Just a stone’s throw away from a secluded arm of Sydney Harbour, The Ranger’s Cottage Manly offers a quiet beachside retreat nestled within a leafy bush reserve.
With funding support from Destination New South Wales, the harbourside cottage engaged with the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard to assess its business practices across the four pillars of sustainability — Sustainable Management, Environmental Impacts, Socio-economic Impacts, and Cultural Impacts — and gain valuable feedback.
In 2012 The Ranger’s Cottage Manly was opened by owner Felicity Stevens and is so named because it was originally inhabited by the local forest ranger over 100 years ago. The newly refurbished, fully self-contained, sunny Cottage is surrounded by iconic Australian flora and fauna and features homely interior design.
The Ranger’s Cottage is serious about showcasing their commitment to sustainability, with key initiatives including:
- Generating their own power on site with solar
- Buying renewable energy
- Offering a compost bin to use
- Collecting water in rainwater tanks
- Using environmentally friendly cleaning products and personal care items that are refilled
- Providing public-transport cards
- Using reusable water and coffee cups
“We have been on the sustainability hosting journey for over 12 years and while we’ve implemented various sustainable practices, I wanted to see how we actually measure up and identify areas where we can improve. The Scorecard provides a clear benchmark for our efforts and helps us see where we can push further to minimise our impact on the environment,” said Felicity Stevens, Property Manager at The Ranger’s Cottage Manly.
The Scorecard provided valuable insight into areas for improvement to ensure transparency and consistency in sustainable operating.
“The Scorecard emphasised the need to clearly communicate our sustainability efforts with guests, helping them understand what we do and why. In particular, it highlighted the importance of documenting our housekeeping guides and purchasing rules,” explains Felicity.
Using the finding from the Scorecard, Felicity has already begun establishing new goals and priorities for long-term sustainability. For example, she plans to create more channels to share with guests the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind their sustainable practices, along with the tangible impact of guests’ actions during their stay.
Felicity’s experience with the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard was so rewarding, it even motivated her to create her own website to inspire other holiday rental owners to adopt more sustainable practices.
“My website features a range of guides and explanations designed to help other make sustainable changes to their homes and how they operate for guests. I hope this resource makes it easier for others to embark on their own sustainability journeys,” Felicity says.
By completing the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard, The Ranger’s Cottage Manly have taken an important step in their commitment to sustainability. Thanks to the support of Destination New South Wales and our founding partner, Tourism Australia, The Ranger’s Cottage have been empowered to contribute to a greener future for the tourism industry.
You can learn more about The Rangers Cottage Manly and book your visit here
The Ranger’s Cottage completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on the 23 of July 2024. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.
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