City Tourism Partners Win City Green Awards

Two city tourism partners have been recognized this month for their efforts to reduce waste and energy consumption. As many know, I am an advocate of seeing Thunder Bay's tourism industry becoming leaders in urban sustainable tourism. Its been great to see so many local tourism partners embrace these principals and understand that environmental and economic sustainability can co exist.

The Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel and Suites, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this month, recently installed new boilers that have reduced energy consumption by a whopping 30% and installed a new commercial dishwasher that cuts both the amount of water and detergent use by almost half. The old washing unit was recycled for its stainless steel value. During the recent room renovations, the hotel donated their older furnishing to Habitat for Humanity, ensuring they could find a new life and support a great local charity rather than end up in the city landfill.

And once again OLG Casino Thunder Bay was recognized for its work in reducing energy consumption by 12%, rounding up over 62 000 pounds of used electronics for recycling and planting, maintaining and donating the vegetables from their own community garden.

Congratulations to these two local tourism partners that embrace environmental sustainability. For more information on the City's environmental programs, click here.

Icarus Foundation's Guide to Green Festivals and Events

I had a chance to catch last evening's presentation on climate change and tourism by Dr Rachel Dodds of the Icarus Foundation and it really reinforced my beliefs that the sustainability of our natural environment will be key to maintaining and growing our tourism economy for the city and region.

Its our goal to become leaders in urban sustainable tourism and with the abundance of partners and tools we have at our disposal, its achievable. We're currently ramping up our dialogue with our Active Transportation and Greenwise initiatives, with Lakehead University and others who all share this goal. We've had interest from some traditionally consumptive partners including the snow mobiling and hunting segments, who want to learn more about this. It's that broad range of interest that's encouraging. Remember, its not that we have to give up our recreational passions and activities that are part of our northern culture. Its just that we undertake them with an eye to ensuring they exist in the future.

The Icarus Foundation has some great research and planning tools to assist tourism industry partners to become more aware of their ecological footprint and provide planning tools to become more environmentally responsible.

Locally, we see this awareness starting to grow and recent Municipal awards granted to the Victoria Inn and OLG Casino Thunder Bay are evidence that economy and ecology are inter elated more and more in our industry. My vision is to see environmental sustainably worn like a badge...quite literally...by as many of our local tourism partners as possible, letting visitors know our values.

There's one particular tool I want to hi lite in this post. In 2008, the Foundation released a Guide to Green Festivals and Events. This 15 page guide provides some insights and ideas that can be readily implemented by organizations at all levels. Its easy to follow and gives some great real examples of what's done elsewhere.

To read it online or print it (but only if you need to print it!), visit http://www.theicarusfoundation.com/Images/images/Greening_Festivals_and_Events.pdf

Public Art and Green Scapes Add to the Aesthetics of the Community

In the past couple of years, public art and green space improvements have started to play a bigger role in the evolution of Thunder Bay's cultural, social and economic fabric. From the creation of the Clean Green and Beautiful initiative, with a mandate to improve the aesthetics of the community, to increased exposure of organizations such as Eco Superior and various community arts groups, Thunder Bay's cultural and economic revolution is exciting.

This directly impacts Thunder Bay's tourism economy positively in that these initiatives improve the aesthetics of the community and speak to its cultural roots. These elements are important to making first impressions on visitors and even influence their decision to extend their stay or return. People want to visit where there is positive energy. Its a simple as that.

Public Art at Marina Park, murals within the downtown cores, the raised gardens added to the water street bus terminal and the soon to be started public green space at the newly renovated City Hall are all positive contributors to improving the look of the city and increasing the urban "vibe", that sense of positive energy that residents and visitors alike absorb. These initiatives are also considered part of the city's sustainable tourism strategy by creating exciting public green spaces and creating opportunities for the local arts community.

Pool 6 is a prime example. Docking a 5 star expedition cruise ship at a former industrial site currently under environmental assessment has posed challenges. Without the ability to complete permanent infrastructure such as landscaping and paving until the outcome of the assessment, we have cut the grass, installed planters along the dock, painted and installed welcome gateway signage. We've erected a tipi to celebrate our Anishnawbic Roots and have actually encouraged visitors to stroll through the spray painted rubble piles to take pictures of the "graffiti art", a public and impromptu art display that has actually become an attraction for the vessel passengers rather than a perceived eyesore to us.

While the city and a collection of like minded organizations have lead the way, there is a role for everyone. It always irks me to read people complaining about the "costs" of these initiatives rather than seeing them as investments in community development and its sad to see such short sightedness from folks who are all too often, the last to roll up their sleeves and do their part to make the city better. Who doesn't want to see a city become more attractive? Yes, the city has areas that need attention and guess what? So does every other small, medium and large city in North America right now. We've seen investments made in eradicating derelict buildings and allowing lands to become redeveloped. We see public and community gardens springing up and we're seeing more people doing their part. My job takes me to all corners of North America annually and I can honestly say, we're ahead of so many other cities.

In the tourism industry, there is so much that each of us can do to improve the "vibe" for visitors. Planting gardens and trees and commissioning local artists to paint murals that celebrate our heritage. It can also include bundling a night's stay at a hotel with local cuisine and a trip to Magnus theatre, the symphony or a stop at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Improving your business's green aesthetics does not have to be costly either. A trip to a garden center and a staff planting day are all it takes to do ones part.

Exciting times are upon us in the City and the tourism industry has a chance to make its mark on improving the cultural vibe of the City. There has been a lot of work done and a lot more to do but the city current economic and cultural environment have allowed it to become one big blank canvas with room for more creative and positive influences to shine.