Compost facility amongst sustainability award recipients from Whistler

The Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) composting facility in the Callaghan Valley is one of the Whistler area recipients of a SHIFT Sustainability Award. SHIFT is an annual festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that aims to improve sharing of conservation and sustainability information between similar resort communities in North America.

After evaluating more than 600 conservation and sustainability initiatives, SHIFT has selected the Whistler composting facility as one of the 24 communities/organizations in the “Culture” category.

"We were excited to learn that our compost facility received the SHIFT Sustainability Award,” said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden. “Our compost facility is cutting edge in that it provides local businesses the opportunity to act sustainably and save money as they manage waste. The greater percentage of organic waste a business composts, the more a business can save in disposal fees. For Whistler residents, the municipality provides compost bins at local depots for organic waste drop-off. The facility is beneficial for everyone in the community.”

The Whistler compost facility composts biosolids from the Wastewater Treatment Plant, residential and commercial food waste, and wood waste. The fully enclosed composter diverts waste from the landfill, effectively treats Whistler's biosolids, provides an opportunity for businesses and residents to compost food waste, and produces a number of high quality soil amendments for sale at the Whistler Transfer Station.

Pemberton-based BC Passive House—Canada’s first manufacturing plant, which prefabricates materials that meet the Passive House Standard—also received an award in the “Culture” category.

There were 50 other award recipients in two other categories (“Nature” and “Adventure”), including Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association (WORCA) and Whistler Blackcomb in the “Adventure” category.

Whistler Blackcomb’s winning submission focused on achieving a Zero Operating Footprint: zero waste, zero carbon, zero net emissions. The collective mission inspires guests to visit Whistler who are factoring environmental impacts into their travel choices.

WORCA was recognized for continuing to ensure mountain bike trail access by working with government, landowners and developers, while providing a range of other services to the mountain bike community.

“Congratulations to all local companies and organizations who have been recognized with the SHIFT Award,” said the mayor. “Your excellence and dedication in showcasing leading sustainability and conservation initiatives contribute to our shared success as a resort community.”

This is the first year of the SHIFT Sustainability Awards, which recognize the most effective, innovative conservation and sustainability initiatives currently underway in resort communities around North America (or GEMS, gateways to environments of major significance, as they are referred to by SHIFT). Recipients of the Sustainability Awards have been invited to attend the SHIFT Summit, which runs from October 8 to 10 in Jackson Hole.