Earth Day on Vancouver Island: Celebrating Island Good Businesses

Every year on April 22, the world celebrates Earth Day, a reminder that the choices we make every day shape the future of our planet.

On Vancouver Island, sustainability isn’t the exception, it’s the norm. Almost all Island Good businesses incorporate environmentally responsible practices into how they grow, make, and sell their products.

Choosing to shop local is part of that impact. Supporting Island Good businesses helps reduce transportation emissions, strengthen the local economy, and support a more resilient regional food and product system.

This is just a small sample of the Island Good businesses putting sustainability into action:

• Fresh, organic vegetarian, locally sourced fare a priority at The Duncan Garage Cafe & Bakery, with vegan and no-gluten options
• Plant-based innovation from Green Cuisine and Crumblz.
• Natural, small-batch beauty and body care from makers such as Bloom Botanicals, Dirty Girl Soap Co., Lemon Balm Lane and Feisty Ferdy Organics, using plant-based ingredients and locally inspired formulations
• Regenerative, family-run farming at Keating Farm and Smith Lake Farm, supporting soil health, biodiversity, bee populations, and local food security
• Locally made pet food from businesses like Buddies Natural Pet Food Ltd., Fresh Fetch and Grandpaws Treats supporting high-quality ingredients and low-distance production for healthier pets and a more sustainable local food system
• Eco-conscious products made by Timber Tiles and Fawcett Mattress

When you choose Island Good products, you help:

• Reduce transportation emissions
• Support sustainable practices
• Strengthen the local economy
• Protect farmland and coastal resources

How You Can Take Part

This Earth Day, look for the Island Good logo in stores, markets, and on menus across Vancouver Island and the rural islands. Island Good products are easy to find – from grocery stores and farmers’ markets to cafés, restaurants, and local retailers. Visit islandgood.ca to discover businesses near you.

Because when you support local, you support the land, the water, and the communities that make Vancouver Island and the rural islands so special.

Island Good Spotlight – BC Coastal Grilling

BC Coastal Grilling, owned and operated by Jim Moore. They craft premium, sustainable Western Red Cedar cooking, serving and gift products that elevate grill and oven-based cooking along with outdoor and indoor serving.

We’re not just selling cedar planks – we’re crafting tools for cooking, flavour and presentation. Western Red Cedar’s natural aromatics gently infuse food “Releasing the Flavours of the West Coast Rainforest”, while its beauty and strength make it just as striking for serving and display.Every product is part of a value-added wood manufacturing approach, using the material thoughtfully and responsibly. We focus on maximizing each piece, minimizing waste, and designing products that move seamlessly from grill to table – elevating the West Coast culinary experience while respecting the natural resource it comes from.

What’s your favourite part about sourcing or creating right here on the Island?

It’s the people and the opportunity to collaborate with other Vancouver Island businesses rooted in the West Coast. There’s something special about working with Western Red Cedar where it naturally grows, alongside a community that shares a deep connection to the land and its long-standing heritage.

Being part of that local network, where the material, the makers, and the traditions all come together, is what makes creating here so meaningful.

 

You can find BC Coastal Grilling online at https://bccoastalgrilling.com.

Island Good is proudly sponsored by Coastal Community Credit Union:

Island Good is an initiative of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA) a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to fostering a thriving, sustainable, and self-reliant Island economy.