The Thompson Okanagan looks and feels different than much of the rest of British Columbia. The Okanagan Valley is a popular vacation destination and fast-growing region centered on the 155-km-long Okanagan Lake. The region is known for its dry, sunny climate, dry landscapes, and lakeshore communities and a particular lifestyle.
Home to over 90 communities and over 200 licensed wineries, the landscape is as varied as the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies to the semi-arid climate of the Okanagan Desert. It is a region rich in Indigenous culture, sun-soaked valleys surrounded by sweeping grasslands and connected throughout by water.
Thompson Okanagan Region was officially certified as the first destination in the Americas to have successfully achieved the Biosphere Tourism Destination Certification from the Responsible Tourism Institute.
Thompson Okanagan becomes the first Sustainable Destination in the Americas
Twenty regions around the world have received recognition from the Responsible Tourism Institute, most of which are located in Europe.
Sustainable tourism is measured by examining how a destination manages itself from several perspectives, including environmental, social and cultural perspectives.
The region also features world-class wineries, inventive, fresh fare, and rich indigenous culture that leaves a lasting mark. Besides the main activities like golf, powder skiing, lake sports, and wine, the region also offers peaceful fishing holes, remote horseback rides, and a selection of farm-fresh culinary treasures.
More than three million people visit the Thompson Okanagan each year, according to the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association.
Photo credit: Dick Thompson Flickr
In 2018, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association was named the year’s winner of the prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Award during the World Travel and Tourism Council Summit in Argentina.
Some of the responsibilities are a guarantee an economic, socio-cultural and environmental balance, satisfying the current needs of tourists and host regions, reporting significant benefits for the entity, society and the environment, and protecting and improving future prospects.
Building a responsible and sustainable destination
Treetop Flyers
Sustainability is at the core of Treetop Flyers business. From repurposed shipping containers for offices and installing the only solar-powered drop swing, they are setting the mark for taking responsibility for their footprint.
BC Wildlife Park
BC Wildlife Rescue – Fawcett Family Wildlife Health Centre is a nonprofit organization committed to rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife.
Ogopogo Tours
Committed to sustaining the beautiful landscape in BC, Ogopogo Tours has energy-efficient hybrid vehicles to reduce their harm to the environment.
Myra Canyon Ranch
Surrounded by Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park and 20 minutes from Kelowna, Myra Canyon Ranch is a lodge and horseback riding facility that guests call “a magic place”.
Curitiba is the capital of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná. It is known as a cultural center, Curitiba is home to a number of performance venues. Curitiba is one of the largest cities in the prosperous Southern region, and its population is largely descended from German, Ukrainian, Russian, Italian and Polish immigrants. The city’s population is close to 2 million.
Curitiba’s eco-city initiatives began long before the current mandate to clean up cities was born. In 1971, architect Jaime Lerner was elected mayor for his first out of three terms and came up with innovative and creative solutions.
The city has 17 new parks, 90 miles of bike paths, trees everywhere, and traffic and garbage systems that officials from other cities come to study.
The average salary resident of Curitiba about 3.5 times greater than the minimum in the country, thus taxes in Curitiba are not higher than in the whole country.
Curitiba, Brazil pioneered the use of bus rapid transit and is viewed as a model bus rapid transit (BRT) system for other countries in Latin America and around the world. Curitiba was the first city in Brazil to organize private bus operation in catchment areas and the first city in the world to implement a full BRT system.
They are widely recognized for their many innovative features. The overall system is the result of many incremental decisions aimed at improving service quickly, pragmatically, and affordably.
The bus system includes about 37 miles of median busways and carries about 2 million people per day. About 70% of Curitiba’s commuters use the bus system even though Curitiba’s automobile ownership and per capita incomes are significantly higher than the national average for Brazil.
Buses also travel on urban roadways, so infrastructure investments can be substantially lower than the capital costs required for rail systems.
The buses run frequently—some as often as every 90 seconds and the stations are convenient, well-designed, comfortable, and attractive.
Curitiba has one of the most heavily used, yet low-cost, transit systems in the world.
They initiated a system that focused on meeting the transportation needs of all people—rather than those using private automobiles. They avoided large-scale and expensive projects in favor of hundreds of modest initiatives.
Passengers pay a single fare for travel throughout the system, with unlimited transfers between buses at terminals where different services intersect.
Very limited public parking is available in the downtown area, and most employers offer transportation subsidies, especially to low-skilled and low-paid employees.
Additionally, to avoid congestion in central areas, various streets in the city center were pedestrianized.
The result was a highly reliable mass transport system that dramatically reduces automobile usage, fuel consumption and emission levels in the city. A versatile, cost- and time-effective model that can be implemented by making improvements to existing transport infrastructure and vehicles.
A low-cost transit system used by over 75% of travelers in Curitiba, a city of three million-plus. Eliminates about 27 million automobile trips annually, saving 10 million gallons of fuel and lowering the city’s CO2 emissions by 25%. A model for developing cities worldwide.
The city administration had to find a solution for the frequent flooding that was taking place due to the geographical position of the city.
Curitiba’s park system was designed to preserve the river’s meandering course. During heavy rains the river backs up and spreads out into the low-lying area of the parks, forming temporary lakes and mimicking a natural floodplain.
Curitiba has 400 square kilometers of public parks or forest space or more than 50 square meters per inhabitant. It emits 25 percent less carbon per capita than most Brazilian cities.
The local botanical garden is divided on the site of the former city landfill, it serves as a recreation and research center. In addition, there are 17 parks – and each is dedicated to a particular topic. In addition, these parks are easily accessible using the public transport system.
Curitiba developers get a tax break if their projects include green areas.
Curitiba’s Recycling Initiatives
Curitiba’s citizens separate their trash into just two categories, organic and inorganic, for pick-up by two kinds of trucks. Curitiba has also spearheaded programs that encourage residents to keep their streets clean and recycle, in exchange trash and recyclables by offering them bus tokens, food, and cash.
The trash goes to a plant that employs people to separate bottles from cans from plastic.
Recovered materials are sold to local industries. The recycling program costs no more than the old landfill, but the city is cleaner, there are more jobs, farmers are supported and the poor get food and transportation. Curitiba recycles two-thirds of its garbage – one of the highest rates of any city, north or south.
Curitiba now has the most developed in the Brazilian system of social support and one of the most viable educational and outreach programs. Students are educated to become engaged citizens through learning progressive social and environmental concepts at an early age. A great example of this is the recycling program.
The Brazilian city of Curitiba has developed a model of successful operation and development, learning to deal with a wide range of issues from transport and economic – to the social and environmental.
The success of the city can be largely attributed to mayor Jaime Lerner, whose goals are largely rooted in developing a city that works efficiently for all its residents, and produces a society of satisfied individuals. Curitiba is an excellent example of a society working together as a collective.
It is hard to believe that so many cities in the world today are unable to find solutions for better mobility, sustainability and general quality of life.
British ecotourism company Responsible Travel released a list of its 10 favorite destinations for green eco-travelers; see what made the cut, plus our recommendations of what to do in each eco-friendly locale.
When considering your next big trip consider going to an eco-destination. What makes a destination eco?
Here are a few criteria that have to be met to earn the “eco” stamp:
It’s built using environmentally sound methods and/or operates with alternative energy sources
It minimizes human impact on natural habitats and promotes resource conservation
It sustains the well-being of local people and/or indigenous communities
It helps raise visitors’ environmental and cultural awareness
Here is our list with top 10 eco-travel destinations
Photo: Courtesy Prefeitura Municipal de Turismo, Bonito
1. Bonito
Bonito, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, is one of the top ecotourism destinations suggested by responsibletravel.com ahead of the 11th World Responsible Tourism Awards.
This remote town in western Brazil is sometimes called Caribe do Centro-Oeste, due to its spectacular blue rivers, whose limestone beds act as a natural water filter. The town’s proximity to the Serra da Bodoquena National Park ensures protection of the area’s ecosystems, which are some of the oldest and most diverse on the planet. Resorts such as the gorgeous Santa Esmerelda are catching on to the eco-friendly trend.
Tourists can enjoy a wide range of spectacular beauties in the area, including waterfalls, crystal lakes, caves with stalactite formations and the surroundings of the Serra da Bodoquena national park, much of which is not open to tourism for conservation reasons.
The clarity of the water where travelers can practice snorkeling or scuba diving is due to the large quantity of limestone in the ground, which works as a natural filter leaving impurity on the bottom of lakes and rivers and making these some of the more transparent and clear in the world.
Photo credit: www.tablemountain.net Courtesy Cape Town Tourism
2. Cape Town
South Africa is a leader in responsible tourism and a mecca for Eco Travel. Named by Conservational International as one of the seventeen megadiverse countries in the world. The biodiversity is truly astounding. There are numerous conservation efforts and projects in OUSth Africa designed to protect the native species.
Cape Town is remarkable for its combination of natural beauty and captivating culture. The capital city offers easy access to beaches, forests, and mountains alike. Many restaurants source food locally, and reliable public transportation or the carbon-neutral Green Cabs make it easy to get around. Choose accommodations like the Grootbos Nature Reserve, which takes measures to preserve its land and the animals native to it. Travelers are welcome to go on a Cape Canopy Tour and zip across the Hottentots Holland nature reserve, imitating the majestic eagles in all but the sharpness of eyesight. An exhilarating ride for anyone willing to share the sky with soaring birds to take in the absolute beauty of the Western Cape from a much more thrilling perspective.
Photo credit: Pixabay
3. Birdwatching in Hangzhou, China
Hangzhou, tipped as ‘Paradise on Earth’, is China’s top eco travel destination. It is one of the few places in China where people can watch wild birds chirping in the downtown area. A perfect destination for nature lovers, at Hangzhou’s West Lake, you can glimpse the birds flying over the skyline. Home to dozens of historical sites, the wooded hills encircling the lake are studded with pavilions, towers, pagodas, and caves. The Xixi National Wetland Park in Hagzhou is teeming with biodiversity and a 180 bird species. It allows visitors an intimate glance at the Underwater Ecological Observation Corridor. And for hiking enthusiasts, the Bamboo-lined Path at Yunqi is a serene escape.
Photo credit: Flickr / Rennett Stowe
4. Blue Mountains, Australia
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000, Australia’s Greater Blue Mountains Area is a popular ecotourism trip for Sydneysiders seeking to trade in the buzz of the city for the calm of the great outdoors. A mere 90-minute car ride from Sydney, the Blue Mountains (named for the blue hue cast by the eucalyptus oil produced by the region’s native trees) cover some 550 square miles of valleys, swamps, rocky outcroppings, and narrow canyons – topped off by stellar vantage points from which to ogle Australia’s beauty.
A handful of national parks and reserves comprise the area, hosting dozens of trails through breathtaking terrain loaded with unique flora (don’t miss the ancient Wollemi pine, one of the world’s rarest species) and fauna (some 400 species, including koalas, call the Blue Mountains home). Rock climbing, mountain biking, rappelling, canoeing, and horseback riding are just a few of the activities – aside from bushwalking – to enjoy here in the wild. Of course, the prospect of relaxing and breathing in the fresh mountain air at one of the area’s many eco-friendly lodges and cabins can be equally enticing.
Photo credit: Chris McLennan
5. New Zealand
New Zealand is a spot that’s difficult to fully take in during a single trip. Its varied terrain is home to diverse plants and wildlife and makes a beautiful backdrop for hiking, biking, and camping. New Zealand is also one of the most popular destinations for luxury ecotourism, offering comprehensive tours and fancy accommodations with no harm to the environment.
Photo credit: Tea Fields in Kerala. Photo: Midhun Subhash via Wikimedia Commons
6. Slow Travel in Kerala, India
Kerala’s spellbinding rivers and lush fields have deservedly made it one of those eco-travel destinations you must see in your lifetime. In fact, Kerala Tourism has won the award for world’s best responsible tourism project at the World Travel Market London. Kerala’s landscape is as fragrant as it is beautiful. With its hills covered in sweet-smelling spices and gorgeous-looking plantations of tea, every inch of Kerala seems to bear witness to arresting beauty. Travelers can slowly take in and admire Kerala whilst traveling by kettu vallam (tied boats) along glimmering backwaters or take to the road to enjoy delicious cuisine and coffee in the urban areas of the state.
Photo credit: Namibia via Pixabay
7. Wildlife Adventures in Namibia
Namibia’s name is derived from the world’s oldest desert, the Namib. With its golden grass and singing rivers, Namibia easily gathers what the best and most awe-inspiring characteristics of Africa in one stunning place. It can also boast of being one of the best places to watch African wildlife as there is an abundance of elephants, rhinos, lions both in private reserves and freely roaming the African prairies. Namibia offers value for money as camps are priced in Namibian dollars, a currency tied to the South African Rand, rather than the U.S. dollar like many southern African safari destinations, which means your wonderful 5-star trip can be taken at a 2-star price.
Photo credit: Schalz
8. Tobago
This Caribbean island is home to the world’s oldest legally protected rainforest. The Main Ridge Forest Reserve contains a diverse mix of wildlife, including a whopping half of the island’s aviary population (birdwatchers, have your binoculars ready). While many parts of the island (including endangered reefs) have sustained significant damage from hurricanes, the Forest Reserve’s World Heritage Status keeps it well protected.
Photo credit: Jose Letelier Hernandez
9. Extreme Adventures in Bariloche, Argentina
If you are one who loves some extreme sports with their eco-travel, then Bariloche might be the perfect destination for you. Bariloche can boast of an incredibly vast ecosystem- from snowy Andean mountains to thick green forests and glimmering lakes- and this means the fun is almost never-ending! You can have a refreshing time kayaking across crystal blue waters in a guided kayaking tour. If you are partial to a wilder side of adventure traveling then don’t fret – Bariloche’s winds are perfect for paragliding and you´ll never be disappointed with the breathtaking view and stunning mountain ranges seen from far above. Bariloche’s gorgeous landscape will definitely keep you mesmerized wherever you go and if you decide to go trekking for a change then there is no shortage of mountain paths and vistas for you to admire.
Photo credit: Nick Thorne
10. The Lake District National Park
Home to 12 of England’s largest lakes, this sprawling parkland contains a diverse sampling of British flora and fauna. For human visitors, there’s a hiking, boating, and nature exploration, as well as free guided bike and walking tours. In 2006, representatives from various protection agencies joined forces to found the Lake District National Park Partnership, which oversees maintenance and preservation of the park’s 80,000 acres of land. They are currently seeking a bid for World Heritage Status, which would ensure even more protection. The Park also offers many opportunities for volunteer work so that visitors can be sure they’re leaving its forests as beautiful as they found them.
Photo credit: Flickr / Rennett Stowe
Photo credit: Chris McLennan
