March updates from GreenStep Sustainable Tourism
GREENSTEP PARTNERS WITH BOOKECO
In partnership together with bookeco, GreenStep Sustainable Tourism certified members can access exclusive discounts for their business listing. Launched in November of 2021 with an initial focus on the Canadian market, bookeco has over 1,200 sustainability focused businesses listed on its platform and boasts a rapidly growing eco-conscious customer base. As a map-based platform, bookeco also gives the added advantage of highlighting eco-friendly businesses that are local to users.
With the new Advantage Plan, companies will:
- Stop paying high booking partner fees.
- Drive bookings directly to your website.
- Gain access to a sustainability focused customer base.
- Showcase your sustainability initiatives to the world.
- Add video content to your profile to increase booking conversion rates.
- Receive priority email support
GreenStep certified members will receive a discount when you sign up for the bookeco Advantage Plan – please enquire directly with bookeco for details on your discount code.
Visit here for pricing and registration.
GREENSTEP SPONSORS THE RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL & TOURISM WEBINAR
Join GreenStep CEO and Founder, Angela Nagy, at the upcoming Responsible Travel & Tourism Webinar! Taking place on April 7th, Angela will be speaking alongside industry experts to help equip travel advisors with the tools to respond to the growing interest in environmentally and socially responsible travel. We are thrilled to be teaming up with Baxter Media and Trees4Travel to sponsor and host this informative session.
Speakers will also be joining from the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), Hawai’i Tourism Authority, Trees4Travel, and Globus.
Register here for free.
GSTC MEMBER WEBINAR: THE STATE OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN CANADA
Sustainability has increasingly become an important value for visitors and is a key component to successful tourism businesses and a thriving tourism industry.
In 2021, GreenStep launched the Sustainable Tourism Assessment tool and in turn the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge, encouraging tourism businesses and destinations across Canada, and beyond, to begin measuring their sustainability performance with a commitment to improve their performance by 2030. The Sustainable Tourism assessment score is a free tool and is based on GSTC-recognized criteria, covering all four categories of sustainability.
The online assessment tool has now captured hundreds of data points, across many categories and subcategories of sustainability, from all sectors within the industry. GreenStep will present its findings including areas where the industry is performing well as well as where there is need for support in order to make meaningful progress in the coming years. Next steps to help build back capacity and resiliency within the industry will also be discussed, with the aim to help speed the collective recovery of Canadian tourism businesses affected by the pandemic.
Join GreenStep CEO, Angela Nagy, for an engaging look at the state of the sustainable tourism industry in Canada, and what Canada can do to elevate its profile as a sustainable tourism destination.
RECORDING AVAILABLE: SHARING YOUR SUSTAINABILITY STORY
We recently concluded our Sharing Your Sustainability Story: A Conversation with Tourism Industry Leaders, featuring three panelists across Canada; Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort (BC), Spirit of the West Adventures (BC), and Elmhirst’s Resort (ON). In this webinar, we dove into a conversation and Q&A about best practices on how to responsibly market and share your sustainability story with staff and guests.
CONGRATULATIONS TO SIWASH LAKE WILDERNESS RESORT!
Our team at GreenStep is thrilled to share that Siwash Lake Ranch Wilderness Resort, Sustainable Tourism Platinum member, was awarded the Sustainability Award at the BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference 2022 Gala on March 11th! The Sustainability Award is one of nine accolades presented, which recognizes a business or individual in British Columbia that has championed the implementation and/or education of responsible and sustainable practices into their tourism or hospitality operation.
We also offer a wholehearted congratulations to all nominees and winners of the BC Tourism & Hospitality awards. These businesses and organizations continue to dedicate their leadership across British Columbia, to forge a path forward for a more accessible, inclusive and innovative industry.
If you weren’t able to make it to this year’s BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference, we hope to see you at the next!
RDCO LAUNCHES MULTI-FAMILY WASTE REDUCTION PROGRAM
These resources were developed in consultation with GreenStep Solutions, where common barriers to effective recycling at multi-family properties were identified through a series of waste audits, direct resident engagement, and surveys.
The multi-family education program includes free, online toolkits to help raise awareness about current recycling and diversion programs, plus ideas for how to create less waste. Also included in the program are both virtual and in-person workshops to give residents of multi-family buildings and property managers the chance to participate and learn more.
GREENSTEP CONCLUDES 2022 UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA OKANAGAN WASTE AUDITGREEN ECONOMY’S EV CHARGER INCENTIVE PROGRAM
GreenStep recently concluded its 7th waste audit for the University of British Columbia – Okanagan, held in collaboration with the UBCO Sustainability Office, the UBCO Facilities Management, and the UBCO Innovate, Design, Sustain (IDS) Club.
The key purpose of this initiative was to quantify the waste composition of different waste streams (eg., compost, recycling, refundables, and landfill “garbage”), and specifically, to analyze contamination in the compost and recycling streams. These efforts will help to inform procurement policies, waste signage improvements across campus, and educational campaigns about waste sorting and diversion.
With over 1.4M students enrolled in post-secondary programs across Canada, audits such as these are a significant and meaningful way to take climate action and improve effective waste diversion. We applaud UBCO for its leadership in this area!
A TECHNICAL PIECE: INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE RELEASES LATEST CLIMATE REPORT
The IPCC recently delivered it’s 6th Climate Assessment Report: Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability. This critical technical analysis released information on what many of us already know – collectively, we are not moving quick enough to mitigate extreme climate risks.
As Hoseung Lee, Chair of the IPCC, succinctly said: “This report…emphasizes the urgency of immediate and more ambitious action to address climate risks. Half measures are no longer an option.”
While it’s important to stay up-to date, we also know it is perfectly normal upon for your immediate response to be dread, worry, or anxiety when hearing headlines such as this. But now, more than ever, it is important to remain hopeful about our future.
For some resources on this matter, take a read of the CBC article “UN report delves into how climate change is affecting mental health” on how the IPCC report addresses the mental health impacts of our climate reality, or take some time to listen to the CBC podcast, “What to do about climate anxiety”.
If it all feels overwhelming and you don’t know where to start, remember, we’re always here to help. Reach out to us and let’s work together to meet your sustainability and climate action goals.
UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS
CONFERENCES
The annual IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference is a collaborative national dialogue on innovation, bringing together policy-builders, educators, and all those who believe the positive and sustainable growth of tourism in Canada is a key economic driver.
Key topics of discussion will include Indigenous reconciliation, biodiversity preservation, carbon mitigation, and sustainable food and agriculture, contributing to the ongoing dialogue on tourism’s recovery. Join the conservation and hear how creative and innovative experts in the business, including GreenStep CEO Angela Nagy, are addressing the new reality of higher expectations, for and of visitors.
WEBINARS
Interested in learning more about how GreenStep Sustainable Tourism can help your tourism business or destination? Feel free to reach out at any time to chat, or schedule a free consult today: 1-800-469-7830 or info@greenstep.ca.