November updates from GreenStep Sustainable Tourism:

New and Returning Members

SILVER
Sasquatch Crossing Eco Lodge – Agassiz, BC

BRONZE
Sagebrush Tours – Penticton, BC

AWAITING GRADING
Best Western Plus Kelowna – Kelowna, BC
Blue Heron Cruises – Tobermory, ON
Canmore Rocky Mountain Inn – Canmore, AB
Copper Point Resort – Invermere, BC
Discover Canada Tours – Vancouver, BC
Eagle Wing Whale & Wildlife Tours – Victoria, BC
Invermere Inn & Suites – Invermere, BC
Oak Bay Luxury Getaway – Port Severn, ON
Orca Spirit Adventures – Victoria, BC
Outer Shores Expeditions – Victoria, BC
Pointhouse Suites at Sargeant Bay- Halfmoon Bay, BC
Prestige Inn Golden – Golden, BC
Spirit of the West Adventures – Heriot Bay, BC
Sunlund By-The-Sea RV Park and Cabins – Lund, BC
Sunwolf Riverside Cabins & Fergie’s Cafe – Squamish, BC
Terracana Ranch & Resort – Fraser-Fort George, BC
The Luxury Travel Designer – Bergen, Norway

THIS MONTH’S SUSTAINABLE TOURISM 2030 PLEDGE SIGNATORIES

The Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is a global movement of individuals, businesses, and organizations within the tourism and hospitality industry that believe tourism has a tremendous opportunity to become a force for good and change the world.

GreenStep offers our congratulations to the latest pledge signatories:
Go Tours Canada
Travelling Chicken

These businesses successfully completed their pledge commitments to:

1. Measure their current sustainability performance, using GreenStep’s free online self-assessment for tourism businesses and destinations.
2. Making a public commitment to improving their sustainability performance between now and 2030.

Join other signatories and take the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge here.

MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY: TOURISM CONGRESS CARBON FOOTPRINT & STATE OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

For the first time ever, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), in partnership with GreenStep Solutions, is measuring the carbon footprint of the 2021 Tourism Congress. This will help TIAC to better understand its environmental impacts and what opportunities exist to reduce these impacts for future national events. [Continue reading on our blog]

UPCOMING GREENSTEP WEBINAR & RECORDING

GreenStep hosted a webinar on November 24th on “How to Create A Sustainability Action Plan for your business”. If you would like to watch the free recording to learn more about this topic, please visit the past events section of our website.

 

 

 

 

We will be continuing our webinar series into the new year, kicking things off with a webinar on January 13th at 10:00am PST / 1:00pm EST for a webinar on Carbon Footprint Measurement, Reduction, and Offsetting 101. Registration is available for free here.

 

 

 

 

GREENSTEP ACCEPTED INTO COMPETITIVE UNITED NATIONS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM

GreenStep has been selected out of hundreds of applicants, as one of only ten companies in Canada to be accepted into the United Nations (UN) Global Compact Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Ambition Programme. This six-month accelerator aims to challenge and support participating companies of the UN Global Compact, in setting ambitious corporate targets and accelerating integration of the 17 SDGs into core business management.

“Our participation in the SDG Ambition Accelerator offers us an excellent opportunity to build upon our existing B Corp Certification commitments and set ambitious company targets towards achieving the UN SDGs . It also enhances our ability to integrate the SDGs more comprehensively into our existing programs and services, which are designed to push the envelope and encourage businesses to take action towards improving their sustainability performance.” – GreenStep CEO Angela Nagy [Continue reading on our blog].

GREENSTEP SUSTAINABLE TOURISM STAFFING CHANGES

A fond farewell to GreenStep Team Member, Pamela Duynstee

We would like to take this opportunity to wish a fond farewell and best wishes to our GreenStep Assessor and Sustainable Tourism team member, Pamela Duynstee. Pam has been with the team for 2 years and spent much of her time assessing and supporting our members through the certification process.

Pam was instrumental in the development and submission of our Sustainable Tourism criteria for both businesses and destinations to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council for formal recognition, and we would like to thank Pam for her hard work and dedication to helping establish and launch our Sustainable Tourism programs. We will miss her friendly smile and her passion for helping our clients as they navigate the world of sustainability. We wish her all the best in her next chapter.

We are in the process of recruiting for the position of Sustainable Tourism Assessor and Certification Manager, and we look forward to introducing you to our new team member soon. In the meantime, current members will be able to connect with Shaylyn Robertson at shaylyn@greenstep.ca for assistance.

GreenStep welcomes Georgia!

We would like to welcome Georgia Gibbings to the GreenStep team. Georgia joins us in the role of Sustainable Tourism Program Assistant for a 4-month internship. Georgia recently graduated from the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce, with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce. Throughout her degree program, she has held other internship positions with the Faculty of Development at UofT, with IG Private Wealth Management and with BMO Harris Capital Markets. Georgia shares our passion for sustainability and conservation and is eager to combine her education in business and finance with her keen interest in working with businesses to make a positive impact on both the environment and in the communities in which they operate.

 

 

 

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM NEWS AND RESOURCES

RTO12 Launches Sustainable Tourism Pilot Project with Regional Businesses
In an effort to develop widespread sustainability within the regional tourism industry, RTO12/Explorers’ Edge has partnered with multiple operators to help them obtain globally-recognized sustainability certification for their properties through GreenStep Sustainable Tourism, and to thereby build a solid business case to encourage others to do the same.

The Globe and Mail: Travel Sector offers greener, more sustainable options
GreenStep CEO Angela Nagy was recently interviewed by the Globe and Mail to share some thoughts and insight about the sustainable tourism industry in Canada and how changes to the industry, including labour demands and rising carbon taxes will impact businesses in the future.

The Forum Series for Women Entrepreneurs in Tourism
The Vancouver, Coast & Mountains team, managed by Destination BC, is collaborating with The Forum, to create a tourism program tailored specifically for women-led businesses and entrepreneurs. Applications close on December 15th for the two-day program held in January 2022.

UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS

IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference
Hosted by: Destination Greater Victoria, Synergy Enterprises, Tartan Bond Integrated Communications and Starrboard Enterprises
Where: Victoria, BC
Dates: January 23-26, 2022

Back for its 5th year, IMPACT is presented by a partnership between Destination Greater Victoria, Synergy Enterprises, Tartan Bond Integrated Communications and Starrboard Enterprises. This conference recognizes the significant economic and environmental footprint of tourism in Canada, and seeks to encourage a national dialogue on aligning our tourism industry with its sustainable vision.

BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference
Hosted by: Tourism Industry Association of BC and the BC Hotel Association
Where: Richmond, BC
Dates: March 9 – 11, 2022

The Tourism Industry Association of BC and the BC Hotel Association are excited to bring you the second-annual BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference. The 2022 conference will take place in Richmond, BC. Further details — including registration, accommodation and speaker highlights — will be released shortly.

Join GreenStep CEO Angela Nagy at the 2022 Impact Sustainable Travel & Tourism conference to learn how we are supporting tourism businesses on their sustainability journeys.