I know being green is important these days, but sometimes all the emphasis on sustainability seems so darned serious. That’s why over on Vancouver Island, BC, The Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa’s new approach is so likable.

This hotel on Sidney’s beautiful waterfront is so committed to sustainability, it has earned four out of five “keys” in the Hotel Association of Canada’s Green Key Eco-Rating Program. But they still know how to have fun, or “show their guests a sustainable good time.”

Of course they do all the important stuff: they use enviro-friendly cleaning products, subsidize their employees’ bus passes, do paper-less check-in, use geothermal heat pumps to warm the building in winter and cool it in summer. You get the picture.

But when it comes to food, sustainability turns seriously fun. Every couple of months, the team at Haro’s Restaurant + Bar puts on a special dinner to support local farmers, cheesemakers and vintners. The producers present their food to the guests, moving from table to table, socializing and educating between bites.

You might learn why the free-range chicken you’re enjoying tastes so much better than the factory-farmed variety. Or how the pinot gris in your glass was deliberately paired to complement the mizuna greens on your plate. Sometimes the focus is on seafood.

Be warned, these dinners sell out fast. Sustainability may sound ho-hum, but it tastes awfully good.

www.hellobc.com