Noble Ridge the first winery in Canada to be Biosphere certified

133 green initiatives related to the 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets of the United Nations.

That's a lot of numbers and Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery in Okanagan Falls has ticked them all off to become the first winery in Canada to be Biosphere Sustainable Certified.

While it took two dedicated years for Noble Ridge to snag the certification, the eco journey really began in 2014 when the winery started to switch from conventional farming to more sustainable practices.

That means phasing out synthetic fertilizers and sprays and reducing the need for irrigation by building up the soil with compost and organic fertilizers.

Noble Ridge now uses only water-saving drip irrigation.

By 2021, Noble Ridge became one of the first vineyards in BC to achieve the Sustainable Winegrowing BC Certification from the BC Wine Grape Council.

To become Biosphere certified, Noble Ridge spread sustainable practices through its entire operation and business with better waste management and recycling programs, eco glass for all wine bottles, composting, drought-resistant cover crops in the vineyard, insectaries of good bugs to eat the bad ones, solar panels and geothermal energy for heating and cooling.

Plus, the winery offers continuous education for staff, excellent health and safety programs, fair wages and good work culture and conditions.

The holistic approach through all aspects of the business is needed for certification because the United Nation's 17 sustainable development goals are wide-ranging from sustainable communities and cities, climate action, clean water and sanitation and affordable and clean energy to decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, good health and well being and gender equality.

Noble Ridge earned the certification through the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association's Biosphere Sustainable Commitment Program.

The program first asks tourism businesses to sign up and 'commit' to becoming greener and work their way through three levels of sustainability management to ultimately achieve certification.

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association has many businesses and organizations committed and working on certification, but not a lot that have achieved certification.

Besides Noble Ridge, Sharpe Distillery in Cawston and Quality Inn & Suites in Vernon have earned certification.

Committed businesses run the gamut from Accent Inns Kamloops, Watermark Beach Resort Osoyoos and Hotel Zed Kelowna to Dirty Laundry Winery in Summerland, Myra Canyon Bicycle Rentals & Tours, BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops and Sovereign Lake Nordic Club.

By the way, a biosphere is all the ecosystems that make up a certain region of Earth, in this case, the Thompson Okanagan, where the association is committed to tourism that is environmentally, culturally and economically sustainable.

More on the association's Biosphere Sustainable program here:

https://www.totabc.org/biosphere/certification.