It’s hard not to feel a strong sense of familiarity in Vancouver.

The people are friendly, polite, courteous, laidback, and some a little boisterous, easy to say about any New Zealand city.

A decidedly strong focus on a “clean and green” image drives the similarities home.

The issues facing not just Vancouver, but British Columbia as a whole right now seem to align with questions we’re having to ask ourselves with the arrival of oil giant Anadarko.

What role can mineral and oil extraction play in our economic future? And how can it be balanced with our prized environment – the exact questions British Columbia is asking itself as well.

Eco and adventure tourism in the state of B.C. is big business, bringing in close to 14 billion dollars.

As we headed out on one of the many whale watching tours in Victoria Harbor, our skipper Geoff explains the focus on tourism has lead to a dramatic change in the landscape of the state capital Victoria in particular.

Oil refineries and tankers which once dominated the coastline have been replaced by hotels and condominiums built around adventure tourism, eco-tourism and the outdoors.

The hot topic now is combined opposition from tourism operators against a proposed pipeline called the Enbridge Northern Gateway, which would stretch across the state bringing with it 225 oil tankers into Kitimat each year, and inevitably a higher risk of a dramatic oil spill.

Opponents say tourists spend an average of $1.5 billion a year on nature-based tourism in British Columbia. There are over 2,200 businesses operating in both rural and urban settings, and all of these businesses rely on maintaining the health of the province’s wild spaces.

They say the pipeline goes against the investment and energy which has gone into building its brand of “Super, Natural British Columbia”.

That argument should sound familiar to most kiwis.

Numerous case studies on the real effect the Gulf of Mexico spill had, and is still having, on the local tourism is also major ammunition opposition groups are using in its fight.

On the other side of the debate is the legitimate argument of the job and wealth creation opportunities the mineral industry brings.

It’s eerie how similar the debate over the two monumental pulls of the environment and mineral exploration are for both B.C and New Zealand.

Another hot topic of conversation right now is the purchasing of rights to be host city of the coveted TED conference.

Vancouver has a growing green and tech industry, which they have only just started tapping into, and have ratcheted up that aim by attracting influential venture capitalists, philanthropists, scientists, architects, and engineers for the annual conference – the crème de la crème of thinkers and businessmen.

The city paid an undisclosed sun for the license to be host city for two years, and while the Canadian Tourism Commission and Tourism Vancouver estimate conference attendees will drop more than $4.5 million into the economy in direct spending during the week-long event, it believes it’s the inevitable side deals between visitors and local businesses in B.C. and Canada’s tech and green sectors will be the icing on the top.

Food’s place in this green economy is also held in high regard.

The treasure trove of organic, locally grown, sustainable produce on offer at the incredible Granville markets in mindboggling.

Everything you can imagine from cheeses to local pastas, seafood, meats, vegetables, arts and everything in between spread out over several city blocks.

Artisan and boutique products are becoming big business in New Zealand and certainly are in Vancouver; the success of the Granville markets would clearly be a model to examine when looking at our own love of local markets.

As we gear up to head to Seattle I can’t help but smile as Vancouver is bathed in green for Saint Patrick’s day.

Front page discussion is centering on preparations for new laws legalizing cannabis for medicinal use.

But it’s no laughing matter for B.C. Of the 30 thousand people using the drug legally as a medicine, authorities here estimate another 500,000 people currently using it illegally will fall under the same umbrella.

Conservative estimates are that that could equate to a billion dollar biopharmaceutical industry, something businesses are very eager to tap into come April the 1^st when the new legislation comes into effect.

British Columbia is all about new ways of doing things, a focus on tech innovation and a sustainable outlook for its environment and economy.

There’s a lot B.C and New Zealand can learn from each other.