Take the Eco Pledge and Explore Maple Ridge

Ecotourism is on the rise. According to market research industry trends, travelers are actively seeking opportunities to visit beautiful natural environments and to learn ways in which they can help protect these natural settings. This has led to the concept of “regenerative tourism,” a sustainable way of travelling and discovering new places with the main goal of having a positive impact on the holiday destination and leaving it in a better condition than how they found it. According to www.activesustainability,com the concept goes beyond not damaging the environment and looks to “actively revitalize and regenerate it, resulting in a positive impact on local communities and economies: sustainable regeneration.”

To locally support the communication of positive ecotourism values and actions, the Economic Development and Tourism Department recently reached out to a group of high school Eco Action students from Thomas Haney Secondary School and an artist and business owner from Katzie First Nation to request their assistance in creating some eco-friendly guidelines for sustainable travel in our community. The group of young people came up with an Eco Pledge for Maple Ridge and acted as models in a new ecotourism video. The Maple Ridge Eco Pledge reminds travelers and citizens of the importance of protecting our beautiful trails, parks, waterways, fauna and flora from heavy foot traffic and to “take only photos, leave only footprints.” When the
video ends, visitors and citizens get a call to action to “Take the Eco Pledge and Explore Maple Ridge.”

Maple Ridge Eco Pledge:
As I visit and explore beautiful Maple Ridge and the traditional lands of Katzie and Kwantlen First Nation, I pledge to:
Be a respectful guest when visiting the river, dykes, trails, lakes and parks,
Share trails and outdoor spaces with all users in a courteous manner,
Observe wildlife from a safe and considerate distance,
Appreciate the ecosystems that exist in these spaces and take only photos, leave only footprints,
Tread lightly on the land as one who has gratefully borrowed it from our future generations.
Here is a link to the ecotourism video: https://youtu.be/4nS41bmtbic