Member Spotlight: Campbell River Whale Watching and Adventure Tours
Campbell River Whale Watching and Adventure Tours specializes in educational nature tours focused on ethical whale watching and grizzly bear tours, as well as single day and multi day wilderness kayaking. Continue reading to learn more about their sustainability journey:
Tell us a bit about your business. What makes you different?
As one of Campbell River’s largest tourism operators, we strive to set an example of responsible and sustainable wildlife viewing among our industry. Throughout all of our operations we strive to: Minimize our environmental impact and/or footprint, Make ethical and responsible buying decisions, Offset what we can not reduce or eliminate. We are a team of expert mariners, certified naturalists, and lovers of wildlife. We believe that education and showcasing responsible wildlife viewing behaviors are a key component of operating as a sustainable organization and help to shift the mindset of our guests.
Why is sustainability important to you/your business?
Our business is built on viewing the stunning scenery of the North Island, and the incredible wildlife that resides here. We are blessed to be able to spend our time on the water, and on land in the presence of these animals and cannot imagine not doing what we can to protect them. We are in the fortunate position of being able to have direct interaction upwards of 7000 people annually. Every day we have the opportunity to impact how they live in their day to day lives, and their travel habits, and to try and demonstrate the downstream affects of their actions.
Why did you join GreenStep Sustainable Tourism?
Joining Sustainable Tourism was a great way to communicate with our customers the commitment we have made to be a sustainable operation. It has also allowed us to become more focused in our sustainability actions, and to understand what we can be doing better.
What sustainability related projects, policies or initiatives do you most want travelers to know about?
We are very proud of our partnership with Wilderness International, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the Old Growth Forest. This program has resulted in us becoming Campbell River’s First Carbon Neutral tourism company. For every passenger who joins us, 1 m2 of forest on the BC North Coast is preserved, which provides critical habitat to many of the animals we view each day.
What are some goals and/or actions you plan to take in the future to further increase the sustainability of your business?
We are always striving to become a more sustainable company. One of the biggest projects we are working on right now is developing a floating classroom education program aimed at supporting students in SD71 and SD72!
To learn more about Campbell River Whale Watching & Adventure Tours visit: https://campbellriverwhalewatching.com/
