Firescreek Botanical Winery in the Central Coast region of New South Wales has become Australia’s first ECO Certified winery experience.
This recognition by Ecotourism Australia underscores Firescreek Botanical Winery’s commitment to globally recognised best-practice standards and highlights their leadership in eco and sustainable tourism. Based in a certified ECO Destination, this achievement illustrates a region wide effort to meet the increasing expectation of best-practice sustainable tourism experiences.
“We are incredibly proud to receive this ecotourism certification,” said Nadia O’Connell, Owner of Firescreek Botanical Winery. “This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to sustainability and our passion for protecting the environment. We believe that by practicing sustainable agriculture and following permaculture principles, we can create a positive impact on our community and inspire others to do the same.”
Ecotourism Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms Elissa Keenan, congratulated Firescreek on this achievement.
“Firescreek Botanical Winery is the first winery in Australia to be awarded ECO Certification. Achieving global standard certification is a testament to their dedication to sustainability and environmental stewardship, she said.”
“This milestone not only highlights the national leadership as the first ECO certified winery in Australia but also reinforces the Central Coast’s status as a committed ECO Certified Destination.”
ECO Tourism Certification assesses businesses, through third party auditing, against Ecotourism Australia’s internationally recognised ecotourism standard across the four pillars of sustainability: environmental, cultural, and socio-economic impact and sustainable business operations.
Firescreek Botanical Winery practices organic farming, avoiding synthetic chemicals and pesticides to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Integrating permaculture principles, the winery creates a resilient agricultural system that enhances soil fertility, conserves water and supports local wildlife. Guided tours at the winery educate visitors about sustainable farming and organic agriculture, reflecting the winery’s dedication to eco-conscious practices.
This achievement was supported by Destination Central Coast’s award-winning ‘Eco Advocate’ industry incentive program, delivered in partnership with Ecotourism Australia to drive understanding of sustainable tourism principles across the entire region’s visitor economy.
Explore Firescreek Botanical Winery on the Green Travel Guide for more information: Firescreek Botanical Winery | Green Travel Guide
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Ecotourism Australia Media Contact: Jillian Santry, Communications and Events Officer, e: communications@ecotourism.org.au, ph: 07 3256 6777
To see all the latest news: News & Blog | Ecotourism Australia
About Ecotourism Australia
Ecotourism Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation, established in 1991, that promotes and supports the ecotourism industry in Australia through building capacity and actively promoting sustainable tourism operations and systems. We are recognised as the credible, national peak body for sustainable and nature-based tourism in Australia.
Our foundational program – ECO Certification – was the world’s first national ecotourism certification program. We have more than 2,000 certified experiences in our ECO, Sustainable Tourism, Climate Action, and Respecting Our Culture Certifications. Ecotourism Australia’s certification programs, including the new Sustainable Tourism Certification, are acknowledged and recognised globally. We have a consumer-facing website that features every Sustainable Tourism Certified operator, ECO certified operator, and certified ECO certified Destination in Australia: https://greentravelguide.org
The ECO Destination Certification was developed by Ecotourism Australia using the international Green Destinations standard. The Certification assesses a region across the four pillars of sustainability and the destination must pass an on-site audit conducted by a third-party auditor before Certification can be granted.
In late 2022, a new Sustainable Tourism program was launched including a pre-certification benchmarking tool in the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard with founding partner Tourism Australia to support the broader tourism industry to demonstrate their commitment to, and be recognised for, the four pillars of sustainability: environmental, cultural, financial/business, and socio-economic impact.
Ecotourism Australia has global partnerships, working with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Green Destinations (an international organisation for sustainable destination development); and key partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region including with WWF-Australia, Parks Australia and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).