Surfrider Supports BC Green Business as it Expands Province-wide
BC Green Business was launched by the Synergy Foundation in 2013 under the name “Vancouver Island Green Business Collective” to provide Vancouver Island-based businesses with affordable certification and actionable checklists to make their business more sustainable. The program expanded province-wide on its 10 year anniversary in 2023 under the new name BC Green Business. Today, BC Green Biz represents businesses who are committed to making positive change for the planet, the people, and the community.
We’ve partnered with Synergy since 2016 to implement ocean friendly action points across all the programs sectors. These include, conserving water and reducing or eliminating single-use plastics. Businesses that achieve all Surfrider points on their sector checklist have the option to be recognized as an Ocean Friendly Business.
Ocean Friendly Business Decal
For businesses that are recognized as Ocean Friendly, they can proudly display this new decal to their customers
Initially, our relationship was through our Vancouver Island Chapter and we focused on island-based businesses. But now that the program has expanded province-wide in BC, Surfrider Canada HQ has taken the reins of the partnership and is engaging our entire BC chapter and club network to support BC Green Business as it grows.
Our collaboration with Synergy is the essence of a true partnership, where there is mutual benefit for both parties. Surfrider Foundation is motivated to reduce the environmental footprint in our communities. In the US, Surfrider operates its own Ocean Friendly Restaurants program, managed by a team of Surfrider staff. But in Canada, our team is small and we would be hard pressed to develop a program to the same degree of sophistication and scale. Instead, by working with Synergy, we are able support their program by doing what we do best: engaging our grassroots network of chapter and club leaders to be ambassadors for BC Green Business. As a result, Synergy gets a dedicated community partner that is motivated to promote the program, and Surfrider gets to see more businesses sign up as Ocean Friendly, helping to protect the environment. Its a win-win.
If you operate a business in BC and are interested in learning more about this amazing and accessible program that helps reduce your environmental impact, please visit their website for more information.
The best part? For every certified Ocean Friendly Business, $25 goes towards protecting British Columbia’s coasts and waters through Surfrider’s initiatives.
