Ecotourism pioneer saves water and the environment

Ecotourism pioneers O’Reilly’s have teamed up with innovative water recycling company EcoNova to cut water consumption by up to 85% per guest at their rainforest retreat, even while expanding accommodation with the new Mountain Villas, a 48-villa development.

Installing a state of the art system to recycle all wastewater to the highest level means O’Reilly’s will use only 10% more water and less energy, despite catering to double the number of guests and while safeguarding the pristine World Heritage listed rainforest surrounds.

Water is recycled for toilet flushing, laundry and outdoor use, with only Class A+ tertiary treated wastewater released into the environment, and in much reduced volumes.

The new plant represents a $1 million investment in sustainability for O’Reilly’s, strengthening environmental credentials that have seen the family-run business surpass benchmarking standards set by the international Green Globe organisation for water consumption and energy use.

Shane O’Reilly said the new water recycling plant was critical to ensuring O’Reilly’s stayed at the forefront of best practice ecotourism.

“We have really embraced the latest technology and made a substantial investment in being more sustainable, not just for the new Mountain Villas development, but for the whole of our operations,” Mr O’Reilly said.

“We have already cut water consumption through a range of measures such as water efficient taps and toilets and water saving practices, and now we will be making further significant savings per capita.”

The new NovaClear™ water recycling system is known as a Membrane Bio-Reactor and is both more energy and water efficient than conventional wastewater treatment, while recycling water to the highest standards.

Unlike conventional treatment systems, which rely on settlement to try to remove solids (as sludge) from the water, then add large amounts of chlorine, the EcoNova system works by using the naturally existing bacteria to effectively eat up all the solids (no sludge build-up), before filtering the water through a fine membrane that even the smallest bacteria can’t penetrate.

The result is 100% effective in filtering out bacteria and other contaminants, meaning little chlorine needs to be added to the recycled water which can then be used for all non-human consumption purposes.

EcoNova General Manager Christian Uhrig says the safety, cleanliness and clarity of the recycled water is just one advantage of a technology that his company has been able to scale down from multi-million dollar city treatment plants to small commercial and even domestic systems.

“There are energy savings as the water doesn’t need to be pumped though the system at high pressure,” Mr Uhrig says.

“There are no bio-solids (sludge) produced, so there is no waste to be carted away and treated elsewhere, which is particularly important in more remote locations like O’Reilly’s.”

“The system copes with fluctuations in volumes, most water can usually be recycled / reused with very little discharge of excess water into the environment – the excess recycled water is so safe it can be discharged directly, even into a sensitive rainforest environment.”

EcoNova have completed 35 successful projects to install commercial recycling systems and plans to install 1,000 domestic systems this year.

Based at the University of the Sunshine Coast, the company also has affiliations with the University of Queensland and Griffith University and is the only industrial partner currently signed on for the government-backed Smart Research Centre to be developed on the Gold Coast.

“O’Reilly’s is pleased to be associated with a company at the forefront of water technology and to be providing an example to other tourism businesses that we can make a difference to water sustainability at a time when the focus on our scarce water resource has never been stronger,” Mr O’Reilly said.

EcoNova will use O’Reilly’s as a case study for the benefits of the system, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas.

After pioneering ecotourism in Australia, the O’Reilly family now combines old-fashioned experience with modern best practice, with an Environmental and Social Sustainability Policy and a comprehensive Environmental Management Plan (EMP) ensuring the retreat couldn’t be greener.

In 2005 O’Reilly’s EMP was completed revamped, with a range of new sustainability initiatives instigated, including purchasing green power to save 290 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year - the equivalent of taking 68 cars off the road for a year or planting 1200 trees!

Water and energy conservation measures have seen O’Reilly’s come in well below benchmark consumption targets, with water usage sitting at just over 1/7th of the acceptable level, while a range of best-practice waste management initiatives have also been implemented.

O’Reilly’s also enjoys Advanced National Eco-Accreditation.

Recognised with the Deluxe Accommodation Award at the 2006 Queensland Tourism Awards, O’Reilly’s was acknowledged for its role at the forefront of the Australian eco-tourism industry, its deep commitment to nature and conservation, its exceptional environmental interpretative program for guests, high standards of service and world-best sustainability practices that are helping to save the planet.

Located amidst World Heritage listed Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s delivers a unique rainforest retreat experience, in a pristine location, catering to almost 41,000 guests and 300,000 day visitors each year.

And O’Reilly’s new eco-friendly luxury development, the 48-villa ‘Mountain Villas’, due for completion in the later half of this year, will ensure guests continue to enjoy the beauty of the environment, while treading lightly on the earth.

O’Reilly’s is perched almost a kilometre above sea level in the lush rainforest of the McPherson Range, a scenic 2 hours drive from Brisbane, or 90 minutes from the Gold Coast.

ENDS.

Further information on O'Reilly's Environmental Management Plan.
Further information on the O'Reilly's Mountain Villas.

MEDIA:
For further information on this press release, please contact:
Amanda Tidmarsh
Phone: 07 5502 4900
Fax: 07 5502 0988
E-mail: amanda@oreillys.com.au
Or
Kathy Bourke
Phone: 07 5539 9883
Mobile: 0419 757 622
E-mail: kathy@articulatecommunications.com.au