Green or Greenwashed? Genuine Eco-Stays vs Marketing Spin

You’ve found a beautiful stay, it has good reviews, it’s been in an impressive list of magazines and it’s ‘eco’. But is it? Really?

As climate change and the extinction crisis become more evident, travellers’ intention to travel more sustainably comes to the fore. Recent research into sustainable travel conducted by Booking.com indicates that 75% of global travellers express a desire to travel more sustainably.

Likewise, many short-stay accommodation providers are also working hard to increase their sustainable features and obtain industry credentials to reduce their impact and verify their performance. However, many short-stay accommodation providers are merely resorting to ‘greenwashing’.

It can be hard to discern between those who are really taking authentic action and those whose green claims are veneer thin. So, how can you tell the difference between those taking real action and those just greenwashing?
Here are some pointers.

Look for Evidence

Be cautious of phrases like ‘eco-friendly’, ‘eco-conscious’, ‘natural’, or ‘green’ without evidence of hard data and measurable results. Claims like ‘carbon neutral’ should come with clear explanations and documentation.

Look for Certifications

Does the stay have an internationally recognised sustainable or eco certification? In Australia there are two main bodies certifying tourism that are recognised internationally. They are EarthCheck and Ecotourism Australia.You may see other accreditations too. The most common are those issued by the Australian Industry Tourism Council (ATIC). These are their Sustainable Tourism and Ecostar badges. These are less rigorous than the certifying bodies above and are accreditations recognised only within Australia.

Did you know that it is illegal in the European Union to make an ‘eco’ or ‘green’ claim without an internationally recognised certification? Oh, how I wish that were the case in Australia!

More than a solar panel and a water tank

How deep is the stay’s green claim? Are they claiming sustainability or an eco-focus by merely having a solar panel and a water tank? Really? Most houses in dry climates or with occasional domestic-use water shortages have recently adopted those features.

How ‘Eco’ is the Farm where the Farm-stay is?

Is the stay claiming an eco-focus because the stay has a bushy view or a view of paddocks? Many stays highlight insubstantial eco-friendly practices while their core operations remain environmentally harmful. The stay may have solar panels and a water tank, but how ecological are the farming practices deployed on the farm itself?
Do they use non-renewable fertilisers like superphosphate? Have they destroyed all their native grasses to grow introduced pastures? Do they use glyphosate (Roundup)?

What practices are they putting in place to ensure soil health, prevent erosion, minimise rainfall-runoff, enhance water quality, and provide shade and shelter for their animals? Can they point to improvements in the health of their land?

Planting native trees

What are the food miles and greenhouse gas emissions like on the produce they grow? Do they export their produce overseas? Does the farm create spaces or protect habitats that invite wildlife onto their farms? Do they cull wombats or cockatoos?

Look for evidence that sustainability is embedded across the farming operation, not just within the walls of the farm-stay.

Look for a commitment to continuous improvement

Sustainability is a never-ending project. Something can always be changed, amended, updated, or improved. Does the stay have greenhouse gas emissions targets and plans to reduce them? What other plans do they have to improve their sustainability continuously?

Who does the stay buy from?

Does the business have a procurement policy? What factors drive their decisions to buy certain products? Do they buy from local businesses to support the local community and reduce product miles? Do they prioritise fair trade and organic produce? Products that minimise packaging? So many potential factors to consider.

Recycling, Composting, Waste separation?

What is the point of having a solar panel and a water tank if there is no way for guests to separate their waste? Does the stay provide facilities for this?

Firewood

Gorgeous wood-fired hot tub and cute wood-fired heater! But where does the wood come from? From the property itself? Is it sustainably harvested? How do you know? What is the business’s ‘take or leave’ policy? Do they leave fallen wood in the paddocks for habitat for birds and insects, or do they consider it messy and ‘tidy’ it up?

Beyond minimising and mitigating to nature positive action

In the climate change and extinction crisis, it is no longer sufficient to minimise and mitigate environmental harm. Instead, what is required now is nature-positive action. What is the business doing to actively engage in nature repair?

Red Flags

Beware of a business offsetting carbon emissions without taking responsibility for reducing overall emissions themselves.

And wait, there is more!
I am certain you have already thought of other claims that need interrogating that are a particular interest of yours. Ask the stay about them.

What we are doing

We are far from perfect – actually, there is no such thing! But we are working hard to continuously reduce our impact and enhance our habitats – both on the farm and in our conservation area.Our website clearly outlines the eco-features of our stay, our commitment to our conservation area and environmental repair through our environmental projects. We also count our greenhouse gas emissions and have plans in place to reduce these. We have a detailed Procurement Policy (available on request) that informs our purchasing decisions and we have achieved both the nationally-recognised (ATIC) and internationally-recognised certifications. Ours is with Ecotourism Australia. These certifications and accreditations and the awards we have been recognised by are listed at the footer of our website.

AND, we invite and welcome your questions on our approach, our farming practices and any aspect of what we do. We know that you are a conscious consumer in every other aspect of your life so, absolutely make it your business to research the claims the stay makes of its activity.

Our Blog

There are many articles in our blog that outline our philosophy and activity. Take a look and test our claims against your ethics.

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