PRESS RELEASE

Sooke, BC, September 22, 2011:  Adrena LINE Zipline Adventure Tours is excited to receive the 2011 Tourism Vancouver Island Tourism Sustainability Award.

This award recognizes a tourism business in the Vancouver Island Region that has that set out to minimise their environmental impact, conserve natural resources, respect local cultures and benefit local communities in the past 12 months. Their commitment to environmentally responsible tourism and changing the way they conduct business serves as an example to the industry.

“Winning the Tourism Vancouver Island Tourism Sustainability Award is another key indicator of how seriously we are taking our initiatives to remain sustainable in the long term.  We want to be a model of success for other businesses that are looking to grow while being environmentally responsible” Sales and Marketing Manager Jonathan Heerema said. “Our efforts to reduce our environmental impact have been noticed in the community and we hope that others realize the importance of an environmentally sound approach to their respective operations “, said owner Jeremy Wilson.

Adrena LINE Zipline Adventure Tours has built a solid reputation by providing a world class ziplining experience for tourists and adventure seekers in British Columbia. Adrena LINE offers zip line tours daily in 2011, from March 2nd through the end of October, as well as Night Zipping offered on select dates starting in March and the Haunted Zip offered at the end of October. We are accessible for almost any adventure seeking guest. Be on the lookout for more exciting events and new adventures in the near future and check our website at www.adrenalinezip.com for information as it becomes available.

Media Contact:
Jonathan Heerema
Sales and Marketing Manager
Adrena LINE Zipline Adventure Tours
250-642-1933
www.adrenalinezip.com

On Saturday, March 26, 2011, at 8:30 – 9:30 pm, turn off your lights for one hour to support the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Earth Hour. Help send a powerful global message to others that together we can make a difference in climate change. Help WWF Canada spread the word and find out more ways to participate on their website.

Since its inception in Australia in 2007, Earth Hour has become a global initiative to get people thinking on how to minimize their environmental footprints and fight climate change. However, climate change is a reality beyond Earth Hour. We can help make a difference by making changes in our own lives. Visit www.earthhour.org for inspiration & to share your actions beyond Earth Hour.

Santé Spa Victoria, located at The Westin Bear Mountain Resort & Spa, has recently joined the Green Spa Network as a commitment to industry and environmental best practices. The Green Spa Network seeks to provide sustainable operating practices for the spa industry, while promoting the natural connections between personal well-being, economic sustainability, and the health of the planet.

Santé Spa has also achieved Quality Assurance Approval (QAA) from the Leading Spas of Canada. The QAA was established to ensure national safety, quality and hygiene standards throughout the Canadian Spa industry. Only 16 spas across Canada have achieved this accreditation.

Reserve your table before its too late!

Fifteen wonderful Victoria area pubs and restaurants will dim the lights and dial up the ambiance to raise awareness about energy conservation and the simple actions that can add up to make a big difference!

Be sure to participate in Victoria’s first Candlelight Conservation Dinner on October 21, 2010. Download coupons here: Free Appetizer or Dessert or $5.00 Coupon.

Reserve you table at any of the following pubs and restaurants:

• Sips artisan bistro
• The O Bistro & Lounge
• Smoken Bones Cookshack
• Copper Rock Grill
• Vic’s Steakhouse & Bar
• Milestones Inner Harbour
• The Empress Room
• The Bengal Lounge
• The Reef
• SeaGrille
• Vista 18
• Wild Saffron Bistro
• Fire & Water Fish & Chop House
• Spinnakers Gastro
• Six Mile Pub

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B.C. Restaurants – 15 in Victoria – offer conservation by candlelight on Oct. 21 to mark Power Smart Month

VICTORIA – On Oct. 21, candlelight will set the mood not only for romance but also for conservation as more than 100 B.C. restaurants – including 15 in Victoria – turn off the lights and invite customers to dine exclusively by candlelight to raise awareness of energy efficiency and conservation.

BC Hydro’s Candlelight Conservation Dinner, now in its second year, is presented in partnership with Tourism Victoria, as part of BC Hydro’s Power Smart Month campaign. Last year 37 restaurants in the Lower Mainland participated; this year the number of restaurants showing their commitment to conservation has more than tripled.

“Wasting energy is just as ridiculous as excessive water use or not recycling and a candlelight dinner reminds us of two important things: we don’t need lights on to have a wonderful evening and incorporating efficient actions – like turning off all or even some of the lights – is a great way to help with the conservation effort,” said Lisa Coltart, executive director of Power Smart and Customer Care, BC Hydro. “Tourism Victoria and the participating restaurants are great partners in combining the appeal of a candlelight dinner with a reminder that a simple and seemingly small action like turning off lights can yield big conservation results.”

Team Power Smart members can download meal coupons from the Team Power Smart section of BC Hydro’s web site to get special dining deals such as two entrées for the price of one, a $5 gift certificate or a complimentary appetizer or dessert with the purchase of an entrée.

“Tourism Victoria certainly applauds this initiative by BC Hydro and salutes our restaurant members who are participating. This event demonstrates a common effort to show how we can all benefit from being vigilant and smart with our resources,” said Robert Gialloreto, President and CEO, Tourism Victoria. “We encourage everyone to join the lead of our great dining establishments and fortify this commitment to the environment, all while enjoying a terrific candlelight dinner.”

All British Columbians are encouraged to join Team Power Smart and set an electricity conservation target of 10 per cent. In addition to exclusive rewards, members receive access to tools and resources to help them meet their energy goals.

Each year BC Hydro hosts Power Smart Month in October to increase awareness about the benefits and ease of using energy efficiently at a time when electricity consumption begins to increase for the winter. During October, BC Hydro provides special Power Smart offers including increased rebates and incentives for the purchase of energy efficient products.
For more information including a full list of participating restaurants, visit bchydro.com/candlelight.

For more information, please contact:

Simi Heer, Media Relations, BC Hydro

p. 604 623 3963

w. bchydro.com/media

Tourism Victoria and Vancity have partnered together to offer visitors to British Columbia’s capital city 100% Canadian made, 100% Victorian designed reusable shopping bags made from 100% recycled material.The bags will be handed out to visitors at the Visitor Centre 100% free.

This morning, the first bag was handed out along with a celebration of the artist who designed the beautiful logo on each of the bags. Kathy Guthrie, a local Victoria resident and visual artist/calligrapher was the chosen winner for her design. Kathy’s submission included this comment: “In my design I used a variety of hand drawn lettering styles and stylized drawings to depict some of the many things Victoria has to offer.  I enjoy making my art designs fun to look at and can envision happy people shopping with this design on their reusable bag!”

What makes this project even better is that even the ink is earth-friendly. Earthlimits is a small family owned Victoria business that produces earth awareness usable products. They focus on using a combination of fair labour, organic cotton and water based inks to provide top quality products that are gentle on our planet and its people. They collaborate with other small Canadian businesses to provide goods that are strictly 100% manufactured and printed in Canada.

Tourism Victoria is now contributing to the greater cause with more impact than ever demonstrating and promoting sound environmental practices. Tourism Victoria encourages visitors to use the cloth instead of plastic bags while shopping in Victoria and back at home. Furthermore, the bar has been set for local businesses to jump on board and offer their guests a reusable bag option.

The tourism industry as a whole in the Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island region are continuously raising the bar in Sustainable Travel. As locals we are all so proud of who we are and where we live. Most of us don’t even think about it anymore, we just grab our cloth shopping bags from the cupboard just as we grab our keys from the key rack on our way out to the grocery store. This routine has simply become a part of who we are.

I feel obliged to mention that I work for Tourism Victoria but that doesn’t mean that I’m any more proud of this initiative than I would be as a citizen reading the paper. We are all locals first. The vision of a sustainable city is one that takes every individual to actualize, and we really are getting there, one-step-at-a-time.