Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH)
www.canadianmountainholidays.com
Over the last 10 years, Canadian Mountain Holidays has continued on a journey toward sustainability, a journey that it hopes will eventually lead it to a goal of becoming the leading sustainable tourism operator in North America. Second Nature is the umbrella program for all of CMH’s sustainability initiatives. One of the key aspects of the program is a staff-based Second Nature committee. This group, which includes representation from all geographic and functional parts of the company, leads and is accountable for identifying, implementing and measuring the results of actions to reduce the company’s overall footprint. It is one of the ways in which a “culture of stewardship” is created and maintained. CMH has calculated its carbon footprint for two consecutive years, and is using that information to drive energy conservation and mitigation. Each year, “President’s Awards” are presented to individual employees who show initiative in environmental and community stewardship. Other initiatives include:
- A Partnership with The Nature Conservancy of Canada - As leaders in their fields of adventure tourism and land conservation respectively, CMH and NCC will work together to promote awareness and understanding of conservation initiatives as well as collaborate on field projects and research.
- Wildlife Management – CMH operates in some of the most inspiring mountain terrain in western Canada; these areas are also home to species such as the mountain caribou, mountain goat, grizzly bear and wolverine. The company had developed a set of wildlife operating procedures that lead the sector. With a focus on not displacing any of the species which co-inhabit these areas, the procedures include staff training, specific protocols for mountain guides and helicopter pilots, and computer-based decision and tracking tools to achieve this goal. The company is also working with government and other resource users and environmental groups on a recovery plan for the red-listed mountain caribou.
- Sustainability Report – CMH was one of the first tourism companies in western North America to produce a regular, public sustainability report and the next report is due in 2009, likely following the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) guidelines.
- Community Initiatives – CMH is committed to supporting and being an active participant in the local communities in or near where it operates, and in which its staff live, work and play. This includes a wide range of projects such as high school scholarships (encouraging local students who are pursuing careers in tourism or the environment), community economic development, outdoor education (such as in avalanche awareness or the environment), sponsorship of local sports teams and involvement in local land use planning processes.
These efforts by CMH have been recognized by the following awards:
For more information go to:
http://www.canadianmountainholidays.com/stewardship/second_nature/
