ABOUT
Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We recognize that we need change in the world to protect the places we love. Our business community cares deeply about making a positive impact in our every day decisions. Together, we can reduce single use plastics, water consumption, energy use, waste and carbon emissions while also having a positive impact on our communities.
VIGBC members are leaders in green business practices and together, we are raising the bar. Checklists for each sector are full of actions we can take to make a difference. Each business is certified to levels Silver, Gold or Green based on the number of actions they have implemented.
Members who achieve Green Status three years in a row will qualify for our bi-yearly Green Leaders Renewal Program. At this point, the certification will take place every second year rather than annually and we will waive the certification fee on non-certification years. Learn more here.
In addition to the VIGBC ranking, businesses also have the opportunity to become an Ocean Friendly Business by completing all Surfrider actions on your designated checklist. These action focus on reducing single use plastics
Synergy Foundation is a registered non-profit society, focused on facilitating the shift towards a green economy through programs and idea incubation. Our core programs include the Vancouver Island Green Business Collective, the Ecostar Awards, FED Urban Agriculture Society, and Project Zero. We are a collaborative, do-er organization, focused on outcomes and mobilizing knowledge into action.
Our Mission: To share ideas, spark innovation and activate change to steer our economy and communities towards a more regenerative future.
“We take big ideas and turn them into reality."
SURFRIDER VANCOUVER ISLAND
Surfrider Vancouver Island is the local chapter of the international Surfrider Foundation, based out of California. They are a collection of like-minded Vancouver Island coastal inhabitants working on coastal protection and preservation. Their mission is to protect our oceans, waves, and beaches through a powerful activist network.
In 2016, Surfrider Vancouver Island partnered with VIGBC to build ocean friendly action points into all of our checklists. These actions concentrate on the elimination of single use items, wasteful products that can typically be found in our waterways. Businesses that achieve all of the given Surfrider points on their designated checklist will be recognized as an Ocean Friendly Business for the efforts to cut out single use plastics from their operations. For each business that achieves the Ocean Friendly Business status, $25 of the annual membership fee is sent to Surfrider. Please note that businesses located in Tofino and Ucluelet are not eligible to receive the Ocean Friendly Business designation at this time.
Every two years when checklists are updated, we work directly with Surfrider to refresh and develop the Ocean Friendly Business action points.
SUPPORTERS
Thank you to the following for their continued support!
MEET THE TEAM
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Jill Doucette
Executive Director
Home town: Grand Forks, BC
Last trip: Mexico City
Favourite activity: Birdwatching
Board game: Ticket to Ride
Go to meal: Seafood linguine
Karaoke song: What's Going On
Currently watching: Anthony Bourdain's Places Unknown
Dream job as a kid: Insect biologist
Find me: Running on Gorge Waterway with my chocolate lab
Green goal: Introducing more plant-based proteins into my diet
Jen Fraser
Program Lead
Home town: Victoria, BC
Last trip: Oregon Coast
Favourite activity: Soccer
Board game: Catchphrase
Go to meal: Baja fish tacos
Karaoke song: Man! I Feel Like a Woman
Currently watching: Designated Survivor
Dream job as a kid: Screenwriter
Find me: On the soccer field
Green goal: Shop conscious - support local & ethical
Georgia Lavender
Verifier
Home town: Flesherton, ON
Last trip: Fernie, BC
Favourite activity: Yoga
Board game: Monopoly
Go to meal: Red Thai curry
Karaoke song: Don't Stop Believin'
Currently watching: Westworld
Dream job as a kid: Firefighter
Find me: On the local mountain biking trails or in the yoga studio
Green goal: Supporting businesses in the circular economy & B Corps
Jill Doucette
Executive Director
Home town: Grand Forks, BC
Favourite activity: Birdwatching
Favourite board game: Ticket to Ride
Go to meal: Seafood linguine
Favourite hike: East Sooke Park
Currently listening to: Sierra Club BC's Mission Transition: Clean Energy and Beyond
Dream job as a kid: Insect biologist
Find me: Running on Gorge Waterway with my chocolate lab
Green goal: Introducing more plant-based proteins into my diet
Jarret Klim
Program Manager
Home town: St. Albert, AB
Favourite activity: Freediving
Favourite game: Risk
Go to meal: Burrito
Favourite hike: Mt. Baldy
Currently listening to: Cookin' Up Something Good by Mac Demarco
Dream job as a kid: NHL hockey player
Find me: Drinking a coffee after an ocean dip
Green goal: Helping as many people possible reach their own green goals
Georgia Lavender
Verifier
Home town: Flesherton, ON
Favourite activity: Mountain Biking
Favourite board game: Yahtzee
Go to meal: Veggie Burrito Bowls
Favourite hike: East Sooke Park - Coast Trail
Currently listening to: Overheard at National Geographic
Dream job as a kid: Firefighter
Find me: Outside in nature :)
Green goal: Eliminating single-use plastics from my cosmetics routine
Emily Shields
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Home town: Vancouver, BC
Favourite activity: Backpacking
Favourite board game: Scrabble
Go to meal: Pesto pasta
Favourite hike: North West Circuit, New Zealand
Currently listening to: Tiptoe Through The Tulips - Tiny Tim
Dream job as a kid: Artist
Find me: Pottering around the garden
Green goal: Grow more of my own food!
Deep Chahal
Verifier
Home town: Chandigarh, India
Favourite activity: Paddle Boarding
Favourite board game: Dune
Go to meal: Poke Bowl
Favourite hike: Botanical beach
Currently listening to: Ologies with Alie Ward
Dream job as a kid: Wildlife Biologist
Find me: Exploring tidepools along the beach
Green goal: Using public transport whenever possible
Rico
Director of Office Morale
Home town: Victoria, BC
Favourite activity: Laying under my coworkers' desks until they scratch me and tell me I'm cute
Go to meal: The stuffing from my toys
Karaoke song: Mo Money Mo Problems - Notorious D.O.G.
Dream job as a puppy: Photogenic Model
Find me: Running on the Gorge with my human
Green goal: Contribute to local wood decomposition (a.k.a. chew more sticks)