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Attachment 1 - RACV Noosa Resort Eco Villa application letter 180522
RACV Noosa Resort Eco Villa
RACV is pleased to submit this application for the new Eco Villa Development at its Noosa
Resort. We provide this statement to Council as evidence of our commitment to
environmental and social sustainability and as assurance that RACV is committed to
maintaining the highest standards in sustainability.
This project has been in development for a number of years now and we believe our
development application adequately responds to feedback RACV received from Council as
well as expert advice regarding the environmental significance of the land.
RACV believes Noosa is a great place to live and visit and we are proud to support an
ethical Noosa tourism industry to deliver exceptional experiences, support the local
community and nurture our magnificent environment.
RACV also understands the importance of being sustainable and actively caring for the
environment. A range of initiatives have been introduced to achieve this across the
organisation and locally at RACV Noosa resort including:
• RACV uses 100% renewable energy at all Victorian-based clubs, resorts, and office
buildings. As of Jan 1, 2023, our Noosa Resort will also be using 100% renewable
energy.
• RACV’s own solar company (RACV Solar) has designed and installed 5,500 rooftop
panels across our properties including a 240kw system at Noosa Resort.
• In addition to our own initiatives, RACV is committed to building a portfolio of products
and services to help Australian’s transition to a cleaner energy future including:
➢ Advocating for electric vehicles (EVs), as well as significant investments in Charge
Fox which is building a network of ultra-rapid electric charges Australia-wide.
➢ Investments in JET charge and Re:Start (electric vehicle charging companies) as
well as a new partnership with Hyzon Motors, manufactures of hydrogen vehicles.
➢ RACV Noosa has 2 new Nissan Leaf electric vehicles along with Tesla and
Chargefox charging stations. We secured the Nissan electric vehicles as a
partner/sponsor at the Noosa EV expo.
• RACV Noosa has Silver Earth Check Accreditation, the world’s leading scientific
benchmarking certification and advisory group for travel. The resort is also a highest star
ecoBiz Partner, taking a leadership role in sustainability practices and was featured in a
case study in the Queensland government’s ecoBiz guide.
• RACV Noosa has introduced a range of energy efficiency initiatives and won the Best
Commercial Efficiency Project in 2021 at the National Energy Efficiency Awards for air
conditioning web-based thermostat systems.
• Resort gardens at RACV Noosa are irrigated from natural springs pump water along with
6 monthly water quality testing of sediment ponds.
• RACV Noosa participated in the joint Tourism Noosa/Noosa Council compostable waste
trial with 1,767 kg/l of waste diverted from landfill over 6 weeks including food scraps and
BioPak materials.
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As a national organisation, RACV is also passionate about having a positive social impact in
our community.
Nationally RACV has provided:
• $1 million in funding to Lifeline Australia to help enable critical tele-health suicide
prevention services for vulnerable communities affected by the summer bushfires and
COVID-19 and a further $420k to extend operating hours for text services between
midnight to dawn.
• $1 million to youth mental health organisation Orygen.
• $1 million invested in solar and battery installations for bushfire prone areas, improving
safety for isolated communities who may have been previously cut off from power and
communications.
• $700k to GIVIT to provide communities impacted by COVID19 urgently needed items and
services.
• $520k investment in STREAT for programs to help improve the lives of young people.
RACV Noosa enjoys a positive reputation in how it engages with and brings benefits to the
local community. This includes:
• More than $2 million per year spent with local suppliers.
• 10 years of sponsorship and support for local not for profits, charities, schools, sporting
and surf clubs.
• Annual support of nearly all local events, arts and sporting festivals.
• Actively promoting local businesses with $100k of sales of local attractions per year
directly from the resort.
• Employs 190 staff of which 75% live in the Noosa shire or a 15-minute drive from the
resort contributing $9 million per annum in wages that contribute to the local economy,
• Attracting higher-value Victorian visitors to Noosa than any other business making up
75% of all in-house guests. 8k Victorians stay for 40,000 nights spending a further
$14.1M in the region per year.
I appreciate your time in considering our Eco Villa application. We are very excited to have
the opportunity to introduce a new product that will further enhance the tourism experience
of visitors to Noosa and at the same time contribute to the sustainability of the site.
Regards
Darren McClenaghan
Resort Manager, RACV Noosa Resort
[email protected]
0405 120 035