Tourism Whistler

Tourism Whistler is the marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, British Columbia. Representing more than 7,000 members, Tourism Whistler is responsible for promoting the resort as an international, four-season destination. Tourism Whistler uses the GobiSOFT carbon management software to track its greenhouse gases for its three operating business units: the Whistler Golf Club; Whistler.com; and the Whistler Conference Centre and Tourism Whistler's administrative offices.

Karen Playfair, VP of Finance & Operations at Tourism Whistler, provides her perspective on why the organization is actively measuring and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

Why has Tourism Whistler decided to track and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions?

Tourism Whistler decided two years ago to start tracking its GHG emissions because it saw the writing on the wall. A general corporate shift to embracing GHG reporting, consumer demand for accountability around emissions, and the Provincial government’s goals for carbon reduction all pointed to the inevitability that measurement, reduction and reporting will soon become mandatory. For Tourism Whistler, tracking GHG emissions has also assisted the organization in aligning with Whistler’s municipally-led resort-wide sustainability strategy, Whistler 2020.

What benefits do you see from tracking and reducing greenhouse gases?

An organization can only improve on what it measures, and tracking is the first step in reducing emissions. Since establishing its base carbon footprint in 2007, Tourism Whistler has been able to reduce its carbon emissions by 66 tonnes, a decrease of 10%. This decrease correlates directly to a reduction in electricity usage, fossil fuel consumption, waste production, paper usage and air travel, and comes with accompanying cost savings. Tourism Whistler’s goal is to reduce GHG emissions to a point where cost savings from reduction can be used to purchase carbon offsets, allowing the organization to be carbon neutral. Its carbon reduction initiatives also provide a good news story to be shared by Tourism Whistler with its resort partners, customers and employees.

Why did Tourism Whistler choose the Gobi tool for managing its emissions?

When Tourism Whistler started down the path of GHG tracking, it quickly discovered that tracking emissions in a complex organization was no easy feat. Tracking and reporting involved a myriad of spreadsheets and calculations. Conversion figures, mileage, scope type – all these things were difficult to understand and determine. Gobi provides an easy means to enter data, automatically converts and calculates, and produces consistent, useful reporting. It also allows for an organization to set targets for reduction, and to measure and report on the progress towards those goals. In order for organizations to be successful with measuring and reporting their GHG emissions, they must have a straightforward and convenient method to do so, and the Gobi tool fits the bill.