Community

green_titlebannerAt Shotover Canyon Swing we’re pretty proud of our surroundings and are committed to looking after our natural environment and local community. Anywhere in our buildings or at our site that you see our “Eco Ted” symbol, we’re doing our bit to help reduce waste, conserve water or energy, actively conserve our natural resources, or improve our local community.

Here are some of the projects we’ve completed or are currently working on:

Energy Conservation

We monitor all our power use and are reducing it by:

  • Switching everything off overnight at our Swing site
  • Leaving only essential lights and appliances on overnight in our shop and office
  • Switching off all unnecessary lighting and appliances during the day
  • Servicing all vehicles regularly to increase fuel efficiency
  • Following a vehicle policy to reduce unnecessary or wasteful use
  • Using energy efficient lighting wherever possible
  • Using bikes instead of cars for sales calls during summer

Waste Reduction:

We monitor all our waste production and are reducing it by:

  • Providing facilities for staff and customers to recycle all eligible plastics, metals, glass, cardboard and paper
  • Printing only essential emails and documents and using electronic alternatives to paper wherever possible
  • Replacing disposable hand-wipes with evaporating hand-wash on site
  • Replacing disposable hot drink supplies with reuseable ones where possible
  • Burning dvds only on demand rather than automatically for every customer
  • Using rechargeable batteries wherever possible
  • Donating used ropes and equipment or re-using them around site wherever possible
  • Giving customers recyclable paper bags rather than plastic, and only giving them out on request

Water Conservation:

  • Instead of washing vans every day we now dry-brush them daily and wet wash them once a week
  • All plumbing facilities are regularly checked for leaks and drips
  • All water used on site for watering plants comes from natural water sources

Conservation:

We are particularly proud of our natural setting and are looking after it by:

  • Washing all our vehicles on site using only biodegradable and eco-friendly products
  • Recycling all used oil from our vehicles and generators to be used in new roads
  • Working with DOC to eradicate non-native animal and plant species and to plant native species that create native habitats and prevent erosion

Purchasing:

We realise that what we buy influences other people’s environmental stance and endeavour to encourage sustainable practice by:

  • Sourcing paper and printed products from sustainable manufacturers wherever possible
  • Buying biodegradable and eco-friendly cleaning products wherever possible
  • Following a sustainable purchasing policy

Community Initiatives:

We participate in and help our local community wherever possible by:

  • Regularly awarding free Swings and media packages to deserving locals nominated by staff
  • Involving local school kids in our planting projects and rewarding their work with free Canyon Swings
  • Regularly donating Swing vouchers to charitable causes in Queenstown
  • Offering second swings free during May to anyone donating money to our chosen charity
  • Offering a discounted rate on a seats available basis for locals
  • Mentoring Adventure Tourism Management students from Queenstown Resort College
  • Offering career development to staff through industry training initiatives
  • Informing staff about environmental best practice at work and at home
  • Supporting staff members who are members of the Queenstown Volunteer Fire Brigade and Search & Rescue