a lot to be proud in their Scorecard and are excited to share their achievement with their guests.

“I’ll put our Scorecard in the next monthly newsletter, then promote it on our website.”

However, the journey for Bandicoot Pottery doesn’t end here. For their next step, they will be using the insights produced in their Scorecard to build on their sustainability initiatives. Then, they intend to take the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard again.

Powell stated, “In certain areas, I’d like to improve my score as well. Retaking the Scorecard will help me to continue learning and improving in the sustainability space.”

Bandicoot Pottery received a complimentary Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard thanks to Destination NSW’s partnership with Ecotourism Australia. There are limited places remaining in this grant, register your interest here: https://www.ecotourism.org.au/strive-4-sustainability/NSW

Bandicoot Pottery completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 2 August 2023 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

• Introduce a balanced structure of member-elected Directors (maximum 5) and Board-appointed Directors (maximum 4)
• Update Director terms from 2 years to 3 years, with a maximum of two terms (6 years total)
• Meet current regulatory requirements for a Company Limited by Guarantee
• Be modernised and contemporary to meet Ecotourism Australia’s strategic imperatives and our objectives
• Provide a streamlined and concise governance framework.

Back in 2009, a couple living in Naarm/Melbourne sought to break down cultural barriers by introducing curious Melbournites to their cultural background through Indian Food and its history.

Now as the founders of boutique tour company Foodie Trails, they boast a range of foodie experiences immersing guests not only in the tastes and history of Indian foods, but cuisines from across the globe.

A city that sees waves of migration, Naarm/Melbourne has a wealth of culture, food and history that Foodie Trails tap into through their walking tours, festivals, events, and foodie gifts.

They sought an easy way to assess their sustainability practices across all four pillars of sustainability that was affordable and fit into their busy schedule using Ecotourism Australia’s Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard.

“We represent a multitude of cultures through food and its history at our tours, events and festivals,” stated Founder of Foodie Trails, Himanshi Munshaw Luhar. “Using the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard to compare our cultural practices to sustainability criteria, and to see how other components of our operations perform, was a great first step to learning about where we are at on our sustainability journey.”

Foodie Trails shines through maximising the cultural benefits of their operations as a celebration of local and international cultures. The company also facilitates meaningful engagement with the Koorie Heritage Trust in Naarm/Melbourne and have consulted with Aboriginal corporations to create authentic experiences of culture, community and food through their operations.

Munshaw Luhar said, “We know we excel in cultural sustainability, and it was excellent to be recognised for our efforts through the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard. The scorecard report also provided insights into what we would improve upon, including tips to make that happen that suit our business.”

Ecotourism Australia’s save-as-you-go online portal takes the pressure off applying, particularly for Foodie Trails who are leading guests on culinary tours for hours at a time during the day.

“The portal was simple to use and submitting out documentation was straightforward, so it made the process of completing the criteria very approachable. It also allowed us to complete the application segments so we could return at a time that suited us,” said Munshaw Luhar.

You can find Foodie Trails’ enriching cultural foodie experiences across Naarm/Melbourne. Discover what’s on offer: https://www.foodietrails.com.au/

Foodie Trails completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 14 June 2023 and is a snapshot of their current sustain ability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

• Introduce a balanced structure of member-elected Directors (maximum 5) and Board-appointed Directors (maximum 4)
• Update Director terms from 2 years to 3 years, with a maximum of two terms (6 years total)
• Meet current regulatory requirements for a Company Limited by Guarantee
• Be modernised and contemporary to meet Ecotourism Australia’s strategic imperatives and our objectives
• Provide a streamlined and concise governance framework.

In 1980, a group of adventurous travellers boarded Australia’s very first passenger balloon ride, marvelling at views of New South Wales’ incredible landscapes like nobody had seen them before. That ride was operated by Balloon Aloft, and they haven’t stopped creating memorable experiences since.

As trailblazers in adventure tours, Balloon Aloft is now also the first balloon ride operator to complete Ecotourism Australia’s Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard.

“At Balloon Aloft we recognize that sustainable tourism is essential for the future of our planet so we are committed to preserving the environment and promoting sustainability through a range of initiatives,” stated Balloon Aloft Marketing Manager, Michelle Wills.

Relying on Australia’s pristine natural landscapes when curating experiences, they make it their responsibility to ensure their operations are as sustainable as possible to protect the local environment, community, and cultures.

Taking the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard allowed the team to take a deeper look into how well they were addressing the four pillars of sustainability and was an approachable sustainability assessment before progressing to global best practice sustainability standards through one of Ecotourism Australia’s certification programs.

Wills stated, “We have been interested in applying for Ecotourism Australia certification for a number of years as part of our commitment to sustainability. We saw the scorecard program as the first step in our aim to achieving this.”

The team discovered a lot to celebrate in their scorecard report, which became a detailed account of their achievements in striving for a more sustainable future.

Balloon Aloft’s partnership with Greenfleet means they offset all carbon emissions from their activities, including each ticket that’s purchased with them. At their on-ground head office and balloon storage location in the Hunter Valley, the company are using an 8.4 kW solar grid system to further reduce emissions made by day-to-day operations.

The company is entirely reliant on collected rainwater which they use for cleaning, drinking, and even store for firefighters if the area is affected by bushfires. They are proud Sea Shepherd Ambassadors too and nurture their surrounding ecosystems by planting native trees and removing non-native plant species on their 50-acre property.

Wills said, “The insights produced by our report were incredibly helpful and reinforced that we were on the right track with our sustainability and environmental management programs. It also allowed us to see where we had room to improve moving forwards and motivated our whole team to do even better with our sustainability efforts.”

But sustainability is a journey, and there are always more avenues to explore.

“The process of addressing each criteria was a good way of reviewing all our sustainability goals and checking these against our results,” stated Wills. “It also gave us further ideas as to how we can continue to refine our existing measurement and review practices so that we can continue to improve our sustainability processes in the future.”

Wills also noted that Ecotourism Australia’s online portal made completing each criteria simple and straight-forward, giving them confidence that they were on the right track. “Throughout the submission process, we were able to click through to get tips on best practices as well as guidance on what should be included in each section.”

Thanks to Ecotourism Australia’s partnership with Big Red Group and the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW), Balloon Aloft can be found proudly displaying their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard. Check out their sustainability page to learn more about how they strive for tourism sustainability: https://balloonaloft.com/sustainability/

Balloon Aloft completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 10 July 2023 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

• Introduce a balanced structure of member-elected Directors (maximum 5) and Board-appointed Directors (maximum 4)
• Update Director terms from 2 years to 3 years, with a maximum of two terms (6 years total)
• Meet current regulatory requirements for a Company Limited by Guarantee
• Be modernised and contemporary to meet Ecotourism Australia’s strategic imperatives and our objectives
• Provide a streamlined and concise governance framework.