Sustainability Matters
When it comes to eco-tourism and sustainability, it’s Earth Day every single day, month, and year in Tofino. Not only are we naturally inspired by our spectacular coastal setting, Clayoquot Sound is a protected United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve. This means the sustainability of our precious ecosystem is beyond best practices, it’s a mandate. As an eco-friendly Tofino resort, everything we do here at Pacific Sands starts with sustainability-based decisions.
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Eco-Tourism Philosophy
“Protecting our ecosystem and using resources responsibly is ingrained in our management philosophy,” declared General Manager, Sabrina Donovan, “and sustainability is our guiding principle. Whether we’re embarking on improvement projects or selecting products for our suites, our priority is to preserve Tofino’s natural beauty for future generations to cherish.”
From our 4 key Green Key Eco-Rating to low waste, energy-saving in-suite amenities, our eco-friendly resort initiatives are extensive and ever-evolving.
Read on for some new projects and ways we’re doing our part to shine a sustainability spotlight on our special corner of the world.
Reforestation with Every Stay
We’ve partnered with veritree to support reforesting, rewilding, and restoring nature in BC regions affected by Wildfires. Starting this month, April 2024, Pacific Sands is planting one tree for every confirmed booking for the next year. Not only will these trees act as carbon sinks, but they’ll also help to restore our ecosystems and support wildlife habitats.
The veritree platform tracks and verifies the planting and lifecycle of our trees, providing us—and you—the assurance that our efforts are real, measurable, and impactful. Visit our Impact Hub to learn about the species of trees we’re planting, the associated positive impacts of the project, and to see our progress to date!
Earth Energy
When the Beach Houses were built in 2003, Pacific Sands was the first resort in Tofino to implement geothermal systems. The geothermal exchange plant provides an efficient way to heat and cool the Beach Houses by tapping into renewable solar energy stored in the ground.
Fast-forward 20+ years and the geothermal system is still going strong! To ensure seamless operation for decades to come, we’ve invested in recent upgrades including additional boilers and high-efficiency heat pumps.
Use Bamboo
To eliminate waste from facial tissue boxes, we’ve launched Fox Fold sustainable bamboo paper products that avoid plastic entirely, including packaging. Refillable dispensers are now in all suites. Pacific Sands is the first hotel/resort in British Columbia to switch to these products.
Why bamboo? It grows 15x faster than trees. It also requires less land, fewer fertilizers, and generates 30% less carbon than trees when converted to tissue.
Speaking of trees, Fox Fold also partners with veritree, planting 4 trees for every dispenser and 1 tree for every tissue packet. By making this switch to facial tissue, together we’ve planted 1600 trees!
(Psst! Next up, we’re eliminating wasteful bathroom tissue rolls resort-wide. High-quality and soft Fox Fold bathroom tissue paper and refillable dispensers are in the works.)
More Eco-Focussed Initiatives
From locally produced, in-suite amenities and environmentally focussed operations to eco-partners and projects. Read more on why sustainability matters at Pacific Sands.
