Sustainability-Focused Events - June 2021

Every month, there are great events supporting different dimensions of sustainability. We’ve highlighted a few events below taking place in June 2021.

Being a Biosphere certified destination, we also want to ensure that we are supporting showcasing sustainable events hosted by Thompson Okanagan stakeholders. If you are hosting a sustainability-focused event and would like us to share it with the Biosphere community, please submit it at the bottom of the page.

GoByBike BC is celebrating Spring GoByBike Week from May 31 to June 6 and encourages British Columbians to ride their bikes as much as possible during that week. Whether it’s to work, to school, for fun, for exercise, to stretch your legs between Zoom meetings, to clear your mind… no matter the reason, just ride your bike! Participate as an individual, a team, or group and log your kilometres as there are prizes! Registration is free and any ride counts.

Women in Leadership (WIL) Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Forum

This full day forum and career fair will bring together C suite executives, public sector leaders, international speakers and thought leaders to have conversations on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion and how we can change the mindset and culture of an organization.

Learn more here. This virtual event takes place on June 2 from 7:00 am to 4:00pm PDT.

Webinar: Canada's New Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Jerry DeMarco is Canada’s new Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. Join this virtual event to hear about his first few months on the job and recent Commissioner’s reports on the federal government’s performance in protecting the environment and fostering sustainable development. Jerry DeMarco will also discuss what’s on his agenda for the future, including planned reports and key areas of interest. The presentation will be followed by a facilitated Q & A session. Register here for the presentation on June 3 from 1:00-2:00 PM ET.

Mobilizing Business for a Better World: Accelerating Business Action on the SDGs

In 2021, the role for businesses to accelerate the SDGs is needed now more than ever. This year's SDG Inspiration Day will bring together innovators, thought leaders and sustainability professionals to catalyze business action on the SDGs. This virtual event takes place on June 22 and it is free to attend.

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Do you have an event that you think the Biosphere community would be interested in?

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Promoting Innovation and Sustainability

The International Spanish Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) was the last global in-person trade fair to take place before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first one to return, sending a clear message of the resolve of the tourism sector for a safe and responsible restart.

This year’s trade fair ran from May 19-23, 2021 in Madrid and continued the long-standing partnership between UNWTO and FITUR. On the opening day of FITUR, UNWTO hosted an expert meeting on Accessible Tourism, featuring good practice in accessibility with a particular focus on tourism in rural and natural areas.

Sustainability was the focus of the UNWTO Affiliate Members meeting on May 21, giving its members - from the private sector, local and regional governments and academia - the opportunity to present their work, and to network both in-person and virtually.

The 25 winners of the UNWTO SDG Global Startup Competition met for a special workshop on winning investment for scaling up. The top entrepreneurs and innovators and their award-winning ideas for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals were also celebrated at a special event at the Royal Theatre in Spain.

Local Food Sustainability

Photo: Lindsay Peltz/Okanagan Bioregion Food System Project

“I’ve watched it 30 times and I still get shivers up my spine. It captured what we are doing here, and it’s fantastic to get the recognition.”

- Chef Chris Van Hooydonk, Backyard Farm

Van Hooydonk emphasizes that his main goal is for people to make an authentic connection with him, his farm and the community around them. Smith spent a day on the farm, hanging out in the kitchen while Van Hooydonk prepared the next menu. It wasn’t long before Smith observed a real passion that the chef demonstrated for sustainable agriculture.

Read what Chef Van Hooydonk had to add here.

British Columbia has what it takes to rival Napa Valley

Okanagan Lake (Photo contributed)

The Okanagan Valley is developing a reputation as one of the world’s best wine destinations. Fiona Sims of The Times writes, “You might not have heard of or tasted wine from the Okanagan Valley. Canadians, wisely, drink pretty much all of it themselves, exporting only 5 per cent, but it deserves to be more widely enjoyed. More than 80 per cent of British Columbia’s vineyards are in the valley, making a visit there every bit as rewarding (and delicious) as a trip to Napa.”

Lunch at The Bear, The Fish, The Root & The Berry

‘British Columbia has what it takes to rival Napa Valley’

Fiona Sims raises a glass in the lake‑filled Okanagan Valley, weaving along the lakes, through country lanes, and past orchards of soft fruit trees and grapes ripening in the sun.

Kelowna Businesses Showcased: Sustainability in Action

Tourism Kelowna showcased four Biosphere Committed Companies in their recent Earth Day post: Accent Inns, Tantalus Vineyards, Meadow Vista Honey Wines & The Harvest Golf Club. Their commitment to preserving and restoring our region is inspiring and we appreciate how sustainability is woven into everything they do. More than 30 Tourism Kelowna stakeholders are now participating in the Biosphere Commitment Program and making a commitment to the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Together, it is vital to strength the sustainable development in our region so it can be enjoyed by both residents and visitors for years to come.

The four businesses answered: “Why did you decide to join the Biosphere Commitment Program? How has it helped your business in its goals to be more sustainable?”

Accent Inns Kelowna

“We were really attracted by the Biosphere Commitment Program’s holistic view of sustainability and we love that all of the Thompson Okanagan tourism region is getting behind it. We are proud to be part of these big community initiatives. Many of the UN's SDGs, such as Good Health and Wellbeing, Gender Equality, and Responsible Consumption and Production, speak to our company’s longstanding Core Values. We’ve been thrilled to participate in recent Biosphere programs like Energy Audits, in partnership with GreenStep, and with support from Go2HR, we are working towards our Certificate of Recognition for Workplace Health & Safety. We love the leadership the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is taking in ensuring our whole region is moving the needle on this holistic view of sustainability in our region. Thank you, TOTA!”

Meadow Vista Honey Wines

“We decided to join the Biosphere Program when it was first introduced in Kelowna, as we saw a similar vision to our values and goals and decided we needed to support and be a part of it immediately! We were extremely fortunate to have one of the Biosphere Commitment Program’s Energy Analysts come and do an eco-efficiency assessment for us last fall. This was extremely helpful with accolades for programs we have in place and suggestions for increasing our eco-efficiency. We were able to introduce a full composting program, energy-saving practices, and make a green team to work on more plans for the future!”

Tantalus Vineyards

“As a farm and winemaking facility, we have always been very focused on our practices that directly affect the land that we are farming but as we grew, we wanted to take a more critical look at the public-facing pillar of our business – our tasting room and wine shop. We were drawn to the program mostly because it looked at the eco-efficiency of our business, such as our energy and water use. But more importantly, it dove into the human resources and labour make-up of our team, opening up discussions for us about hiring practices, work/life balance (especially in COVID times), occupational safety, and diversity. It has been a valuable tool for our business so far and we are excited to dive into more of the training opportunities and resources available with Biosphere.”

The Harvest Golf Club

“One of our members saw firsthand that the practices we had in place were at the highest level of sustainability, so he encouraged us to be part of the Biosphere program. The Harvest Golf Club wants to be part of the community and we believe that what we are doing aligns with the program very well.”

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