Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa today announced a major $60,000 12 month sponsorship commitment to Noosa Biosphere activities.

General Manager Mr Stephen Ferrigno said it was the largest individual sponsorship in their 21 year history in Noosa and was undertaken because of the close alignment in values between the Noosa Biosphere and Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa.

“The principles of the Biosphere reserve system include celebrating the close working partnership between ‘man’ and the ‘environment’, which are closely aligned to our own business objectives,” Mr Ferrigno said.

“Whilst we are focused on attracting customers and business to our market protecting the environmental values of the area is also our highest priority.

“I think everyone in Noosa and visiting Noosa understands the importance of ensuring the area is as pristine in another 2000 years as it is today and this partnership puts business, the community and the environment on the one platform working towards the same goals.”

Mr Ferrigno said he was attracted to the Noosa Biosphere’s values as well as its significant links with the global community.

“It is this support through networking with other Biospheres from around the world which will give us the strategies and tools for many of the challenges we will face in the future,” he said.

Mr Ferrigno said today’s corporate customer was making buying decisions based on green credentials and if companies didn’t embrace an environmental culture they would be left behind. A green culture should be the norm today and not something new or ground breaking.

He said that over the past 5 years the Resort had undertaken a significant commitment to environmental initiatives including ECOBIZ partner status for waste and energy management initiatives and working in partnership with Landcare on further environmental initiatives.

In addition a new award-winning initiative BioBins, a system for waste management that processes organic waste into high grade mulch now being used by The Yard Landscape & Garden Centre, is leading the way on the Sunshine Coast.

“It is essential that business is leading from the front in terms of environmental initiatives to ensure we have a place to do business in the future,” Mr Ferrigno said.

“As a responsible corporate entity we have taken the next step in this approach and look forward to working with credible partners, the Noosa Biosphere.”

Chairman Noosa Biosphere, Mr Michael Donovan welcomed as partners Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa along with their owners.

He said the sponsorship agreement would support Biosphere activities including the Noosa Biosphere website, Noosa Biosphere Day and the ‘Voices of the Biosphere’ Community Radio program on 101.3FM.

UNESCO’s Secretary Man in the Biosphere (MaB) Program Dr Natarajan Ishwaran sent a message of support welcoming Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa as a sponsor of the Noosa Biosphere.

"A reputable group from the hospitality industry such as Sheraton is ideally placed to partner with biosphere reserves to explore and promote the links between the biosphere and the economic, social and cultural environment of people resident and visiting the biosphere," Dr Ishwaran said.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The sponsorship announcement was made at a morning tea event on Tuesday 27 July at 9.30am at the Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa and attended by approximately 100 community and business leaders.

SPEAKERS & TOPICS

• MC was Michael Donovan, Chair of Noosa Biosphere Ltd.
• Keynote speaker, Mr Glen Elmes MP, Member for Noosa and Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability.  TOPIC: Discussed the role for community / government / business partnerships on sustainability objectives and announced the sponsorship. Copy of speech notes here.
• Second speaker, Mayor Sunshine Coast Council, Bob Abbot.  TOPIC: Discussed the Biosphere journey and working in partnership with the community
• Third speaker, General Manager, Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa, Mr Stephen Ferrigno.  TOPIC: Discussed why the Sheraton sees value in the Biosphere and gave an overview of Sheraton’s environmental and social activities.

After the official proceedings, morning tea was held and then guests were invited to an informal briefing session on the Sheraton’s award environmental initiatives including the ‘BioBins’ by Richard Phillips, Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa Chief Engineer.

This event was carbon neutral.  The carbon being emitted during the sponsorship launch event was calculated at 1.12 tonnes.  Through the planting of trees, carbon is sequestered at an average rate of 1.18 tonnes over the lifetime of 10 trees.  The Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa chose to go beyond the minimum requirement of 10 trees and commissioned Noosa Landcare to plant 100 native tree species in the Noosa Biosphere Reserve over the coming weeks. 

Message from: Dr Natarajan Ishwaran, Secretary, MaB Programme, UNESCO

Dear Noosa colleagues and friends

I am delighted to hear of the partnership between the Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa and the Noosa Biosphere Reserve to promote the Noosa Biosphere Website, as well as the Noosa Biosphere Day and the Voices of the Biosphere Radio for a period of one year.

Target no. 6 of the Madrid Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves (2008-2013) calls for “Communication strategies for each biosphere reserve, integrated with national and higher levels” and action 6.1. encourages biosphere reserves to “implement a communication strategy on environmental, economic, social, spiritual, cultural and political importance and benefits of biosphere reserves and the World Network of Biosphere Reserves directed to national governments, policy makers, journalists, local communities and other target groups”.

A reputable group from the hospitality industry such as Sheraton is ideally placed to partner with biosphere reserves to explore and promote the links between the biosphere and the economic, social and cultural environment of people resident and visiting the biosphere.

The Noosa Biosphere Web Site, which I had the privilege to officially launch during my last visit to Queensland in late 2009 is well-designed and user-friendly; it has received much admiration and appreciation from the staff here in the MaB Secretariat in Paris and I hope that the partnership with Sheraton will enable the website to fully realize its potential and become an example that biosphere reserves in other parts of the world would want to emulate.

Noosa Biosphere Day and the Voices of the Biosphere radio are also important communication opportunities to tell the story of the biosphere reserve, a somewhat different one from conventional environmental protection and biodiversity conservation stories.

The conviction of the biosphere reserve is that experimenting and constructing mutually beneficial relationships between conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and environmental protection and green growth are worthy pursuits despite risks of failure and short falls and lessons learnt from such alternative ways improving standards of human well being in context-specific situations must be shared amongst all interested parties, nationally, regionally and globally.

Let me take this opportunity to thank both the Noosa Biosphere Governance Board and the Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa who have created this partnership and I wish the two organizations and all of Noosa’s friends and partners the very best wishes of the MaB team here in Paris for successful and sustainable outcomes.

Perhaps this is the beginning of a partnership whose lessons and outcomes could be so encouraging after one year and would encourage all of us to explore its expansion nationally, regionally and globally.

Best regards

Natarajan Ishwaran
Secretary, MaB Programme
Director, Division of Ecological & Earth Sciences
UNESCO