Eco-friendly lodging and dining in Victoria, British Columbia

As I gazed down a wide, leafy residential street in Victoria, British Columbia, my eyes paused on something that filled my mom-heart to the brim.

My son, experiencing a moment of pure joy, his spirit soaring with a visible mixture of peace and happiness as he bicycled toward the first stop on our Victoria itinerary, Beacon Hill Park.

Just an hour or so earlier, we had arrived in Victoria and dropped our bags at The Parkside Hotel & Spa, one of the city’s many sustainable-minded businesses. The hotel is conveniently located in downtown Victoria, making it the perfect location from which to bicycle around the city, exploring not just the sprawling urban green space we were currently headed toward, but greater downtown Victoria, as well.

The ability to easily navigate Victoria by bicycle, thus keeping our environmental impact to a minimum, was one of the many features I loved about this under-the-radar destination.

It was also one of the things my 11-year-old son relished as well, though for entirely different reasons.

For him, it was liberating being able to hop on a set of wheels and explore a new destination on his terms, secure in the knowledge that he would be safe thanks to Victoria’s extensive and carefully planned cycling network. (Which includes many protected bike lanes and shared-use streets.)

Over the past 10 years, Victoria has been investing heavily in creating a full and connected network of bike lanes and paths so that bikers of all ages and abilities can safely get around the city.

Victoria’s impressive bikeability, which earned it the title of most bikeable city in all of Canada from Redfin, is just one example of the city’s many thoughtful, sustainable features. The capital of British Columbia has engaged in extensive efforts to distinguish itself as a place where eco-minded travelers will find a destination aligning with their values.

That fact was one of the two main reasons behind our visit. The other? As the mom of an 11-year old, I was also attracted to Victoria’s abundance of family-friendly, nature-forward activities.

Combined, these two elements made Victoria the perfect place for a truly memorable getaway for my son and I. Here’s what we loved most about Victoria.

Sustainability and Victoria

For more than a decade, I’ve been writing about and focused on living as sustainable a lifestyle as possible. Being a good steward of the planet and treading lightly, while also being mindful and caring for the creatures I share the Earth with, is deeply important to me. It’s an effort that impacts how I live and how I raise my son.

It’s also something that’s very important to me when traveling, which is why Victoria was so intriguing.

Located between the Salish Sea and the rainforests of Vancouver Island, greater Victoria is a biosphere-certified destination. That designation was new to me, and I wanted to see in person what that actually meant and looked like.

Biosphere certification is awarded by the Responsible Tourism Institute, an international nonprofit NGO. Being certified is a guarantee that a destination has achieved an environmental, economic and socio-cultural balance. Further, the certification means the destination has committed to the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, the World Charter for Sustainable Tourism +20 and the COP21 Paris Agreement to combat climate change.

That’s a lot to digest, but Jeremy Loveday, director of public affairs, destination stewardship and sustainability for Destination Greater Victoria, kindly helped me sift through it all.

“We’re very proud to have achieved biosphere certification for Victoria,” Loveday began.

“For visitors, what it means to go to a biosphere-certified destination is that you’re coming somewhere that has a strong and authentic commitment to sustainability that’s shared by the local tourism industry and community as a whole.”

That commitment includes having the most biosphere-certified businesses of any destination in North America, Loveday explained. In other words, when visitors come to Victoria, they have plenty of verified sustainable businesses and attractions to choose from, along with other opportunities they can participate in that have also been third-party verified.

It’s fair to say travelers can easily find a biosphere-certified businesses for any portion of their visit to Victoria, whether it’s accommodations, activities, attractions or dining

“That commitment to sustainability comes very naturally here,” continued Loveday.

“It’s a gorgeous city surrounded by the ocean,” he said. “There’s a strong connection to the natural environment. With that comes a pull to want to be good stewards of this amazing place and to make sure it’s a great place to visit.”

The fact that Victoria is a great place to visit, as Loveday pointed out, was something my son and I confirmed for ourselves during several days of exploring.

Whale watching

Standing on the deck of a Prince of Whales catamaran, somewhere along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, I couldn’t believe my eyes. A pod of orcas was swimming right alongside the boat and leaping joyfully from the ocean.

And it wasn’t just a fleeting experience. The orcas came back again and again, circling right near the front of the boat giving us a full view of their majestic presence.

With the spray of ocean water on my face, I happily took it all in, mesmerized by the size and beauty of the enormous orcas and also thrilled by seeing them in the wild, their natural element, the way humans should experience such beautiful animals. (Not in captivity at a theme park.)

Located near the Juan de Fuca and Haro Straits, Victoria is one of the best places to observe whales. The region is home to killer whales, humpback whales, Minke whales and gray whales.

During our half-day trip with Prince of Whales, the catamaran we were on traveled 66 nautical miles, and seeing the pod of orcas was one of many exciting moments. Our guide, a certified marine naturalist, explained as we watched the orcas breach time and time again, soaring through the air and landing with a powerful splash, that we were lucky to see a pod so active. They were likely celebrating a meal they had just caught, the guide explained.

Prince of Whales is one of the many biosphere-certified companies we encountered during our visit and it’s also a company that’s earned an additional certification for being climate positive. That means Prince of Whales is actively committed to offsetting its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 110%, along with finding ways to further reduce its outputs on an annual basis.

The catamarans operated by Prince of Whales, for instance, have been designed to minimize their impact on the marine environment and wildlife by using low-emission engines, hydrofoil technology, and advanced hull design to reduce fuel consumption and noise pollution.

On top of all of these admirable efforts, Prince of Whales also contributes at least 1% of its revenues to organizations that align with its values and conservation efforts

In business for more than 30 years, the company’s dedication to sustainability and conservation is truly inspiring and a model for others in the industry to follow.

“Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Prince of Whales," says ElspethMcGillivray, general manager of Prince of Whales, Sea Vancouver and North Island Kayak. "We are proud to be a climate-positive company, offsetting more carbon than we emit, and working towards Net Zero by 2050."

"From becoming Biosphere Certified to earning Rainbow Registered status, we’ve worked to ensure our tours are not only environmentally responsible but socially inclusive," added McGillivray.

Victoria Butterfly Gardens

The Victoria Butterfly Gardens is another fascinating, kid-friendly stop in greater Victoria. Here visitors step into a giant, 12,000-square-foot tropical rainforest and ecosystem inhabited by dart frogs, tortoises, a large iguana, a flamingo, and even free-flying tropical birds (one of whom happens to to be fascinated by women).

As I sat on a bench inside the enclosure during our visit, the gregarious and flirty tropical bird in question landed on me. It was a dazzling emerald-green-colored parrot with a vibrant orange beak and he shamelessly ambled onto my arm for a closer look at this person who had stepped into his home. As we sat staring at each other engaging in non-verbal human-to-parrot communication, a second parrot came moseying along and stood next to my lap, cocking his head to the side, staring at me curiously.

The entire scene was endlessly amusing to my son, who was apparently not nearly as interesting to the two parrots.

Along with birds, there are 70 species of tropical butterflies that fly freely inside the enclosure, darting among the tropical flowers and carnivorous plants.

Also fascinating, the facility hatches butterflies of all varieties right on premises. During our visit we even got to watch several emerge from their chrysalises.

And like all of the other stops on our Victoria itinerary, the Butterfly Gardens is an attraction that's committed to sustainability. The facility is a BC Green Business Certified Leader, which means it is actively involved in measuring operational performance and identifying opportunities to improve and take action. The Victoria Butterfly Gardens is also a BC Ocean Friendly Business.

The Butchart Gardens

On yet another day during our visit to Victoria we explored the stunning Butchart Gardens.

Those who are familiar with Victoria know all about the legendary gardens, which are a Canadian National Historic Site.

For my son and me, it was our first time learning about or experiencing the 55-acre attraction, which is filled with every type of flower (and gardening style) imaginable. The experience was jaw-dropping, like we had stumbled into a technicolor scene plucked from the "Wizard of Oz" — fields of flowers unfolding in all directions around us.

Located in Brentwood Bay (just 30 minutes outside Victoria), the gardens were created in 1904 by Jennie and Robert Butchart, a wealthy family that had formerly operated a cement quarry on the site. As cement production exhausted the limestone deposits on the site, Jennie Butchart decided to embark upon her ambitious gardening vision.

The result of that effort is a garden that today is made up of millions of bedding plants in over 900 varieties.

There’s so much to see and do at Butchart Gardens it’s almost hard to know where to begin. Some of our favorites spaces included the formal Japanese gardens, the Italian garden and the sunken garden.

Visitors with young children in tow also won’t want to miss the carousel onsite. Featuring 30 hand-carved wooden animals and two chariots, the carousel was built in 2009 but is reminiscent of a bygone era.

My son and I spent several hours wandering the gardens, marveling at all of the natural beauty on display around every turn. And like so many of the places we visited during our time in Victoria, Butchart Gardens is dedicated to sustainable operations.

That effort is woven through everything they do. In the gardens, that means taking such steps as using manual, non-chemical weed control methods and a comprehensive composting program. The visitor facilities onsite also compost all food waste along with recycling all glass, and plastic and single-use water bottles are no longer used.

Victoria Bug Zoo

Watching a millipede crawl on my hand and up my wrist was definitely not on my vacation bingo card. But this was yet another one of the memorable animal moments my son and I experienced during our visit to Victoria.

The Victoria Bug Zoo, located in downtown Victoria, is an absolute winner for kids.

The word zoo in the name can be slightly misleading. This attraction is a compact, one-room facility. But inside you’ll find creatures from all over the world — every type of tarantula under the sun, millipedes, centipedes, ants, and even hissing cockroaches (yes, cockroaches do hiss) and glow-in-the-dark scorpions. There’s also an array of the largest stick insects I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Altogether, there’s more than 50 different types of creatures spread among various glass enclosures. And while you could speed through and see all that the Victoria Bug Zoo has to offer in 15 minutes or so, it’s also possible to spend hours here learning about and marveling over the fascinating bugs and arthropods.

Opened in 1997, the bug zoo was created as an educational facility, a place to combat the vast amount of misinformation and negative stereotypes that exist with regard to bugs. The facility also works to help visitors overcome phobias in a safe, controlled environment and provides unique, hands-on experiences with a class of animals that are largely underappreciated and unknown.

Ultimately, the zoo hopes to develop and foster a lifelong passion for insects and to help promote the conservation of all living things, no matter how different they are.

Our visit was definitely eye-opening, even for me, someone already dedicated to conservation of all creatures big and small. And like so many of the places we visited during our stay in Victoria, the bug zoo left us with memories we won’t soon forget.

Sustainable lodging

During our visit to Victoria we stayed at The Parkside Hotel & Spa, a four-star property in the heart of downtown that made it easy for us to bike to all the city has to offer.

As an all-suite hotel featuring kitchens and kitchenettes, I found The Parkside to be a smart choice for family travelers. Having a kitchen during our stay made it easy to store food in the room that my son liked to snack on. And continuing the eco-friendly focus, having a refrigerator at our disposal meant we could take restaurant leftovers home with us to reheat later, rather than letting extra food go to waste.

The Parkside is one Victoria’s leaders when it comes to sustainability. The property is carbon neutral and biosphere certified. It’s also one of the first urban hotels to be a member of Beyond Green, a portfolio of hotels and resorts committed to protecting the planet’s natural and cultural heritage.

Those are just a few of The Parkside’s most high-profile sustainability accomplishments. Being eco-friendly is an ethos that’s integrated into every level of the property’s operations and decision-making.

“We have a lot of forward-facing things guests will notice, such as compost in all the guest rooms, which a lot of hotels have not moved toward yet,” Trina White, the hotel’s general manager told me.

“We also really limit the amenities we put in the rooms and when we do put amenities in the rooms, we try to limit the amount of plastic,” White continued.

The shampoo bars included in guest rooms are made locally (at a shop that is just a few blocks from the hotel) and they’re packaged in eco-friendly cardboard. The teas and coffees supplied in guest rooms also feature compostable packaging.

“For guests, these things may not seem like a big deal but it is important to us because we’re working toward 95% waste diversion from landfills,” explained White.

Some of the hotel’s additional efforts include multiple rooftop gardens, some designed to prevent heat from being emitted from the building, while others are used to grow vegetables.

“I’ve been here since the hotel’s opening and this has been our approach since day one. It’s part of our ethos,” says White. “All of our decisions are made with the environmental and social impacts in mind. We don’t look at things just from a financial perspective. There’s far more to it.”

Sustainable eats

Victoria has a vibrant food scene with options for every diet and many of these same restaurants are committed to sustainability as well. Some of our favorites included:

Meet on Blanshard: This restaurant’s mission is to help transition the mainstream to eating more plant-based foods in a friendly, accepting and engaging venue.

OEB Breakfast Co.: Founded on Chef Mauro Martina’s life-long love for food and his belief that breakfast should be bolstered by artistry and passion, OEB serves unreplicated fare that emphasizes seasonal, fresh ingredients from local suppliers.

Finest at Sea: In business since 1977, Finest at Sea is the leading provider of seafood on the West Coast. All of its products are 100% wild and are caught by its own fishermen through sustainable fishing practices. (While in the neighborhood, don’t miss visiting Fisherman’s Wharf and its colorful floating homes.)

Fire + Water: Located inside the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour, Fire + Water Restaurant draws inspiration from local, sustainable ingredients that are abundant along the Pacific Coast

If you go

Planning a sustainable visit to Victoria is exceptionally easy thanks to a city-maintained website where you can search for biosphere-certified tourism industry businesses by category. There’s a searchable category for everything a visitor might need, including hotels, restaurants, tour operators, museums and transport companies.

The user-friendly platform, which can be found here, truly sets Victoria apart from the competition when it comes to making it easy to plan a vacation that's truly sustainable. I look forward to the day when more cities follow Victoria’s trailblazing lead.