In honor of Earth Month, the team at Inn at Laurel Point is celebrating its status as BC’s first carbon-neutral hotel by launching a new Carbon-Neutral Events Program, to the roster of eco-friendly initiatives offered at the waterfront hotel in the heart of downtown Victoria.
As part of its 10-year vision to continue leading the charge towards a sustainable future, the hotel has teamed up with Victoria non-profit Synergy Enterprises to formulate its new Carbon-Neutral Events program, available from today.
Inn at Laurel Point already offsets the carbon footprint for guests staying at the hotel, but this new package includes a toolkit that will enable Inn at Laurel Point to help event planners calculate their carbon footprint and offset travel and food related emissions. Event planners will then be provided with a certificate of authenticity to recognize their commitment to carbon neutrality.
A key part of carbon neutrality is working to minimize emissions. The new events program includes low-carbon menu options featuring plant-rich items, Vancouver-Island sourced products and plated meals rather than buffet-style options to avoid food waste. It will also recommend other like-minded businesses in the capital city like Eagle Wing Whale Watching and Harbour Air, both of which have already established their bona fides as carbon-neutral businesses.
Offsets will be directed toward providers that Inn at Laurel Point currently supports, such as The Great Bear Forest Carbon Project on Vancouver Island and The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Darkwoods Conservation Area in the West Kootenays.
“We’ve had a long history of aiming to empower staff, guests and community stakeholders to take a more eco-friendly approach. This new program is part of a strategy to go beyond sustainability and do our part to restore balance to our environment, society and economy,” says Brooke Harris, Director of Sales and Marketing at Inn at Laurel Point. “This is just another step that our team is taking to lessen the impact we all have on the environment, and we are excited to show our meeting planners how they can take the first step by opting for carbon-neutral events.”
“By leveraging all that they have learned from a decade of making sustainability a priority, the team at Inn at Laurel Point continues to lead the charge to empower people to invest in carbon-reduction initiatives,” said Kayli Anderson, Chief Operating Officer of Synergy Enterprises. “The carbon neutral events and low-carbon menus are two programs that will directly contribute to a more sustainable future and hopefully inspire change across travel, events and the hotel industry.”
Being eco-conscious is nothing new for Inn at Laurel Point. As a hotel that is committed to the United Nations’ Decade of Action Plan, it earned its lofty status as BC’s first carbon-neutral hotel by introducing projects such as a reforestation initiative in partnership with One Tree Planted. Other innovations to minimize the hotel’s carbon footprint include:
- Net-zero air conditioning via hydrothermal technology
- Installing LED lights and low-flow fixtures to improve energy and water efficiency
- Spearheading the city’s Earth Day Power hour and beach cleanups
- Diverting unused bath products to Disaster Aid Canada’s ‘Soap for Hope’ program
- Turning worn sheets into bandages to provide first aid supplies for developing nations.
To learn more about Inn at Laurel Point’s Carbon Neutral Events program, visit www.laurelpoint.com/sustainability.
