We Are Committed

Back in 2018, we joined thousands of other businesses and organizations internationally to make effective strides toward global sustainability. Biosphere is a Sustainable Tourism System certified by the Responsible Tourism Institute, an international certification body that maintains a Memorandum of Understanding with UNESCO, is affiliated with the World Tourism Organization, and is a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

Biosphere Website Badge - Colour

 

Biosphere promotes sustainable development actions and programs in tourism destinations and companies. The system is aligned with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris COP21 Accord to Fight Climate Change and Horizon 2030. The Biosphere program brings environmental, social and economic together in a simple way for businesses and organizations to follow.

Sustainability can be understood as the ability to continue carrying out an activity without compromising the development opportunities of future generations, respecting and promoting the current survival of natural environments, cultural identity and the development of welfare states in all its dimensions. – Biosphere Guide 2023/2023

As a Biosphere committed business, we have gained access to an outstanding network of qualified and supportive businesses that have been instrumental in training and giving direction to our team. We continuously do work towards supporting the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We utilize the Biosphere platform to complete activities and monitor the status of our efforts.

What Are SDGs?

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed by the United Nations. They are humanity’s to-do list for a sustainable planet, a clear roadmap for a better future. Annually the Sustainability Team at Monte Creek Winery selects SDGs to focus on for the year. We create actionable items and goals that help to focus us so that our efforts can make an impact.

sustainable development goals

Some examples of work we have been doing towards SDGs include running an awareness and fundraising campaign to support BC Badgers. This campaign was even awarded Sustainable Project of the Year by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association for 2021.

Biosphere Awards Certificate1024_1

 

Another example is completing an Accessibility Audit with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. During this audit, we had a member of their team come to the winery and audit the accessibility of our property and experiences to people with disabilities. From this report, we have made changes to our Tasting Room to improve the experience guests have with us.

Accessibility Monte Creek Winery

Sustainability is one of our core values at Monte Creek Winery. Our team believes in and practices regenerative agriculture, a practice that includes the rehabilitation and conservation of the ecosystem. Examples of techniques include a compost program and using cover crop blends with Indigenous species. The vineyards are farmed organically with permaculture in mind and will be certified in 2023. We also are a Certified Salmon-Safe farm, certified for practices that protect and enhance salmon health and habitat through transformative land and water management practices.

Monte Creek Winery’s sustainable practices don’t stop in the vineyards. Our onsite Terrace restaurant is 100% OceanWiseTM, and our winery team has employed several initiatives that reduce energy consumption and waste, all geared toward minimizing the winery’s carbon footprint. Examples of these initiatives include using pigs to eat food scraps from the kitchen and growing produce used in restaurant dishes and beverages.

monte creek winery earth day 2022

Committing ourselves to Biosphere was an easy decision. Our team is very passionate about sustainability and has seen tremendous strides in our sustainability efforts. We are making goals, developing tasks, monitoring progress on our Carbon Footprint, engaging with partners such as the Food Bank, raising money for the SPCA, picking up garbage on Earth Day, and educating others with Wine Growers of BC. We know that we have a long way to go, but have confidence we are using the right tools to make a true impact.