Last spring the Resort was nominated for a prestigious Attractions Canada award. Nominated in the category of Leisure and Amusement Centre, Recreation or Sporting Venue with a budget in excess of $600,000, Mount Washington went head to head against some major attractions.
“This is an incredible milestone for an attraction that has been open to the public for just over 23 years,” said Mount Washington’s Director of Business Services. “And to have our name on the same ballot as the internationally-known Calgary Stampede speaks volumes as to the gaining popularity of Mount Washington.”
While the Resort saw Calgary take home the National Award, the trophy signifying Mount Washington’s top placement among B.C.’s many attractions is another feather in the cap of a resort that has seen its name on a number of trophies this spring. Other awards include BC Tourism’s 2002 Starfish Award for Environmentally Responsible Tourism and Tourism Vancouver Island’s 2002 Top Website Award. Judging for the award was done by a variety of tourism and media experts. Sharpe accepted the Provincial Finalist trophy at the awards ceremony in Edmonton.
Mount Washington wins the 2002 Starfish Award for environmentally responsible tourism from BC Tourism.
The Resort has made a commitment to the environment with careful planning and a number of initiatives, from setting up recycling depots to studying water waste, creating environmentally-sensitive landscaping to creating a staff coffee card program to reduce the number of paper and Styrofoam cups being thrown into the landfill.
Some of Mount Washington’s principles which have led to the Starfish Award include: understanding the historic and regional landscape characteristics, respecting the natural landforms and enhancing the environment for residents and visitors alike by using landscaping techniques that require little or no water.
The Alpine Resort works in close concert with BC Parks, as it sits on the doorstep of Strathcona Provincial Park; the Resort donates $10,000 annually for park projects and initiatives associated with the Provincial Park.
The Starfish was presented by the Oceans Blue Foundation.