Visit Cardiff and CHA teamed up with charities, including Keep Wales Tidy and Surfers Against Sewage, to launch an Eco-Tourism campaign at a recent business breakfast at Cardiff International White Water.
Coinciding with World Oceans Day on Saturday 8 June, the campaign builds on the sustainability lessons learned during the Volvo Ocean Race last year – and aims to inspire businesses in the leisure and tourism sector, and visitors to the city, to change their behaviour.
Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Peter Bradbury said: “Cardiff has a fantastic reputation as an event city, but the drive to minimise the environmental impact of Volvo Ocean Race was a real catalyst for us to start looking at how we can make our whole events programme more sustainable.
“Programmes like Blue Planet have obviously increased awareness of this type of issue – the demand for change is out there. So we wanted to share our experiences and the solutions we’ve found to some of these issues, with businesses and visitors so that we can help the leisure and tourism sector here in Cardiff adapt to the changes the public are looking for.
“Every year CHA collects around 430 tonnes of rubbish from the waters of Cardiff Bay, much of it plastic. These guides will hopefully go some way to helping business and individuals play their part in reducing that figure.”
The breakfast event, which was hosted by Lucy Owen, featured:
- Wouter Poortinga of Cardiff University talking about Policies, behaviour and single use plastic
- Louise Tambini of Keep Wales Tidy on Future Proofing Tourism
- Skipping Rocks Lab demonstrating their packaging solutions made from seaweed and plants that disappear naturally
- Environmental Activist and Adventurer Sian Sykes talking about plastic free communities
- Cal Major from Paddle against Plastic on the importance of reconnecting to nature
- The chance to visit an Eco Lounge furnished with items made from rubbish found in Cardiff Bay
- A boat tour of the Rivers Taff and Ely with members of CHA’s Environment Team to see how they manage the huge amount of waste that enters Cardiff Bay
Louise Tambini, Operations Director at Keep Wales Tidy, said: “We are delighted to be part of Visit Cardiff’s Eco-Tourism Campaign. The Volvo Ocean Race was ground-breaking in its approach to sustainability and it is fantastic to see this has left a lasting legacy in Cardiff.
“We are all responsible for caring for our environment, so it’s crucial that we come together to tackle the issue of plastic pollution and ensure a sustainable world for future generations. We hope that Visit Cardiff’s campaign will inspire tourism businesses and visitors to take positive action and change their behaviour for the long-term.”
Two guides, bringing together sustainability advice from key stakeholders and encouraging businesses and tourists to share their sustainability experiences, were launched at the event.
The business guide is available at: www.meetincardiff.com and the visitor guide is available at: www.visitcardiff.com. Experiences can be shared by emailing ecotourism@visitcardiff.com. For more information about CHA’s environmental work, visit www.cardiffharbour.com/environment-2
June 10, 2019 9:34 am.
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