British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association

The British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association is a non-profit trade organization representing over 500 motels, motor inns, hotels, resorts, lodges, bed and breakfasts, campgrounds and RV Parks throughout British Columbia. As a Gobi Affiliate, the BCLCA promotes the GobiSOFT carbon management software for use by its members.

Joss Penny, Executive Director of the BCLCA, provides his perspective on why the Association is working with its members to measure and reduce their carbon footprint.

Why is the BCLCA encouraging its members to track and reduce their carbon footprint?

The consumer wants business to demonstrate they are practicing sustainability with the goal of preserving civilization for future generations. As tourism businesses there is a need to measure our impact on the environment as well as the economy, so tracking our carbon footprint is an important indicator needed to manage our businesses moving forward. Knowing our carbon impact allows us to contribute to reducing the global carbon impact and meet the consumers’ expectation.

How would a business in the camping and lodging sector benefit from tracking and reducing its carbon footprint?

Many operators in tourism are in the business because they love the lifestyle and have a desire to share their passion for their local area and lifestyle with people. Tourism is more than a product it’s a succession of experiences that need to be recreated for each guest. Sustaining the experience year-over-year is a fundamental requirement, so reducing the carbon footprint and helping to preserve or reduce change on the local environment is the benefit that accrues from carbon footprint tracking. The member businesses benefit from reducing their overall costs over time and the feel good knowledge that they are helping the environment at the same time.

Why do you think the GobiSOFT carbon management software is the right tool for your members?

Our investigation shows that GobiSoft is easy to use and is less expensive than other measurement tools on the market. The tool provides accurate analysis of inputs and outputs that allows the business person to make informed decisions and then measure the results. By using an independent carbon measurement tool members can tell guests what they are doing and back up good environmental husbandry claims with measured evidence.