At Vision Walks Eco Tours, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. As a proudly accredited Advanced Eco Tourism, Climate Action Business, and Respecting Our Culture (ROC) operator, we are deeply committed to preserving the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the Byron Bay region. By combining expert knowledge, cultural respect, and proactive environmental practices, we aim to inspire others to embrace regenerative tourism and care for our planet.
We endeavor to provide meaningful experiences, which do not impact on the places, wildlife or the people who live there. We do this by:
Our initiatives include using a hybrid tour vehicle, when possible. Our aim is to replace all of our vehicle fleet with hybrids or EVs. We operate with renewable energy in our home and office.
We actively participate in local reforestation efforts. By partnering with groups like Bangalow Koalas, Friends of the Koala and local Landcare groups we plant hundreds of koala food trees, and rainforest trees, offsetting our carbon footprint and supporting biodiversity. We also make a monthly donations to Bangalow Koalas, contributing $1800 per year to to help pay for the tree plantings. We contribute over $1800 a year to Friends of the Koala, for the protection and restoration of koala habitat, in the form of monthly donations and a contribution of $5pp on our Koala Tours. In 2024-25 , we sequestered over 20,046 kg of CO2, achieving a net position of -2013 CO2.
When you book on one of our tours, ask us if you can join in a local tree planting event. (these tend to be from February to October because of the weather).
We try to reduce plastics on tours as much as possible. With our catering we trying and avoid plastics or opt for bio-degradable options. We use reusable cups, plates and cutlery. We have changed our food handling gloves, from latex (which does break down albeit slowly), to corn starch gloves which breaks down quickly. We don't supply singles use water bottles, we ask our customers to bring their own bottles and we refill them with fresh filter water, stored in the vehicles.
We try not to over cater, and encourage the guides to take any leftovers home to eat. We compost all food waste from our tours.
We integrate sustainability into our supply chain by prioritizing local and ethical suppliers for everything we do. In 2024–25 we pushed this ethos further, working towards a goal of 100% local or ethically sourced catering and services. On our tours, guests enjoy regionally produced goodies – from local coffee and tea, local milk products to Byron Bay Cookies and handmade chocolates from a Byron-based chocolatier – rather than imported products. All tour picnics and meals feature seasonal Northern Rivers produce and farm-to-table ingredients.
Our new Gidjuum Gulganyi glamping hike includes gourmet meals prepared by The Bloody Good Food Company, with every dish incorporating locally sourced ingredients and fresh foods from nearby farms. Even the beverages highlight local sustainability, such as serving, Stone & Wood craft beer, local wine from Jilly Wines and non-alcoholic drinks from Brookies.
Beyond food, we apply ethical sourcing to operational needs: our merchandise and equipment are obtained from responsible providers, and notably, we contracted The Shift Project’s “Linen Shift” – a Byron Bay social enterprise laundry – to handle all linen for the Gidjuum Gulganyi camps. This not-for-profit business provides training and employment to disadvantaged women (homeless or at risk of homelessness) through an eco-friendly commercial laundry service. By choosing The Shift Project for our laundry needs, we ensure our bedding is cleaned with minimal environmental impact (water-efficient, biodegradable detergents) while supporting a cause that strengthens our community. In sum, “Eco-Tourism in Action” means we examine every dollar we spend and redirect it to local, green, and ethical outcomes wherever possible.
