SUSTAINABILITY PLEDGE

The Noosa Festival of Surfing event is managed by World Surfaris Events on behalf of the Noosa Malibu Club.  Both World Surfaris Events and the Club hold environmental and social responsibility as key to the operation, development and future of the event, not only for the local Noosa community but also for surfing culture globally.

The Festival has a 9-day surfing programme, with surfing competition commencing on Saturday 9 March and concluding on Sunday 17 March 2024 at First Point, Main Beach, Noosa Heads, Queensland.  As well as the surfing competition, the festival includes music, art, cultural exhibitions, a beach bar and charity events.  We expect approx 400 unique competitors and thousands of visitors from Australia and around the world to experience our celebration of the joy of surfing in the widest sense.  They come to enjoy the iconic coastline, natural beaches, dunes and tidal ecosystems, coastal parks – which are all part of the UNESCO listed Noosa Biosphere Reserve -and about which locals are passionate in preserving.   Noosa encourages all visitors to tread lightly and be conscious travellers when staying and playing in our pristine marine, waterways, hinterland, parks and wilderness.  Our surf culture is embedded in this uniquely environmentally sensitive ethos.

The surrounding coastline, in particular First Point at Main Beach, is one of just 12 World Surfing Reserves.  It has significant cultural, social and historical meaning to the traditional custodians, the Kabi-Kabi peoples, residents and surfers around the world.  The Festival recognises its event management activities, operations on the beach and in the water and travel have the potential to have both positive and negative environmental, economic and social impact.   The Festival commits to continually improve the environmental and social sustainability performance and annual benchmarking targets.  Our sustainable event management principles are Stewardship, Inclusivity, Integrity and Transparency.

In 2024, we will continue to measure our use and production of energy, water and waste and encourage participation from our local coastal environmental and surfing conservation community organisations and charities. Event operators will continue to avoid single use plastic at the Festival and will encourage visitors and contestants to BYO water bottles, coffee cups and reusable plateware.  We will aim for 75% diversion of waste from landfill and offer 4 waste stream bin stations including commercially compostable organics, refundable containers, landfill and recycling.  We will continue to work with Plastic Free Noosa to keep our Plastic Free Champion status and choose suppliers and vendors who adhere to these criteria and ensure our Beach Bar is zero waste to landfill. 

In 2024, we recognise the significant contribution our major sponsor Ecovantage has made in certifying NFOS Carbon Neutral with Climate Active, offsetting the Pre-Event with 250t CO2e of SeaTree Tokens to ensure our event continues to achieve a Carbon Positive status.

We will also continue to support the $2 per unique competitor contribution to the local reforestation project “Trees for Tourism” with Landcare and Tourism Noosa to ensure the habitat of our koalas and other at-risk species are replaced within Noosa Shire.

The Festival will comply with all relevant legislation and regulations within the permit by Noosa Council and strive to achieve international best practice on environmental and sustainability matters.  Special consideration will be given to promoting local businesses and wherever possible, eco-accredited products and services will be sourced.  World Surfaris Events will once again appoint a Sustainability Officer and present a Sustainability Report with ongoing environmental performance, identification of risk, recording and monitoring of impacts and targets for improvement. 

We ask that everyone associated with the Festival share our commitment with competitors, staff, volunteers, visitors, suppliers, contractors, agents, sponsors and residents and encourage feedback always. Thank you.

Best wishes,
John Finlay
Director – World Surfaris Events
Chairman – Noosa Festival of Surfing
5 February 2024

---