Inishbofin Community Services Programme

Inishbofin Community Services Programme is a community project for those residing in, or having association with Inishbofin in the County of Galway.

The Inishbofin CSP is aware that its business activities impact upon the environment and we are committed to alleviating those negative impacts as part of our mission.

Sustainability Mission
Our mission is to work as ethically as possible and to continuously lower our environmental impact on our beautiful island. We are dedicated to leaving lighter footprints on our surroundings by reducing the impact of our products and services on the environment, implementing community projects that focus on a sustainable future, and promoting our environmental conservation ethos to visiting tourists.

Our Policies
All Inishbofin CSP business practices are committed to the following environmental policies:

• Limiting energy usage as much as possible on our premises and in our activities
• All activities under the Inishbofin Experiences will be conducted using the Leave No Trace ethos and with sustainability at the forefront
• CSP events will limit their use of motor vehicles
• CSP events will follow environmental guidelines for reducing waste, pollution, and our carbon footprint.
• All employees have committed to reducing their use of motor vehicles, following waste reduction policies, and working to promote our environmental ethos to our
  community and tourists.

What is Sustainable tourism?
At Inishbofin CSP, 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.).

Continuous Improvements
We are at the start of our sustainability journey. We know we still have a lot to learn and achieve, but here at Inishbofin CSP we are committed to continuously improving our efforts.

Measuring and reducing negative impacts

4a. Energy consumption
We commit to measuring our electricity consumption every 1 month and do the following to
reduce consumption:
– We use 100% renewable energy from our provider Community Power.
– Host an employee awareness day to teach our staff about best energy saving
practices.
– We aim to switch to all energy-efficient light bulbs.
– We aim to research best energy practices and appliances annually.

4b. Water consumption
We commit to measuring our water consumption every 3 months and do the following to reduce consumption:
– Promote turning off taps in tourist office for staff and visitors.
– We aim to use rainwater collection for cleaning jobs or watering plants in the future.
– Our Washing Machine is a Grade A appliance and we use short wash programmes.

4c. Waste production
We commit to measuring our waste consumption every month and commit to doing the following to reduce consumption:
– Informing staff of recycling methods
– Questioning how much each product is actually needed
– Only using certified ethical and sustainable suppliers and products
– Reusing or repurposing as much waste as possible
– Digitalising office work as much as possible
– Encouraging tourists to recycle and reduce waste
– Educating tourists before they visit.

Ethical purchasing
At Inishbofin CSP we are committed to: …
– Reducing our consumption and buying only what we really need
– Using certified ethical and sustainable suppliers where possible
– Ensuring our suppliers are working to reduce their environmental impact
– Buying local products where possible. We buy from our closest suppliers when feasible and always source our products from Irish suppliers where possible
– Buying products with as little packaging as possible
– Buying products in bulk if needed to reduce packaging

Carbon management
We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible and to offset the remainder with a trusted partner. We are looking to find a partner to offset our remaining
emissions. We aim to find our partner by September 2022. We are currently in the process of measuring our carbon footprint. We are participating in carbon management workshops to help us on our carbon management journey.

To reduce our carbon footprint, we:
– Have stopped the use of disposable cups for hot drinks unless specifically requested to reduce our waste
– Recycle all our waste and provide recycling bins for visitors to encourage them to do this also.
– Use local suppliers within a 50km radius to reduce transport emissions.
– Unplug appliances where possible at the end of each day to minimise unnecessary energy usage
– Encourage all visitors to the island to use public transport and we provide in-depth information on local public transport options and schedules.

Responsible sustainability marketing
We commit to marketing ethically by communicating honestly about what we offer, where we are on our journey, and the improvements we make along the way. We also aim to reduce the physical waste involved with marketing our products and services.

Social responsibility
We support our local community by organising community projects and events that will promote local prosperity. We are also aware that tourism can impact negatively on local communities. We therefore communicate the Leave No Trace ethos to all visitors so that our environment can be left as it was found. We aim to promote tourism as an initiative to preserve local culture and businesses.
At the moment we:
– Engage with Leave No Trace Ireland
– Have initiated projects that create jobs for local people, and we aim to expand this
considerably in the next 2 years.
– Aim to support and collaborate with a local Environmental Group by 2023
– Aim to set up a Biodiversity Community Garden Project by mid-2023
– Promote local businesses and crafts
– Organise events for local people to learn new skills and crafts