News & Resources
The latest Thompson Okanagan tourism industry news from TOTA, tourism businesses, and communities.
Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery Becomes First Biosphere Certified Winery in the Thompson Okanagan
Noble Ridge Vineyards & Winery has achieved Biosphere Certification, the first winery within the Thompson Okanagan region to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability management by aligning business operations with each United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Noble Ridge Vineyards & Winery has achieved Biosphere Certification, the first winery within the Thompson Okanagan region to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability management by aligning business operations with each United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, using the Biosphere Sustainable Lifestyle Platform.
In 2001, Jim and Leslie D’Andrea purchased land in Okanagan Falls, BC that would become their vineyard and began building their vision. Now, in 2024, Noble Ridge Vineyards & Winery is a sustainability leader selling award-winning wines. The company is named after the noble varieties of grapes grown and the ridge that divides the land on which they thrive.
For Benoit Gauthier, Director of Winemaking & Viticulture, implementing sustainable practices is a priority to nurture short-, medium-, and long-term benefits for the vines, winery, and region. Gauthier began switching from conventional farming to sustainable farming practices in 2014, initially focused on improving the soil quality. Benoit reduced the use of synthetic fertilizers, sprays, and irrigation water by increasing the organic matter in the soil with the use of compost and organic fertilizer applications. In 2020, he started the Sustainable Winegrowing BC Program with the BC Wine Grape Council. In 2021, Noble Ridge became one of the first vineyards in British Columbia to achieve the Sustainable Winegrowing BC Certification.
After this accomplishment, the Noble Ridge team decided that the next step was to adopt sustainable practices for the entire business, and the best path was to achieve certification through TOTA’s Biosphere Commitment Program.
Sustainability Initiatives
The Noble Ridge team is excited to share a few of their sustainability initiatives with the community.
First is the smart use of energy: Noble Ridge uses solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, and high-efficiency heat pumps across the buildings. They have also converted the lights on the property to LED with motion sensors.
Noble Ridge is also working to become a Living Wage Employer to support the hard-working team at Noble Ridge.
About the Biosphere Commitment Program
The Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Program is a sustainability program offered by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. The focus is to equip tourism businesses in the region with tools and resources to continuously measure, manage, and report sustainability management efforts. The program prepares businesses for a globally recognized certification, to show alignment of business operations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Destination Certification.
Through the Biosphere Sustainable Lifestyle platform, organizations can create customized sustainability plans and access dedicated support from industry experts.
Learn more about TOTA’s Biosphere Commitment Program
Quality Inn and Suites Vernon Becomes First Biosphere Certified Hotel in the Thompson Okanagan
Quality Inn and Suites Vernon has achieved Biosphere Certification, becoming the first hotel within the Thompson Okanagan region to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability management. With the Biosphere Sustainable Lifestyle Platform, the certification was completed in six months. TOTA’s Biosphere Commitment Program is available to help organizations.
Quality Inn and Suites Vernon has achieved Biosphere Certification, the first hotel within the Thompson Okanagan region to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability management by fulfilling all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the Biosphere Sustainable Lifestyle Platform.
For Quality Inn and Suites Vernon and their Biosphere lead, Vinil Sood, the journey towards certification took six months. The hotel joined TOTA’s Biosphere Commitment Program in April 2023, began uploading evidence, and, in October 2023, the hotel was officially Biosphere Certified. The team found this process to be approachable because of the many sustainability initiatives that Quality Inn already had in place.
“At Quality Inn and Suites Vernon, sustainability is more than just a buzzword or a set of practices,” said Vinil. “It's a core belief that shapes everything we do, from our daily operations to our interactions with the local community and environment. We believe that sustainability means adopting responsible and ethical practices that benefit our business in the short term and contribute positively to the broader ecosystem in which we operate.”
While Quality Inn and Suites Vernon has verified sustainable practices in all 17 SDGs, they have shown an outstanding commitment towards SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. Some actions towards commitment to SDG 7 include:
Awareness campaigns on the use of clean energy
Adopting energy efficient practices in their facilities
Prioritizing the use of more renewable and green energy sources, like the solar-powered lighting used in their courtyard
Quality Inn and Suites Vernon’s solar-powered courtyard
Biosphere Commitment Program
Biosphere Commitment is the first achievement an organization works towards after joining the Thompson Okanagan Biosphere Commitment Program. To achieve Biosphere Committed status, an organization must pick three SDGs to work towards, from each area of sustainable development: Environment and Climate Change; Society and Culture; and Governance and Economy.
After an organization becomes committed, they can continue to work through the 17 SDGs and show continued improvement towards sustainability management. Once an organization has verified sustainable actions towards all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, they become Biosphere Certified.
Learn more about TOTA’s Biosphere Commitment Program.
Book a Biosphere Presentation.
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast and Kootenay Rockies Tourism Regions earn Biosphere Certified Destination Designation
Congratulations to the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast and Kootenay Rockies tourism regions on earning the internationally recognized Biosphere Certified Destination Designation from the Responsible Tourism Institute.
Biosphere Destinations are committed to continuous improvement guided by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which include combating climate change, protecting the environment, supporting decent work and economic growth, and respecting cultural and social values.
Congratulations to the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast and Kootenay Rockies tourism regions on earning the internationally recognized Biosphere Certified Destination Designation from the Responsible Tourism Institute.
Biosphere Destinations are committed to continuous improvement guided by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which include combating climate change, protecting the environment, supporting decent work and economic growth, and respecting cultural and social values.
Toward a Climate Friendly Future
Last week, we were very pleased to be part of an Earth Day announcement that saw Tourism Vancouver Island, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism, Northern BC Tourism, and Kootenay Rockies Tourism sign a commitment letter with the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI) to move forward with Biosphere Certification. Building on our climate friendly commitment, TOTA will be co-hosting the Strong Earth Youth Summit on Thursday, April 29th, 2021 together with SunX Malta. This event will be taking place in three locations around the world with a line-up of international speakers.
Last week, we were very pleased to be part of an Earth Day announcement that saw Tourism Vancouver Island, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism, Northern BC Tourism, and Kootenay Rockies Tourism sign a commitment letter with the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI) to move forward with Biosphere Certification. Together, they join the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association in our collective commitment to Sustainability and Responsible Tourism. The video of last week's announcement, also featuring guest speakers from across the globe referencing the important role that tourism plays in Sustainability, can be found here.
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association received Biosphere Certification in November 2017 and maintains its designation through a continuous reporting process to RTI on our ongoing initiatives. Our overall focus is on the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), some of which has been achieved through our work with Communities and Stakeholders on the Biosphere Commitment program, our Eco Efficiency Audits, and the recent release of the new Biosphere Academy.
Building on our climate friendly commitment, TOTA will be co-hosting the Strong Earth Youth Summit on Thursday, April 29th, 2021 together with SunX Malta. This event will be taking place in three locations around the world with a line-up of international speakers. Registration is complimentary to all interested in being a part of this important conversation and movement for a resilient, climate-friendly future for travel & tourism. For more information and to register go to: TOTABC.org/seys-2021.
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