Can Luxury Travel Be Sustainable?
When you think of luxury travel, it can bring to mind words like extravagant, opulent, and exclusive. At first, it can seem like these would be in opposition to the sustainability that our earth so desperately craves. However, at Nimmo, it’s our opinion that luxury travel should always strive to be sustainable. There are plenty of luxury resorts who have shown it’s possible to attain that status. Building sustainability into the system should be the standard. Modern travellers are still looking for indulgent travel but with purpose, that shares their eco-conscious values. It is possible to exceed guests’ expectations and provide transformative travel, all while being considerate of the land and community you reside in.
Though no plan is perfect, and there can be pitfalls, Nimmo Bay will never stop aiming higher in our standards. We will be improving guest experiences and memories, in tandem with bettering the health of the planet well into the future. Read on to learn what the resort is doing to support our sustainability initiative.
What Makes A Resort Eco-friendly?
It’s important to make decisions with the land and the community in mind. From the very beginning of Nimmo Bay in 1980, founders Craig and Deborah Murray built the foundations with the health of the Great Bear Rainforest in mind. There was minimal disturbance of the forest around the resort. They built a hydroelectric system around the waterfall at its very center. To this day, the Pelton wheel our founder built is still harnessing power for our guests.
It’s now been 45 years since Nimmo Bay first welcomed guests as a fishing lodge. We’re proud of our heritage and where we started, but our openness to evolution is one key to our success. As the resort has grown, our programming has changed along with it. While Nimmo does still offer adventures like heli-fishing to our guests, it’s no longer our namesake. We’ve expanded into more local programming! Offering thrilling coastal safari’s and a full wellness menu with floating saunas and hot tubs. The food and wine tasting experiences at our world-class floating restaurant have also become highlights.
Though labelling things with the buzzword “sustainable” wasn’t common practice back in the early 80’s, those same principles that Craig and Deb started Nimmo with continue today. We act and plan with the deep desire to protect the ecosystem that Nimmo Bay exists in. Our end goal is to make sure anything taken for the lodge—energy, fuel, food—is offset. Nature must stay in balance and we are careful not to tip the scales.
FAQ About Sustainability at Nimmo Bay
Do you source food locally and offer organic or plant-based options?
When you sit down for a meal at our restaurant, Little River, you’re getting local, organic, and seasonal ingredients. We source from small-scale farms and fisheries on Vancouver Island and have spent years cultivating relationships to grow and nurture this community. Sourcing locally not only allows us to serve the most delicious food, but also helps support local growers economically, promote diversity of the crops grown, improves soil health, and reduces the cost of transportation. The kitchen also makes the choice to serve less red meat, which can have a high carbon impact, and create inspiring vegetarian dishes, highlighting the sweet, bitter, earthy, and fresh notes that our local produce is bursting with.
How do you support the local community and environment?
Confluence, our online and brick and mortar gift shop at Nimmo Bay is a platform to support Indigenous owned, women owned and Canadian small businesses. We select everything we source with intention and purchased to uplift underrepresented communities. The products align with our conservation and sustainability values – if they don’t, we don’t stock them. This includes brands like ANIAN, a small independent brand where all the collections are made in Canada using primarily recycled natural fibres.
We also upcycle! In an industry that typically has a 7-year lifecycle on all furnishing, Nimmo Bay favours custom made and antique furniture. The owner, Fraser Murray is passionate about searching for heirloom pieces that will give the resort a unique and comforting feel. For anything we can’t source that way, we also work closely with local makers, artisans and artists to create and supply. The resort is filled with one of a kind or limited run items that reflect the place and our values.
Each season, Nimmo commits to making a positive impact on the local community. One way we do that is by providing auction items to organizations who work within B.C. One of those organizations is the Power to Be. Their mission makes it possible for youth, families and adults living with cognitive, physical, financial, and social barriers to benefit from the incredible natural environment that is all around us.
At Nimmo, we also prioritize hiring employees who are local to the area and from the neighbouring Indigenous communities. We have crafted a close-knit group of individuals, almost all of which are residents of British Columbia. To break that down even further, 16% of our team members are Indigenous.
What building materials or design principles were used – are they eco-friendly?
The architecture at Nimmo Bay is one of the most spectacular features, often pointed out by our guests. We have designed our buildings to mimic nature and exist in harmony with the landscape. The resort itself is more than ½ floating, reducing the need to remove trees or clear space for the buildings. The rest of the resort is built on raised stilts and connected via cedar boardwalks. We source local materials wherever possible. The cedar we use in our boardwalks is one example of the sustainable, recycled, and biodegradable options we rely on. Our goal is to make sure Nimmo Bay is light on the land and works with the forest-scape, drawing you into its beauty.
How do you manage waste and reduce single-use plastics?
At Nimmo Bay, we have eliminated all single use plastics from straws to water bottles. We welcome each guest when they enter their room with a Nimmo Bay re-usable water bottle to use throughout their trip and take home as a keepsake. No one will miss their bottled water because the water that flows through the taps at Nimmo Bay is filtered and UV treated, directly from the source in the rainforest. We promise you won’t taste any water better than this. Beyond single-use plastic, we strive to make all our products refillable and source from local B.C brands and companies. We stock our bathroom with luxurious local amenities, from bath and body brand Sangre de Fruta and sustainable tissue company, Fox Fold.
Our Mag 7 Partners
Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort and Ranch
At Siwash Lake, they have been practicing green tourism for more than two decades. By harnessing the hot and dry weather of the Cariboo region, they can use solar for almost all their electricity needs. Siwash guests also enjoy food straight from the ranch and surrounding forest, like farm-fresh eggs from their hens. Most of their food scraps are shared with the ranch animals and the rest are composted.
Siwash is a majority Indigenous owned company with a female CEO — an equal opportunity employer, who embraces diversity in the workplace. And, in an industry that is known for recruiting internationally, they do their best to ensure that staff is Canadian and prioritize B.C hiring.
Churchill Wild
Churchill prioritizes sustainability in the construction of their lodges. They use local lumber and recycled materials whenever possible. They’re also designed to allow for as much natural light as possible to filter inside, reducing the need for artificial light.
To reduce stress on sensitive ecosystems and curb fossil fuel emissions, most of their excursions are conducted on foot. The all-terrain vehicles and boats that they do use are outfitted with fuel-efficient motors.
While Churchill might be in the sub-arctic, they still focus on prioritizing sustainable culinary options for guests. They have their own orchard and gardens in southern Manitoba that supplies them with produce during the season. Based on regenerative farming principles, this initiative is operated with a holistic approach to planting, growing, and soil care. Whenever possible, they also locally forage and harvest foods, such as tundra berries, greens, and mussels.
Pacific Yellowfin Charters
Pacific Yellowfin Charters follow the best practices of the “Whale Wise Guidelines”. During their excursions, they also often visit the Cetacea Lab, where guests can learn more about protecting these magnificent marine mammals.
To minimize any disturbance to marine mammals, guests take small boats, kayaks, and paddle boards to view wildlife. They have also nurtured personal connections throughout the community, with the Gitga’at and Kitasoo Xai’Xais First Nations.
Their bear guides are certified with the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of BC. The Association aims to promote sustainable bear viewing in BC and aid in protecting wild bears and their delicate ecosystems.
They also highlight locally caught or foraged ingredients, with the goal to use sustainably and ethically harvested products. They work with many local specialty producers, purchasing seafood, meat, and produce directly from the source.
Tweedsmuir Park Lodge and Bella Coola Heli Sports
Both Tweedsmuir Park Lodge and Bella Coola Heli Sports fulfill their commitment to the environment and local community through The Legacy Fund. This fund is powered by a 2% guest sustainability surcharge, helping transform their adventures into meaningful action.
The Key to Moving Forward
Through careful planning, conscious decision making, and and an openness to evolution, we have achieved many of our sustainability goals. Though there’s much more to do, it’s important to celebrate the achievements we have been able to make. And as we move forward on our sustainability journey, we are excited to evaluate solar solutions. This will help us reduce our diesel usage during low-water summer months.
If you’re ready to travel sustainably, we’re ready to welcome you to Nimmo Bay.
