Here at Global Ballooning, we have been lucky enough to have almost 30 years of working with amazing businesses in and around the Yarra Valley. We don’t just want to sell the Yarra Valley views; we want to support the businesses and communities who operate in the area and who are dedicated to maintaining the scenic landscape of the Yarra Valley. We try to partner with and support businesses that share our love of nature and strive to take care of the earth as much as they take care of our passengers.
Check out our list of Yarra Valley Businesses who will be doing their part to take care of the environment this Christmas.
GreenFleet:
In addition to doing everything we can to limit Global Ballooning’s carbon footprint from the office to the skies, a major player in keeping our company green is our partnership with GreenFleet. We work with GreenFleet to offset the emissions from our fleet. Every year, we calculate the amount of greenhouse gases generated by our operations fleet and GreenFleet plants enough native trees in Australia to capture our emissions.
As they grow, these trees form permanent forests which do much more than sequester carbon. GreenFleet’s forests re-build vital habitat for native wildlife, improve water quality in catchments, prevent soil erosion and salinity, and safeguard Australia’s unique biodiversity.
GreenFleet planted 1,449 native trees to establish a biodiverse forest, and this offsets approximately 388.31 tonnes of CO2-e generated between 1 July – 30 June each year.
We are proud to be the first and only Victorian hot air ballooning operator to publicly commit to offsetting our greenhouse gas emissions by partnering with GreenFleet, Australia’s first biodiverse carbon offset provider. We are taking on a leadership role in an area where we can make a difference and set an example to our industry.
Balgownie Estate:
Our long-time fav Yarra Valley breakfast spot, Balgownie is the meeting point of our Sunrise Yarra Valley flights. Located on a 30-hectare vineyard, Balgownie offers accommodation, dining and more importantly …. wine! Committed to nurturing the beautiful land they operate on; Balgownie is dedicated to maintaining sustainable winery and vineyard initiatives through integrating solar power, recycling and water recirculation.
Yering Gorge Cottages:
Yering Gorge Cottages is part of the Yarra Valley’s very own Eastern Gold Club. Featuring a golf course designed by a recognised industry leader in promoting the compatibility of golf courses with the environment, Greg Norman. Norman’s ‘least-disturbance approach’ design philosophy has created a course that is complementary to the existing landscape of the Yarra Valley.
This picturesque boutique accommodation embraces a philosophy of ensuring that the natural vegetation is maintained, enhancing the natural beauty of their guest experience. This is done through: A re-introduction of rare species back into the local area such as the Yarra Gum, Buxton Gum & Lomandra Filliforms, and re-vegetation of their land to improve flora and fauna diversity.
Yering Gorge cottages wherever possible sources produce from within the Yarra Valley, supporting local food and wine makers to assist the local community economically through job creation whilst reducing food mileage.
The Cottage accommodation itself uses refillable 300ml eco-friendly bathroom amenity pump packs. All cottages harvest rainwater which is filtered through freshwater tanks and used within the cottages. All cottages are linked to a septic tank system with all liquids filtered through a sub-surface irrigation system and used onsite within their nature reserve.
Yering Gorge Cottages is a prime example of how you can holiday sustainably and balance protecting the beautiful Yarra Valley landscape with an unforgettable getaway experience.
Puffing Billy:
Step into a timeless world of wonder with Australia’s favourite steam train, Puffing Billy! An iconic holiday attraction that the whole family can enjoy. Puffing billy is fun, educational and who doesn’t love a unique journey through the corridor of bushland and native wildlife that make the Yarra Valley & Dandenong’s so magical.
Since 2008 Puffing Billy Railway has been working with Melbourne Water to improve three stream frontage sites along the railway through managing weeds and plant vegetation at these sites to enhance the quality of the stream side habitat.
Puffing Billy works with volunteer groups to raise awareness and commit to environmental works through weed management and revegetation efforts.
The railway has a pest animal management plan aimed at controlling of the effects of introduced pest animal species (e.g., rabbits and foes) along the railway. The aim of this management plan is to help reduce the impact that pest species have on the native species and their habitat.
The native fauna management plan is focused on attracting native species back into the area while reducing invading and competition from introduced pest species.
Zonzo Estate:
This Yarra Valley gem is constantly working to make their winery and restaurant more environmentally conscious.
Wineries go through a lot of water and in an effort to be more earth conscious Zonzo had a look at the water they use for cleaning. The roof on their winery captures rainwater and feeds it into a system that recycles it, giving the facility sustainable cleaning water. The Estate uses environmentally friendly packing where possible. Making small improvements where possible to ensure minimal waste is a continuous task that extends to the estate’s restaurant.
“We only order what produce we need for our Restaurant. One of the reasons we encourage all reservations and events to give us finalised numbers early on is so that we can order according to what we need. This reduces food waste for our Restaurant, weddings and events. If groups dine with us and have food leftover, we encourage them to take it with them as takeaway, which helps to minimise waste (this is even the case for weddings). It is also a great way to keep enjoying the Zonzo experience after they are home.”
Over the next couple of years Zonzo will be working towards off grid solar putting it among the most sustainable wineries in the region.
#holidayherethisyear and support businesses that keep the environment in mind.
