• Risk Management - AH1N1 Swine Flu
  
• Banyan Tree - Seedlings:  An initiative for Education
  
• The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
  
• People Behind EC3 - Andre Russ
  
• EC3 Global  - SEED Award 2009
• Green Globe awarded members by EC3 Global (January/09 to April/09)

Risk Management - AH1N1 Swine Flu

What have we learnt from tourism risk management?

The ongoing outbreak of Swine Flu continues to expand in the United States and to other countries in the world. A central lesson in all the case study material collected by EC3 Global is that, in times of crises, residents and visitors need firm leadership and direction. EC3 Global has previously worked with APEC to develop the guide ‘Tourism Risk Management- an Authoritative Guide to Managing Crises in Tourism’. The Guide, which can be accessed for free on www.apec.org/apec/publications/all_publications/tourism_working_group.html, provides a practical framework within which tourism destinations can identify, analyze, evaluate, treat, monitor and review risk. While each tourism destination is unique there are key areas of risk management which are common across all regions. The Guide provides practical checklists which can assist destinations and tourism businesses to adapt and implement current risk management processes.

For more information on EC3 Global please refer to www.ec3global.com

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Banyan Tree - Seedlings:  An initiative for Education

Through its work with Banyan Tree, the team at EC3 Global identified a number of initiatives that truly inspired not only the company internally, but became a call to action when presenting to the broader travel and tourism community around the globe. Of note was the introduction of the Seedlings initiative in 2007. As a socially responsible business, Banyan Tree was founded with the core value of driving sustainable development. Banyan Tree aims to inspire associates, guests, and partners to take a wider point of view when considering Sustainability and CSR objectives and understand the importance of a long term vision when making business decisions. Banyan Tree’s CEO Mr Ho KwonPing firmly commits the group to its journey. “Since our founding, Banyan Tree has sought to promote, embrace and uphold the idea of travel with a conscience. Even as the business climate faces unprecedented challenges from the devastating decline of the modern banking and financial systems worldwide, we remain committed to carefully considered concepts and sustainable practices at as many levels as possible.”

For more information on EC3 Global Certification Programme please refer to www.ec3global.com
For more information of Banyan Tree’s commitment to Sustainability please visit www.banyantree.com/csr

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The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has taken an industry leadership role within Australia over the last few years and committed to reducing their ecological footprint. Through the guidance of their Green Team, established in 2003, the BCEC is undertaking a long list of sustainability initiatives that demonstrate their commitment to addressing their impact socially, economically and environmentally.

These initiatives have resulted in accomplishing impressive Earthcheck Benchmarking Assessments in 2008 and 2009, and achieving above best practice in eight out of ten indicators in 2009.

This year the convention centre made significant improvements to their waste recycling program with the introduction of a new way of separating waste.

Further accomplishments include:

• Reduction in energy consumption of 6.5%, and a reduction in water consumption of 21.6%
• Changing venue escalators to sensor mode: resulting in a 30% reduction in escalator energy usage
• Installation of a Bio Bin to recycle organic material: This will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, provides compost for the garden, and creates a potential fuel source for green power generation
• Purchasing 100% Green Power for Centre’s Administration Office

For more information on the Brisbane Convention Centre’s sustainability initiatives, please click here www.bcec.com.au/about-us/sustainability.aspx
For more information on EC3 Global’s certification programs, contact EC3 Global  www.ec3global.com

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People Behind EC3 - Andre Russ

Andre Russ
Head of Global Markets
With EC3 Global since 2008.
 
After six years spent in London, Andre returned home to Australia and joined the EC3 Global family in early 2008. His first exposure to the industry was a stay with his father at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong in 1985; it was there he developed a passion for hospitality and the global travel and tourism industry. He has worked within the hotel community in Switzerland and Australia and has a strong track record in managing business development ventures in European Supply Chain networks. Prior to joining EC3 Global, Andre was National Account Manager - HORECA at Douwe Egberts UK & Ireland. He holds a Swiss Hotel Association Advanced Diploma of International Hotel Management, a Diplôme de Culinare from Le Cordon Bleu Paris and was awarded the Pernod Ricard Scholarship for Excellence. He is an avid reader and film buff and enjoys anything related to water sports. Andre is passionate about sustainability and believes strongly in the current altruistic movement in the hospitality industry that challenges organisations to have a moral obligation to help, serve, or benefit others.


EC3 Global  - SEED Award 2009

Grupo Plan and Fundacion Haciendas del Mundo Maya in Mexico, are participating in the SEED Award 2009 with three different initiatives:

Mobile Library: The mobile library project works in a region with a strong indigenous Mayan culture presence and high marginalization and illiteracy level. It aims to provide an opportunity for children to get acquainted with the reading.

Cultivation of the Habanero pepper (Chile Habanero): initiative of a group of twenty farmers for the application of governmental grants in the agricultural sector. 70% are senior citizens, and this project provides them with the opportunity of being productive.

Herbolaria – Mayan traditional Medicine: The principal aim in this project is provide the community with a cheaper and sustainable alternative to the modern medicine, rescuing all the traditional knowledge about local plants and their medicinal usage.

To watch the videos please click www.youtube.com/ec3global or click in the image below:

Green Globe awarded members by EC3 Global
(January to April 09)

Green Globe is an international benchmarking, certification and environmental improvement programme, now delivered in over 50 countries world wide. EC3 Global has the exclusive rights to the brand in in the Asia Pacific region (excluding Mainland China) and non exclusive rights in the rest of the world.

Listed below are the global organisations that have achieved Benchmarked or Certificated Status within the programme between January to April 2009.
 

• Certified Platinum Logo represents continued commitment to environmental performance and improvement. It is awarded to organisations after 10 years of continuous certification.
• Certified Gold Logo represents continued commitment to environmental performance and improvement. It is awarded to organisations after 5 years of continuous certification.
• Achieving Silver Certification involves completing all 6 key steps of the program:

1. Policy - establishing a suitable Sustainability Policy;
2. Benchmarking - completing a Benchmarking Assessment. Incorporating key elements such as Energy, Water, Waste, Community, Paper, Cleaning, Pesticides etc..
3. Compliance - comply with relevant legislation and policy requirements;
4. Approach – implementation of an environmental certification management system;
5. Performance – documentation of performance outcomes; and
6. Communication – communication & consultation with key stakeholders including clients, suppliers & staff.

• The Bronze Benchmarked logo recognises completion of the two key steps of the Green Globe Company Standard:

1. Policy - establishing a suitable Sustainability Policy;
2. Benchmarking - completing a Benchmarking Assessment. Incorporating key elements such as Energy, Water, Waste, Community, Paper, Cleaning, Pesticides etc..

 The Green Globe Brand is used under licence from Green Globe Limited and Green Globe International, Inc.