Biosphere Commitment Monthly Newsletter - January

Updates from TOTA's Biosphere Commitment Program and sustainability news

Biosphere Commitment Program Monthly Newsletter Hi there, The beginning of the year is often a time for reflections, resolutions, and goals. Our Biosphere Team at TOTA is very excited for the upcoming partnerships, additional resources, and more that will benefit our Biosphere Committed Companies in 2022. There have been many updates and changes to the Biosphere Commitment Program in 2021 to ensure the program is successful and provides continuous value to members. Lastly, Congratulations to our 2021 Biosphere Award Winners! We are proud of our Biosphere Community and are excited to see the sustainability successes our members have in 2022.  Sustainable Life App Biosphere Member Opportunity  The Sustainable Life App is a free app that connects eco-conscious consumers with sustainable businesses and brands. With over 6,000+ user accounts, 10,000+ downloads, and 4,000+ business listings to date. Consumers are able to view businesses on the map, search by name, or by local area. The Sustainable Life App is filling a much needed gap in the market and being a Biosphere Committed Company allows members to complimentary join the app. The Sustainable Life App’s new feature is to provide data analytics to the business users, where businesses are able to display deals, and determine the most common user viewing your profile. With monthly analytic reports and quarterly personal check ins the Sustainable Life App allows businesses to reach a large audience. Connect directly with the Sustainable Life App team [email protected] to ask questions or for assistance.  There are two payment options: Monthly membership $19.97 (This features your business on the app with analytics, but you do no receive marketing benefits) Yearly membership $197.00 (This price is a 20% discount for Biosphere members, features your business on the app with analytics, and $50 reinvested marketing with targeted social media ads) How To Join New Biosphere Committed Company, Welcome Klippers Organic Acres We are very pleased to welcome Klippers Organic Acres to our Biosphere Commitment Program! Located in the beautiful Similkameen Valley, sustainability is everything for Klippers Organic Acres. They have 80 solar panels installed, minimize food waste, monitor their entire footprint, use geothermal energy, and are a Certified Organic farm. Klippers Organic Acres focuses on sustainability through their motto of leaving the land better then how they found it. Learn More Funding Helps Promote Electric Vehicle Uptake In B.C. Community groups and local governments throughout the province can receive funding through the Community Outreach Incentive Program (COIP) to educate and encourage people to switch to electric vehicles (EVs). British Columbia was the first place in the world to have a 100% zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) law and is leading North America in uptake rates of EVs at nearly 10% of new light-duty vehicle sales in 2020. Learn More  Monte Creek Winery the 2021 Sustainable Project of the Year Award Winner! This summer Monte Creek Winery took on the responsibility to advocate for the endangered BC badger with a fundraiser campaign. One of the core values at Monte Creek Winery is sustainability and learning that there are less than 350 BC badgers left in B.C. they took action. In partnership with the Badger in BC Society and BC Wildlife Park, they were able to educate and fundraise $905.50 in support of BC badgers. Currently the leading cause to the BC badger decline is highway kills, with a stretch of highway on HWY 1 between Kamloops and Pritchard, a section of this highway borders part of Monte Creek Winery's property. Making this discovery Monte Creek Winery ran their campaign during the month of July to bring awareness to the need for conservation.  Read More Kelowna Yacht Club the 2021 Eco Efficiency Excellence Award Winner! Through the expertise that the Eco Efficiency Program provided to the Kelowna Yacht Club, the recommendations were implemented through 2021. Kelowna Yacht Club's continued efforts by creating three in-house sustainability programs, development of an environmental team and sustainability policy, and executed an Energy Campaign, earned them the 2021 Eco Efficiency Excellence Award winner. Read More Best Western Plus Kamloops Hotel's Tim Rodgers selected as the 2021 Pioneer Award Winner! Tim Rodgers was awarded the 2021 Pioneer Award through his consistent implementation of sustainability practices which provides the inspiring leadership of solutions to improve the Thompson Okanagan. As General Manager of Best Western Plus Kamloops Hotel, Tim Rodgers has been instrumental in making changes throughout the brand. Tim Rodgers was the first General Manager in Kamloops to have a Green Key rating, which he has continued with every property since then. Through selection of cleaning products, initiatives, and focused sustainable choices, Tim Rodgers continues to inspire and search for more areas to improve through sustainability.  Read More New Hotel Biosphere Member Opportunity Differentiate Your Hotel With Google's Eco-labels   Google eco-labels is a tool that hotels can share information about their good practices and provides the option to publicize the environmental and ecological seals they hold. Learn how to add Google eco-labels to your Google Business Profile. Visitors will see those who have been recognized for their environmental and sustainable efforts will include the green label "Eco-certified" in their profile, accompanied by a leaf icon.  Read More GreenStep Sustainable Tourism Destination Standard Achieves GSTC-Recognition Congratulations are in order for GreenStep and the recent announcement of their achievement of the “Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)-Recognized Standard status.” GreenStep is the only North-American based provider of GSTC-recognized standards for Destinations. The status offers the market a proof that these standards adhere to international norms. Schedule a sustainability assessment with the GreenStep team.  Read More Register for Expert Business Mentorship Sessions Free one-on-one Expert Business Mentorship sessions are now available for Biosphere Committed Companies. The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is collaborating with Okanagan College to offer Expert Business Mentorship webinars and one-on-one training sessions to Thompson Okanagan tourism companies. Sessions are offered at no cost through the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Resiliency Program and must be completed by March 31, 2022. Learn More Register for Mentor Session Survey: Business Mentorship Interests of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Industry TOTA is conducting a survey to better understand the training needs of Thompson Okanagan tourism companies. Your feedback will be helpful in planning upcoming Expert Business Mentorship webinar and training session topics. Take Survey   Thank you so much for your continued support of the Biosphere Commitment Program. Please don't hesitate to reach out to our team at [email protected] if you have any questions or comments.   Biosphere Updates Follow on Facebook Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), 2280-D Leckie Road, Kelowna, British Columbia V1X 6G6, Canada, 250.860.5999 Unsubscribe Manage preferences