The Chilterns Conservation Board, the public body which cares for the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has received a
Silver award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme in recognition of its efforts to operate sustainably.
The Green Tourism Business Scheme is the UK's national scheme for assessing how 'green' tourism-related businesses are. It looks at
many different aspects of business operations including energy efficiency, waste management, water use and travel. A rigorous set of
criteria are used to determine whether a business can achieve a Bronze, Silver or Gold award.
The Silver award received by the Board highlights all the measures it has undertaken to reduce its carbon footprint. Solar
panels have been installed on the office roof, over 80% of all waste is recycled and staff mileage has been reduced. The Board has
also been planting hundreds of trees and distributing free low energy light bulbs to offset its remaining carbon emissions. Find out more
about what the Board is doing here.
The Green Tourism Business Scheme is open to a wide range of business types including accommodation providers, visitor attractions,
corporate offices and others. Businesses which join are assessed by a qualified grading advisor who awards points for the green measures
being undertaken by the business and offers advice on what else they could achieve. The Scheme has been running since 1997 and now has
over 1400 members in the UK. It is the largest and most established scheme of its kind in the world.
