National Tourism Week Faces of Travel: Green San Juans

— from Amy Nesler for SJ Visitors Bureau —

In the San Juan Islands, visitors spent just over 211 million dollars in 2016, and approximately 2,140 jobs are directly related to the tourism industry.* National Travel and Tourism Week, May 7 through 13, is the annual salute to the positive effects of travel in America. The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau is taking this opportunity to shine a spotlight on the people who are leading the charge in eco-conscious tourism practices locally. Globally, we are supporting the U.N. International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by promoting sustainable practices by our member businesses and visitors, such as Leave No Trace.

Our tourism economy depends on our beautiful environment, and a healthy ecosystem provides much more than jobs to support our communities. These businesses put the green in great lodging and food.

Lopez Island’s Midnight’s Farm is a hub of environmentally sound operations for work and recreation. Owners David Bill and Faith Van De Putte are committed to “living solutions to climate change.” Midnight’s Farm helps teach the importance of healthy food production and farm conservation practices through hosting participants in Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) and their farm stay. Guests staying at the solar-powered Field House are welcome to feed the pigs, help in the garden, walk the trails, peek in at Barn Owl Bakery, and rejuvenate in the sauna and Down Dog yoga studio.

The waterfront Doe Bay Cafe at Doe Bay Resort & Retreat on Orcas Island is dedicated to celebrating the unique seasonality, flavor, and freshness of San Juan Island farms, foragers, and fishermen. Chef Jon Chapelle packs the menu with fresh fish from the nearby Salish Sea and oysters from Buck Bay Shellfish Farm just down the road. The one-acre organic garden aims to create a model of sustainability that’s good for both the environment and the business. By growing food onsite and returning compost waste to the soil, Doe Bay is ‘closing the loop’ as much as possible.

What makes The Island Inn at 123 West on San Juan Island “off the coast of ordinary?” Passion. The Inn’s design, eco ethos, and operation are driven by owner Misty Todd’s uncompromising passion for the guests, the team, and care of its magical Island home. The Inn’s buildings are LEED-certified, but the green can be seen in everything from linens to lighting, carpet to coffee that help immerse guests in an experience that they like to call ‘INN style’. Even rainwater is reused – collected from the roofs and walkways to irrigate plants around the Inn.

With tourism occupying such a significant percentage of the San Juan Islands economy, this is a golden opportunity to add sustainability to the mix of what attracts visitors from around the globe.

The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for San Juan County and Town of Friday Harbor. It represents over 300 island businesses representing local history, arts, outdoor recreation, agri-tourism and visitor education. Mostly funded by lodging tax paid by the visitor, it also receives business membership dues.

*According to the 2016 projections made in the latest Dean Runyan Associates Travel Impacts and Visitor Volume Report