Co-Owner of Sooke Harbour House. Eco friendly-Green-sustainability, buzz words for some; philosophy and lifestyle for many. An Hotelier’s point of view.
By Frederique Philip, co-owner of Sooke Harbour House, small boutique hotel on the edge of the Pacific, Vancouver Island,British Columbia.
A few days ago I was perusing the Trip Advisor web site. I came upon the advertised Eco-friendly places they recommend and what makes such a place more eco-friendly than another. It is a short list: Low flush showers, in room recycling bins, low energy LED lighting, non toxic housekeeping products, organic tea and coffee and a discount for driving a hybrid. This was followed with “going green tips”: Minimize environmental impact, help local economy and society, buy food at local markets, and stay at smaller inns where you can open the windows!
I realize that thinking green, living green and acting green is happening for a large number of people, but is it happening for some businesses only because they see a good marketing opportunity but don’t understand that it should be more than that.
For all of us on this planet, being green and sustainable is not something that we need to do to feel better but the only thing that we should have been doing all along, even before we needed to because of “climate change”, food issues, water issues, poverty and so on.
Reviewing the eco friendly list, I feel it doesn’t go far enough at all.
-Low flush showers and low flush toilets ( not mentioned) are not enough, every hotel should recycled the waste water, clean it, and reuse it.
-What kind of food is served in the restaurant should be considered, if it travels from far away destinations, it is the contrary of being green,
-What kind of green spaces are around these hotels? Grass and golf courses, not so environmentally friendly, or instead organic and edible gardens.
By looking where these eco friendly places are located, most of them are in far away places only reachable by airplanes. Most of the waste created, incredible amount of energy used happen in hotels and resorts in developed countries.
We all need to alter our thinking and think locally if we want to help globally. We need to become a tourist in our own town, patronize the small hotels, Inns, Bed & Breakfasts, and restaurants that are truly eco friendly and conduct their businesses in a true sustainable way not in a “trendy” sustainable way. Everyone of us needs to become an environmental activist, we need to go faster in that direction, we cannot afford to stand on the side walk and wait for the majority to join and we cannot think that we are doing enough already.
We bought Sooke Harbour House in 1979, then a five bedroom small B & B. From the beginning we insisted on being local and seasonal, buying from local farmers, growers and foragers what we couldn’t grow in our edible, certified organic gardens. We have a large composting place in a corner of the gardens that helps us replenish our soil. The décor of the hotel has been obtained by relying on artisans and artists that built and created furniture using only local woods and materials. We decided, as soon as it was available, to put a waste water recycling system for the hotel. We have recycled millions of litres of water over the years. We created a grass paved parking lot for our overflow parking. We emphasize our local food philosophy and with the exception of coffee, chocolate and orange juice for breakfast, we can claim that we have a hundred kilometres diet! This was done because we never felt that it was right to take more than what you can put back. There was never a question of: can we afford it? We always thought about the long term cost, the real cost instead of the short term cost.
The Sooke Harbour House is a small boutique hotel that offers our guests a place where they can forget the fast pace, hectic world we have created. It is a place that offers the LUXURY OF TIME, time to spend with your loved ones, to excite all your senses, to savour each minute by sometimes doing nothing, just watching the live entertainment of the seals, otters, bald eagles and seagulls playing in front of the hotel. A place where one can
admire the artwork of more than one hundred local artists. A place where you can eat and feel, all of what Vancouver Island is about!
Sooke Harbour House on the edge of the Pacific on Vancouver Island is totally, completely, a real sustainable and eco-friendly place. A place to visit, a place that will make you feel renewed, energized and happy.
The Sooke Harbour House has received a few GREEN awards and we are constantly working on doing more and better for ourselves, our staff and our community.
Come join us!