Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards 2024: Partners show support on net zero journey
Tourism and hospitality businesses are being invited to take part in this year’s Climate Springboard programme to help them on their journey to net zero.
The free online programme was created through a partnership by headline partner of the Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards (HITA), Royal Bank of Scotland, and the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute.
The next programme starts on September 12 and includes three live online workshops held fortnightly and lasting two hours, one-to-one calls for extra support, a resource pack with step-by-step guides, and advice on how to tell your climate story to the public, stakeholders and funders.
Participating businesses will leave with a company carbon footprint, reviewed by the team; a template for their own net zero action plan; and a to-do list of tailored ‘quick actions’ to help lower emissions and costs now.
And by sharing experiences, participants will also learn valuable lessons from each other with a new network of like-minded businesses on the same journey.
The next series of workshops takes place on September 12, September 26 and October 10, and then a further programme on October 24, November 7 and November 21, and also November 12, November 26 and December 10.
Sign up and find out more at https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/edinburgh/climate-springboard-sign-up-2024
Join the mailing list at https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/2MP0-87K/climate-springboard-mailing-list
Tackling climate change is a necessity not just an ambition.
And for our tourism and hospitality sector which operates in an environment that is both enduring and fragile, embracing sustainability and adapting to climate change challenges is vital.
HITA has recognised the importance of tackling climate change within the sector with the Royal Bank of Scotland climate action award which celebrates the success of those businesses which have made demonstrable progress on their climate action journey to net zero.
Businesses across the industry, including awards’ sponsors, also recognise the urgency of meeting climate change challenges head on.
Helen Inkster from sponsor Pentland Ferries said: “We are the first ferry operator in the UK to have achieved a Green Tourism award. The awards programme recognises the commitment of tourism businesses to sustainability and is seen as a prestigious hallmark of environmentally sensitive practices and operation.”
Callum Anderson from sponsor Alliance Scotland added: “We have seen a huge shift towards sustainability which has been driven by both ethical purchasing by businesses and legislative requirements from government. We envisage this trend continuing with Alliance leading with innovative products such as the AquaTeck Eco Cleaning solution which uses normal tap water to produce a non-toxic cleaning solution without the need for chemicals.
“At Alliance Scotland we are proud to support businesses within the tourist industry and with more than 20,000 products we lead the industry with innovative, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solutions.”
With over a month to go, this year’s HITAs have already sold out.
The ceremony and gala dinner will be held at the Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness on Friday, October 4.
Covering all the regions of the Highlands and Islands; from Argyll in the west, to Moray in the east, and Orkney and Shetland in the north, the annual Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards bring together industry leaders, rising stars, new enterprises and trusted names to celebrate and recognise excellence in the sector.
HITA winners proceed to the Scottish Thistle Awards national final to represent the region and compete with the best of the rest of the country.
Visit https://www.hita-awards.com/
