Communications goals:

• Share Monte Creek Wineries Biosphere commitment with the organization’s community
• Provide updated details and links for customers and employees to learn more
• Share how Monte Creeks efforts so far have made an impact
• Showcase any further sustainability commitments the company has made

Target Audience:

• Eco-fused media: Any media outlets or platforms that prioritize environmentalism and sustainability so that Monte Creek will reach a broader audience and connect with its competitors.
• Eco-conscious consumers: This type of audience will always prioritize the environment when making purchases and Monte Creek wants them to feel at ease when making purchases from them, and knowing it is supporting a good cause.
• Health-conscious consumers: A lot of these customers focus on what it going to better their body and could be interested in any organic or biodynamic wines.
• Potential employees: Monte Creek has three separate vineyards, two here in Kamloops with one holding 55 acres of grapes, and the other, 20 acres of grapes. The third in Keremeos holding 40 acres of grapes. These large vineyards require a lot of attention and any potential employees that already have a passion for sustainability are wanted and needed.
• Nearby residents:  Assuring any nearby residents that they are surrounded by a sustainability and biosphere committed company can put valuable and regular consumers at ease.
• Farmers and Suppliers: Any farmers and suppliers are eager to know that who they are supporting are committed to a bigger and better cause toward the environment. This not only reassures them of their supporting efforts but it is something they can use to promote their own business and create better brand value because of the business commitments they provide for.
• Impact Investors: These are people who strive to invest in organizations that are positively creating a social and environmental impact. Monte Creek is a local family owned and is always looking for new, positive investors.

Key Messages:

• Monte Creek Winery promises to continuously provide and give back to the environment it originates on.
• Monte Creek Winery offers plenty of evidence regarding their current sustainability and biosphere commitments and want to highlight it more for their consumers.
• Monte Creek Winery invites local and broad communities to join them in their efforts by supporting their production, whether that be online or in person, and visiting their wineries.

Tactics:

• Monte Creek will ask all members of staff to participate in staff competitions and contests based on who posts or comments through the media the most on the companies CSR biosphere commitment efforts.
• Monte Creek will create monthly posts highlighting their sustainability and biosphere commitment efforts and encourage viewers to check their website to learn more.

Communication Channels:

• Monte Creek Wineries Website
• Monte Creek Wineries Facebook and Instagram Page
• Monte Creek Wineries employee’s social media accounts
• Monte Creek Wineries newsletter via their wine club members mailing list

Proposed evaluation Methods:

• Employee feedback surveys: Do employees feel like their competitive social media posts have been getting a lot of positive feedback?  
• Community feedback: Have the applications to become a wine club member at Monte Creek Winery increased since promoting their sustainability and biosphere efforts?
• Managing the Terrace Restaurant at Monte Creeks Sales: Since posting and creating more focus around the organizations CSR efforts have their restaurant sales and the winery increased?

The family-Owned Monte Creek Winery Continues to Maintain Commitment to their Biosphere and Sustainability Efforts

After winning Sustainable Project of the Year Award in 2021, Monte Creek Winery urns for more by upholding their commitment in the Biosphere Sustainable Tourism System.

Monte Creek Winery, residing in the Thompson-Nicola Valley, was founded in 2009. The Winery has created a total of three vineyards all of which are a part of their sustainability programs. Just one of those programs is the Biosphere Sustainable Tourism System in which Monte Creek winery is a proud contributor. This system is a certification program designed to promote and recognize sustainable practices within the tourism industry, and it brings environmental, social and economic together in a simple way for businesses to follow (Monte Creek, 2025). Monte Creek Winery has been participating in this program since 2018 and led them to winning the Sustainable Project of the year Award by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association in 2021, making the organization push for more by working with the land instead of just on it.

 Since then, Monte Creek has been striving to maintain their position within the Biosphere commitment and making sure it connects deeply with the organizations core values. Some of these values include quality, as they strive to continue producing award winning wines, innovation, through their Living Land series of wine that promotes the idea of growing amazing fruit by working cooperatively with nature, and of course sustainability, the winery is a part of so many new improvements and programs that push the meaning of sustainability. They have created things like their gravity flow production facility that uses natural forces instead of pumps to move wine (Monte Creek, 2025).

Eric Fisher, a representative for Monte Creek Winery on the BC Wine Institutes Board of Directors, states that “We [Monte Creek Winery] believe in regenerative agriculture and really leaving our imprint on the land leaving a better place than when we inherited it, and we inherited a very special place” (Fisher, 2022).  Fisher explains the gratitude that Monte Creek has for the land it resides on and proves the organizations willingness to only improve it.

By visiting Monte Creek Winery, consumers and customers are therefore contributing back to the land themselves by supporting an organization with such a powerful Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) initiative. Not only does this make Monte Creek Winery more recognizable but also a staple piece for other organizations to look towards and fight to compare themselves to. So, if you want to contribute back to the land as much as Monte Creek Winery has, contribute to them first.

For more information please contact:

Annabelle Hardy

Annabellehardy03@yahoo.com

250-551-6668

Monte Creek Winery for Corporate Social Responsibility

Get to know one of the best sustainable wineries in the Thompson-Nicola Valley and how you can support them

At Monte Creek Winery, the idea of becoming one of the most sustainable organizations within the Thompson-Nicola Valley holds a strong place in Monte Creeks heart. Monte Creek upholds its goal to work alongside or with the land instead of simply on it and they make this evident through their very defined core values; quality, innovation, and of course, naturally (no pun intended) sustainable. They uphold all these values and qualities while still creating exceptional and award-winning wines and creating an outstanding atmosphere through their service and presentation during interactions with the community and consumers.

Since opening in 2015 they have been awarded time and time again and strive to continue to keep giving back to the community while using these awards. Through their biosphere program and/or system they are sustainability trained with GreenStep, Salmon-Safe Certified, an OceanWise Partner, and have made a pledge to the 7 Affirmations pledge society.

While upholding so many Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives the winery embraces natural methods to maintain and produce their award-winning grapes and wines. For example, they are using gravity flow production, through their naturally cooling production building made of concrete with different levels to force the natural flow of wine and reduce the use of pumps.

One of the winemakers at Monte Creek, Galen Barnhardt, comments during an interview on just how far their CSR strides have taken them; “We’ve made some good strides towards our goal of reducing our per case energy consumption by 25% by 2025. We know we’ve still got a long way to go, but we just keep chipping away at it” (Barnhardt, 2023). Yes, this statement was made in 2023, but the winery has now become certified organic and sustainable, so I’d say they reached their goal.

While utilizing their CSR initiatives Monte Creek Winery still makes sure it is a memorable and bucket list destination for families and couples. During the winter they host multiple Christmas fundraisers and fairs as well as summer fundraiser events for programs like the SPCA. But something Monte Creek is just as well known for as their sustainability initiatives, is their weddings. The winery hosts multiple weddings a year and is sometimes totally booked for the following year to come, thanks to their excluded area and captivating scenery, couples from all over BC come to Monte Creek Winery to host their ceremony and/or wedding party in either the vineyards, their large glass greenhouse, or on their terrace patio that overlooks the valley.

Through and through Monte Creek will never fail to drop a jaw, how much better can a winery that offers some of the most amazing views, creative events and memorable weddings while all being so sustainable get. As a previous employee of Monte Creek Winery, I am one hundred percent able to vouch for this statement. As a workplace setting the employees of Monte Creek were always to be made extremely knowledgeable on the wineries efforts so we can better teach and explain to our customers why they should continue dining with us. All staff were extremely helpful and welcoming to anyone who came into the restaurant and tasting room, wine drinkers or not. Monte Creek truly made all workers feel apricated and admired for their hard work and offered plenty of opportunities for said employees to expand on their interest in any sustainable wine making and were invited to help bottle and learn more within the production facility.

At Monte Creek Winery, sustainability isn’t just about winning awards and becoming bigger and better, but it’s about leaving the land that we use for production a better place than we found it. By choosing wines that promote CSR you are actively contributing to the sustainability of our planet, and I’d say that’s something to raise a glass to!

We Are Biosphere Committed

Sustainability

MONTE CREEK IS SAVING ENERGY, SAVING $, AND CREATING A TEAM COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY

TRU’s The Omega relaunch: A Strong New Chapter for Student and Community Vision

 The relaunch event of the official student newspaper of TRU will be focusing on The Omega legacy, its current role, and its vision for all students.

By Annabelle Hardy           February 16, 2025

On April 10^th, from 10am-2pm, all Thompson Rivers University Students and members of the community are welcomed to participate in the relaunch event of The Omega newspaper at the Coastal Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre.

Sean Brady and Robert McAlaster, manager and editor-in chief of The Omega, will be giving speeches to mark a new chapter for the publication and showcasing of the newspaper’s significance to the students of TRU. During this event there will also be activities such as photobooths, idea booths, and complimentary snacks and drink.

The Omega will host guest speakers and writers Eagle Anderson, Augustus Holman and Aibiike Alymova. These three speakers all write in different sectors of the newspaper and are ready to hear your reviews, comments and even recommendations.

The board of the Omega make it clear that the students of TRU are in charge, they are the board as well as the writers, and producers. Editor-in-chief, Robert McAlaster, has worked in multiple journalism settings and knows what it takes to make a story stand out. McAlaster had written for and had people write for him throughout his career and now takes pride in leading his team at The Omega. McAlaster states that “before the revamp it [the paper] was too focused on the hard news for an older audience. They weren’t geared toward a student audience. Now, we focus on sports, arts and culture as well as a little bit of hard news” (McAlaster).

 This relaunch is going to be used to emphasize the importance of having students take the lead in our community, no one has to be a great writer, journalist, or interviewer as long as they have the idea it can be passed through to our writers of The Omega to make the idea a reality. Students will be able to use The Omega as a platform for expression as this publication relaunch aims to further strengthen its connection to its students and community and remain a crucial resource for the TRU campus and surrounding area.

So, join us to raise a glass to The Omega and all that it has become and continues to grow as within the Kamloops ecosystem, and embrace innovation while reflecting on the ever-evolving media landscape in campus and community life that The Omega continues to write for.

Event Details:

Date: April 10^th, 2025

Time: 10am-2pm

Location: Coastal Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre

For More Information, Contact:

Email: manager@theomega.news

Phone: 236-597-1592 (editor-in-chief)

Location: TRU campus in OM2761 (Old Main) by appointment

Distribution Plan

To make sure this press release reached the right audience it has to reach its students first. I would target both digital and physical channels to optimize the outreach. Students are who will spread the word faster than regular community members because face to face conversations happen a lot faster either on campus or between roommates out or in student housing. Following this students also make up a large portion of the online Kamloops population as that’s where they spend most of their time already, whether it be connecting to family members, staying up to date with the latest trends, or checking Moodle. To begin I would obviously post it to The Omega seeing as its our main source of campus news, then on TRU’s Instagram and Facebook page making sure to use the right hashtags so it catches the right eye. Keeping it digital I would then utilize The X, our very own campus radio station, and send it out as an email newsletter to the universities mailing list which include students, faculty and staff. Finally taking it physical by hanging up posters in all common areas and housing buildings as well as throughout common spaces within the community such as Starbucks, Walmart, the mall, and on lamp posts out in the open.

Distribution List

These are my roommates and Students in 3 different programs who are able to spread the word to different students and groups of people with interests a like.

Olivia Manuel- manuelo22@mytru.ca

Cassidy Harrold-harroldc21@mytru.ca

Maria Bayliff- baliffm19@mytru.ca

Four professors from four different fields and backgrounds who can spread the word to other faculty and students. These professors are also a key part of our community and are important to The Omega.

Sarah Moritz- moritzs@mytru.ca

Joceline Andersen- andersenj@mytru.ca

Sheba Rahim- rahims@mytru.ca

Richard Amante- amanter@mytru.ca

Robert McAlaster- 236-597-1592

As editor-in-chief, Robert will be able to inform his staff members and fellow print shop members on the event and as well as prepare any speeches.  

Coastal Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre- ckhinfo@coasthotels.com

As the hosts of this event we would want to make sure all employees are welcomed to this event as it is not just student but community wide.

City of Kamloops- info@kamloops.ca

Tournament capital Centre TCC- recreation@kamloops.ca

The city of Kamloops has the ability to make sure all community members are aware and feel invited. Following that the TCC is where a large majority of students spend their time and posters will be seen by the target audience.

The X- music@thex.ca

The Omega- manager@theomega.ca

As the main news reporters on the campus we want them to feel involved and prepared to spread the correct information.

North Tower Housing-  info@truresidence.ca

East Village Housing- eastvillage@truresidence.ca

As a lot of students main housing we should have plenty of flyers hung up and posted by the resident advisors to make sure all students interested are informed.