Local tourism operators looking to learn green business practices have a new option with the green tourism business scheme.
The international program, which launched out of the U.K., teaches businesses better, more sustainable ways of running their tourism business. Worldwide, more than 2,400 companies are certified, including 29 in B.C.
The Canadian arm of the scheme has partnered with Kelowna’s Green Step Solutions to roll it out for local operators. The first assessments will be completed this June.
Green tourism promotes sustainable business practice in many ways. One is to make everyday operations within different businesses more environmentally friendly and supportable, while others include incorporating entirely new practices. An example of this is the Vancouver Public Library, which announced a strategic plan to make its formerly dead and sterile rooftop into a series of gardens.
The first step in the program is an assessment of a business to see what existing practices are and what changes are necessary and practical.