Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Newsletter

August was a challenging month for the Thompson Okanagan. Many communities throughout the region were impacted by wildfires, evacuation orders and alerts, poor air quality and drought conditions. We invite you to voice your concerns so that TOTA can continue to inform government of the evolving situation and its impact on the tourism industry.

July was a busy month with five new businesses (Clos du Soleil Winery, Tightrope Winery, Sperling Vineyards, Quaaout Lodge at Talking Rock Resort, and Le Vieux Pin Winery) joining the Biosphere Commitment Program.

June is National Indigenous History Month and June 21 marked National Indigenous Peoples Day. Both are important opportunities to honour Indigenous Peoples and to learn about their histories, cultures and ways of life and we encourage you to build respectful relationships with Indigenous communities throughout the year.

This month had exciting announcements such as, our Energy Analyst, Thivya Visawanathan was named one of 13 #EnergyChampion from across the country! Our Biosphere Academy officially launched on April 21 and if you were unable to attend the virtual launch event please view it here.

Four other regional destination management organization counterparts under the B.C. Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS), including the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Kootenay Rockies, Northern B.C. and Tourism Vancouver Island, to support their signing of a letter of commitment to pursue the Responsible Tourism Institute’s Biosphere certification. TOTA successfully received this designation in 2017, and is proud to work with regional partners to help further collective initiatives and make a far-reaching positive impact.

Welcome back to the Thompson Okanagan’s source for the Biosphere Commitment Program and sustainable industry updates! We want to continue to provide the industry with opportunities to save on costs, be apart of rebate and subsidy programs, and get one-on-one time with professionals in different areas of tourism.

We understand the current landscape for tourism businesses has drastically changed over the past few months. During these uncertain times, TOTA has streamlined our priorities to provide assistance to organizations throughout the region.

Our Biosphere businesses continue to remain a high priority, and we are working hard to provide you with updates in a timely manner regarding any provincial programs or assistance as it becomes available. We are also reaching out to businesses to get a better understanding of their operations. Some of you may have already heard from one of our team members, if you have not yet heard from us you can expect a call in the next several days, or please reach out to us at recovery@totabc.com.

In regards to the Biosphere Commitment, we are still moving ahead with the programs and offering online resources for those who want to continue to access initiatives at this time. We also appreciate that there are many priorities currently and you may need to defer some of the opportunities until business and operations begin to normalize.

We encourage you to read through this newsletter which will provide details of Biosphere opportunities that are available online at this time.

Measuring business practices, as it pertains to reducing negative impacts, establishes a baseline and framework for the development of programs/projects, such as waste reduction projects, energy-efficient programs and carbon measuring adoption. Measurement is also essential in communicating progress, anticipating new requirements and managing the progress towards the sustainability goals.

This month we will highlight businesses' featuring work relative to SDG Thirteen: Urgent adoption of measures against climate change. We will take a look at how they integrate climate change measures into their strategic planning.

It is extremely important to pay attention to employees’ safety and well-being. TOTA in partnership with go2HR will be providing occupational health and safety assessments for Biosphere Businesses. Our partnership will provide:

- Occupational Health and Safety Overview Training
- Safety Basics Assessment
- Employer Consultation Meetings
- Foundation of Workplace Safety Training
- And many more added benefits

Last month (Oct 16th), we held a Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) training workshop at The Laurel Packinghouse. We collaborated with Tourism Kelowna and the Kelowna Museums Society to organize the workshop that was open to all Biosphere Adhesion Entities. We are very lucky to have Angela Nagy from GreenStep Solutions (GSTC trainer) providing an overview of tips and resources on how to offset operational impacts.

This is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainability Goals, particularly goal eleven Sustainable Tourism Destination and Heritage. This month we are featuring several organizations that are leaders in social, cultural and environmental protection through tourism activities.

Canada is moving towards its objective of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. It is easy to think that one person's choice has no effect on the climate, but with 37 million people living in Canada, our collective impact can add up. In order to fight against climate change, our consumption habits need to change personally, domestically and globally. This month, we will highlight businesses featuring work relative to SDG Seven: Affordable and Clean Energy. We also listed resources to calculate your carbon footprint and offset your impact.

Having quality, inclusive training that is adapted to the real needs of the destination is an essential part of tourism sustainability. We are very lucky to have Angela Nagy from GreenStep Solutions (certified GSTC trainer) to provide tips on how to offset your organization’s impact. This is inline with several United Nations’ Sustainability Goals, particularly goal four (Quality Education), goal eleven (Sustainable Cities and Communities), goal seventeen (Partnership for the Goals), and others. This month we are featuring several organizations who are offering or promoting quality education and training to their customers, employees and other stakeholders.

The Thompson Okanagan is committed to becoming a world-renowned accessible destination. The goal is to promote full inclusion and accessibility in all aspects of community and tourism. This includes all experiences, products and services in the Thompson Okanagan region. This work is in line with and inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, especially goal ten (Reduced Inequalities) and eleven (Sustainable Cities & Communities), as well as others. This month, we are highlighting the Biosphere Committed Entities that are leaders in accessibility.

Welcome to our first monthly newsletter for the Biosphere Program! This newsletter will feature highlights of committed Biosphere entities, examples of Biosphere leaders from around the world, and helpful hints and tips to inform sustainable business practices. This month, we will highlight businesses featuring work relative to SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production. There are many sustainable activities large and small you could take action on.