Sustainability and our Environment
LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The resort’s guest accommodations, operational quarters and staff buildings are built
on the water, along the forest edge, on a rocky promontory. Our presence has not impacted the surrounding forest or disturbed any of the wildlife habitat. This eco-friendly approach has been our aim from the beginning. Visitors are happy to see that we operate in sync with the natural environment.
S. O. S. “Stewards of Sustainability”
Nimmo Bay is a wonderful marriage between the business world and the conservation ethic. Sustainable tourism is our future and Nimmo Bay is proud to be a member of the first sustainable tourism collective in Canada. This collection of resort, adventure and hotel properties focuses on developing the best sustainable environmental practices for improved tourism business growth in B.C. Whistler/Blackcomb, The Armstrong Group, Canadian Mountain Holidays, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, Nimmo Bay Resort and Tartan PR all share best practices, collectively market their products and services and look at ways to make BC a substainable tourism destination into the future. www.sustainablebc.ca
CLIMATE FRIENDLY
We accept the necessity of becoming Climate Friendly. We can achieve this status though the Carbon Responsible actions of ourselves and our guests. We have as accurately as possible defined our carbon omissions. We have reduced our GHG omissions and our footprint on our environment with the installation of our water powered hydro system in 1982, our recycling and refuge elimination programs, our Hydroxyl waste management system, our catch and release fishing policy, the adoption of the Ecosystem Based Management strategy, and our use of eco-friendly products and suppliers. We are taking accountability for our footprints that can't be further reduced, by being Carbon Responsible and purchasing BC Beneficial Carbon Offsets. We are beginning to advertise what we are doing to provide for a more healthy mother earth, under our new banner of "Travel Smart". We educate our guests and our staff about what we are doing and letting future Nimmo Bay Patrons play a role in helping us achieve our goal of becoming "Climate Friendly" and to keep our tourism industry sustainable. Remember, don't throw anything AWAY, because, where is AWAY?? All we can do is manage AWAY by reducing our footprint and being mindful of what we do, with what we no longer want. Our guests are proud to be able to assist us in keeping our environment clean, healthy and natural, and for the most part they are willing participants in our environmental efforts in and around Nimmo Bay, through their personal contributions, which come from our Futures Forever Fund.
FUTURES FOREVER FUND
Giving Back is what our "Futures Forever Fund" is set up to do. Having Started in 2007, guest environmental donations will be put towards three important environmental initiatives. The offsetting of GHG emissions emanting from the Nimmo Bay Experience (including air travel from Vancouver to Port Hardy), contributions to Raincoast Research and the work of Alexandra Morton to save our BC wild salmon from the sea lice and chemicals caused from the current fish farming practices, and to keep up the necessary advocacy work of our BC Wilderness Tourism Association to better represent the members of our Industry. After all is said and done, our economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of our environment.
PARTNERSHIPS
The B.C. Provincial government recognized Nimmo Bay Resort in 2005 as the Province's first official stewardship partner of the 50,000 square miles of land and water we operate in. Environmental assistance programs such as water sampling, forest programs, wildlife and fish reporting have since been established. Recently, other remote wilderness resorts have become actively involved in monitoring and reporting their surrounding areas and have become Stewardship Partners as well.
ENVIRONMENTAL INVOLVEMENTS
For six years Nimmo Bay Resort participated in the Central Coast Land Resource Management Plan as the tourism representative. Nimmo Bay is also a founding member of the Quality Waters Strategy committee, helping revise our Provincial freshwater river and lake fishery.
COTA/TIABC
Craig Murray, owner and founder of Nimmo Bay Resort, was on the Council Of Tourism Association board as a director from 2007-2011. COTA represents all of the tourism businesses and associations in British Columbia and advocates for its members.
ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY
Craig Murray has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the RRU Tourism Advisory Board. The University recognizes the importance of Wilderness high end tourism in todays global mix of travellers to British Columbia. After 30 years of doing business at Nimmo Bay, Mr. Murray brings a unique prospective to the diverse tourism board.
FIRST NATIONS
The Wi’la’mola Accord is again a first of its kind environmental / tourism program with First Nations. This recognition of environmental and tourism initiatives highlights this incredible territory from sea level to 7,000 feet, its cultures, traditions and the necessity for us all to work together for a sustainable future. In 2004 many of the local First Nation Chiefs and five tourism business people signed this agreement in Alert Bay and Nimmo Bay. This is a living document and is open for new members who practice environmental sustainability.
FISHING
Nimmo Bay’s fishery is catch & release using single barbless hooks. Guests are invited to fly or spin fish. Currently, we are working hard to protect wild juvenile Pacific Salmon from sea lice, which thrive on farmed salmon. In its current configuration, salmon farming by international corporations is a threat to our wild juvenile salmon, as the farms are located on the migratory routes of the baby salmon. We are working with both Federal and Provincial governments, the tourism industry, environmental coalitions and first nations to help change how salmon are farmed on this coast and to preserve our existing wild salmon stocks. We need everyone’s assistance to achieve this goal. Public opinion and our new environmental initiatives will hopefully help keep our Wild Pacific Salmon alive and healthy.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste management is a very important part of our lives. We employ several interesting initiatives to achieve and remain above present day environmental compliance. A Hydroxyl waste management system has been in place for many years, to take care of the black and grey water at Nimmo Bay. Nothing but clear, clean water returns to the surrounding environment. We recycle all applicable materials and transport all other wastes to the main recycling stations on Vancouver Island every four days. There is nothing remaining at Nimmo Bay to expose local wildlife to unnatural food sources, or to soil our surroundings.
SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES -- ECOSYSTEM BASED MANAGEMENT
We make every effort to support local suppliers who provide us with sustainable products and foods. Our staff are all very aware of the many concerns around living in a remote wilderness area and do everything they can to be aware of their impact. We hire locally, buy locally and provide local artists with a venue for global tourists to view their work. We have a preference for indigenous, organic foods and our seafood comes from a very local supplier, the commercial fisherman. Environmentally sound cleaning products are used for all our cleaning needs. Special soaps and shampoos are provided for our guests.
AWARDS
In 1999, the Government of British Columbia presented Nimmo Bay with the Environmental Award for Industry, Business and Labour, from a field of 187 other possible candidates. We continue to explore the endless possibilities of how to keep our tourism industry sustainable. We are highly aware of the continuous necessity to keep tourism as a central focus of local and provincial governments, as extraction industries (e.g. logging, mining) keep knocking at our door. We believe that industry must begin to think about the "triple bottom line" approach, and realize that this way of thinking will lead to a profitable business, community employment and environmental sustainability.
A proud member of the BCSTC www.sustainablebc.ca
