The Whitsundays is a world renowned destination, showcasing 74 islands and what has been nominated the most beautiful and whitest beach in the world: Whitehaven beach.

This region also includes the largest coral reef system on Earth: The Great Barrier Reef, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres.

The Reef has seen several threats over the years, some including climate change, resulting in ocean warming which increases coral bleaching, pollution and overfishing.

A lot has been done by public and private entities, in the past years, to preserve this fragile ecosystem and tackle its issues. One of the initiatives put in place is the Reef 2050 Plan, launched in March 2015 by the Australian and Queensland governments.

This 35 year plan incorporates long-term measures that are surely important for the protection of the Reef, however might not be enough to save it from irreversible degradation.
The participation of as many entities as possible in conservation initiatives is essential for an efficient and quick response to reach tangible results.

ZERO EMISSIONS

The ‘Zero Emissions – Marine Tourism Event’ is a joint event hosted by the Whitsunday Climate Change Innovation Hub and the Coral Sea Academy.

The event is the first of many scheduled as part of the Whitsunday Healthy Heart Project. This project is led by the Whitsunday Climate Change Innovation Hub, through which marine tourism program partners will collaborate and innovate to actively measure and reduce their carbon footprint.

Lee Hawkins, Whitsunday Climate Innovation Hub, explains the importance of hosting such events for the marine tourism industry as the Whitsundays works towards achieving sustainable destination status.

“Whitsunday tourism operators are busy operations and finding time to investigate new and flexible zero/low emissions technologies can be challenging. The Whitsunday Climate Innovation Hub is dedicated to developing and sharing innovative and practical solutions to help the region mitigate climate change, and this event is a wonderful opportunity to share the latest in zero/low emissions solutions.”

Developments in hydrogen and electric technology will be discussed and marine tourism operators given the opportunity to discover how these technologies can assist with future-proofing their businesses.
Guest Speaker, Frank Hobson, has developed the first hydrogen powered renewable energy commercial tourism vessel for the
Whitsundays, Rendezvous, and will share his vision for sustainable tourism with the attendees.

“The Whitsundays has the opportunity to lead the way in zero emission tourism showing the world how to travel sustainably”, Frank Hobson explains.

“Given its natural beauty and numerous untouched islands, what better place is there to launch one of Australia’s first hydrogen powered marine vessels and pave the way for a future where travel by sea is emission free”.

Kate Purdie, CEO of Coral Sea Marina, says:

“Promoting sustainable boating is one of the core principles of our Coral Sea Academy and the marina’s environmental policy. Actively supporting our marine tourism operators, as well as our private guests, to seek out ways to reduce emissions and their impact on the environment is of the utmost importance. There are currently some incredibly innovative green technologies available on the market for boat owners, and events such as this provide exposure for these products, as well as a forum for valuable discussion on best practices within the industry.”

The event will take place at The Lookout Lounge, Coral Sea Marina on Tuesday 16 November from 10am – 12.30pm.
To register for the event, click here.

The event will be recorded and is available for viewing online post-event for those who are unable to attend.

We couldn’t agree more with Kate, being ourselves a company that supports and promotes actions and initiatives in favor of ocean conservation along exceptionally curated experiences on the water.

To see our commitment on Sustainability & Yachting for Purpose initiatives, visit https://www.oceanalliance.com/about-us/yachting-for-purpose/