Cavan Adventure Centre’s Sustainability Policy 2024

This document will be reviewed June 2024

1. Vision/mission/company ethos

At Cavan Adventure Centre our core values are humanity, transparency, integrity, and nature.

We believe in alleviating the negative impacts of business activities which informs our mission and vision to inspire and educate individuals about the rich tapestry of our natural landscape. Rooted in our values we are committed to fostering a deep connection between people and the environment.

Our purpose is to provide transformative experiences that not only showcase the beauty of the landscape but also instil a profound understanding of its ecological significance. Through innovative and educational programs, we aim to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to become stewards of the environment.

Integrity guides our every action, ensuring that we operate with transparency, honesty, and a steadfast commitment to ethical practices. We prioritize humanity by creating inclusive and diverse learning environments that celebrate the unique perspectives each person brings. By placing nature at the forefront of our values, we acknowledge its intrinsic value and our responsibility to protect and preserve it for future generations.

2. UNWTO definition
• At Cavan Adventure Centre, we believe that sustainable tourism is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts while addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities (UNWTO, n.d.). We therefore aim to reduce our negative effects and increase our positive impacts.

3. Continuous improvement

We aren’t perfect yet, but we are committed to continuously improving our efforts. As ambassadors of the natural world, we strive to leave a positive impact on the communities we serve, fostering a sense of responsibility and respect for the interconnectedness of all living things. Cavan Adventure Centre is dedicated to shaping a future where individuals are not only aware of the beauty of the landscape but are also equipped to actively contribute to its conservation.

4. Measuring and reducing negative impacts
4a. Energy consumption

To reduce our electricity usage, we aim to:

• Turn off all office appliances at nighttime.
• Change kayak changing facilities from an oil heating system to solar panels.
• Our studio and conference room have large windows to allow natural daylight, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day.
• Studio has an environmentally friendly wood pellet burning stove.

We measure usage monthly to review our consumption and aim to reduce the consumption by 20% by December 2024.

4b. Water consumption

We measure our water use at kayak changing facilities, water park changing facilities and our office every month. We have installed low flow shower heads and water toilet bags. We aim to reduce consumption by installing a rainwater harvesting system which will reduce water consumption by 10% by December 2024.

4c. Waste production

We commit to measuring our waste consumption every month and do the following to reduce consumption:

• Install a water drinking foundation to reduce plastic waste.
• Supply necessary signage and bins for our customers.
• Implement a zero single-use plastic policy by September 2024.
• Advise our customers to bring their refillable water bottles on their visit.
We aim to reduce our waste production by 20% by April 2025.

5. Ethical purchasing

When purchasing goods, we ensure that we follow our Green Purchasing Policy. We endeavour to procure only locally sourced (within 50km of our business) and environmentally friendly products. This includes and is not limited to items that are:

• Durable, as opposed to disposable.
• Highly energy efficient.
• Recyclable or safely disposable.
• Manufactured in an environmentally sound manner.
• Delivered with minimal packaging.
• Preferably made with recycled and/or recyclable material.

6. Carbon management

At Cavan Adventure Centre we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible and to offsetting the remainder with a trusted partner. We prioritise reducing our impact first by reducing our waste, water and energy consumption.

To reduce are carbon footprint at Cavan Adventure Centre we:

Have installed low flow shower heads to reduce our water consumption
Turn off all appliances at night time to reduce our energy consumption
Have installed a water drinking foundation to reduce plastic waste

7. Responsible sustainability marketing

We know that it is important to communicate our efforts in an honest way. We are aware of the risk of greenwashing, and we therefore commit to:

• Only display promotional materials including product details, pricing and purpose accurately and truthfully.
• Market primarily digitally on our social media channels and website.

We know we can’t always get things right first time. We therefore commit to honestly communicating where we are on our journey and our improvements.

8. Social responsibility

We support our local community by:

• Offering tours that incorporate our local village shops, restaurants, b&bs and hotels.
• Local road clean up by our staff.

9. Supporting Biodiversity & Conservation

To protect and conserve our local and Irish biodiversity we:

• Host informal educational biodiversity tours.
• Manage a current conservation project with our local Ecologist.
• Commit to protect habitats by mitigating footfall to our woodlands.
• Reduce our use of insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides.

Signed by:
Nuala McCann 21.03.2024
Head of Sustainability

Sean Thornton 08.07.2024

CEO