Gumnut Awards for holiday parks committed to our environment

The Gumnut Awards are a certification program for holiday and residential parks that recognises a demonstrated commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Actively adopted by parks all over Australia, who show dedication to the needs of park visitors, their staff, local residents and the general community, while also looking out for our future by respecting and improving the environment.

The Gumnut Awards consist of three levels of achievement, Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Bronze - This is the entry level, which recognises the good work parks are already doing. Park operators must satisfy criteria and benchmarks over the 10 core categories of the Gumnut Awards.

Silver - After attending a second workshop, operators are required to develop an integrated Environment Management Plan, which specifies their plans over the next five to ten years, consistent with the 10 Gumnut categories.

Gold - Park operators must demonstrate that they have achieved significant progress with the implementation of the projects outlined in their Environment Management Plan, as well as identifying new initiatives.

Waikerie Caravan Park Gumnut Award

The Waikerie Caravan Park has recently achieved Bronze level certification after only two months under new management. The park managers have satisfied the criteria for the following core categories:

1. Landscaping
2. Water and Wastewater
3. Solid Waste
4. Energy Efficiency
5. Air and Noise Pollution
6. Biodiversity Conservation
7. Economics
8. Staff
9. Local Community
10. Safety and Emergency Response Planning

To satisfy these core categories the park has increased the native plant population in the park from 45% to 85%, installed gas heater pumps and timers on lights in all toilets. We have also introduced recycling all through the park with numerous recycling bins for bottles and cans.

Bird huts and signs to make guests aware of our bird population have been put around our park. We have also cut down on pesticides and use mainly local suppliers to reduce carbon emission. Products are also purchased in bulk to reduced excess packaging.

90% of our accommodation is installed with water tanks and all toilet blocks and accommodation is fitted with water saving devices. To reduce disturbance we have also introduced a low noise policy after 10 pm and no excessive noise at anytime.

The Waikerie Caravan Park will now continue its development in becoming an eco-friendly park. We will now also work our way through the levels of certification in the Gumnut Awards.

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