More with less sustainability series - Consumption (4/4)
Four: Consumer onus in minimizing consumption
Words by Lynsey Burke
We are all consumers, and human beings are an especially ravenous species. We are consumptive by nature — while much of society’s consumption and waste habits are outside of our circle of control, we certainly can prioritize what we consume.
Leave no trace
Our Mission is to teach the wonder, spirit and worth of people and the natural world through outdoor pursuits. We look for teachable moments with the groups that come, incorporating ‘leave no trace’ principles. Campsites that thousands of our groups have visited are more pristine than other places in the park. Stewardship of Strathcona Park is one of our Core Values and our school groups actively practise this, leaving no trace of themselves and often cleaning up after other visitors.
It’s an ongoing topic of discussion with our groups — to live and thrive on More with Less.
In taking a step back from consumption we ask ourselves, “does it need to come here?”
Everything that we bring in needs to be dealt with in regards to disposal, repurposing or decomposition. There are systems in place that allow for infrequent trips to the dump. Because what is out of sight, is not out of mind for an eco-conscious, zero waste priority lifestyle.
Reuse and Repurpose
Buildings built from beach-combed logs from the flooded Upper Campbell Lake
For SPL, reuse and repurpose started with the original lodge and cabins. The original lodge at its original location would have been many metres below water when the dam was built. Instead it was ingeniously floated on big cedar logs for 18 months, and skidded up the beach at its new location, becoming Strathcona Park Lodge. In a similar manner, Baikie Bros logging camp cabins were floated up to the new water levels, skidded onto the beach and became the first rental cabins.
The Lodge’s buildings have been built from logs beachcombed from the flooded lake and from trees grown and milled on site. Even when the building has passed its useful life the wood is often re-purposed. For example, the heavy floor decking from the Baikie Bros cookhouse from the 1950s has become several substantial tables including two five-metre beach picnic tables and a head trestle table under the white tent.
These are pieces of living history where guests gather and share stories of their day. Two substantive uses that continue to give back.
The ultimate goal is to repurpose everything that you can in all the ways that you can — thinking bigger picture and smaller footprint so that we can continue to have the privilege of recreating on this land.
Recreation in alignment with earth-first
Leave no trace as you pack out what you’ve brought in while recreating in the mountains
From a tourism perspective, having local or regional people come and practice self-propelled recreation is our core business.
Those who continue to come back are treasured guests. By allowing your values to lead the way in making decisions as to where and how you will spend your free time recreating can be both rewarding and enriching. Knowing that you’re treading lightly while still fuelling your sense of adventure is a full-package deal — hold the consumerism and waste.
When you visit SPL you’ll find that you are tapping into the very core of your existence, being in sync with nature. It’s a harmonious existence.
Sustenance and scraps
The chefs’ choice menu that is served is locally and sustainably sourced
To evaluate everything that is served — from where it’s grown, raised, distributed and sourced all the way down the line to how it’s disposed of, broken down and put back into the earth. If your eyes are bigger than your stomach, you’re encouraged to go back for seconds rather than risking food waste. A clean plate is a job well done. Plate licking is acceptable, if not even laughably permissible.
It is always a chefs’ choice menu that is both good for you and good for the planet. It’s a meal that is made for you, and for the cooked and/or raw food that goes uneaten — it falls into one of three categories. A: burnable. B: compostable and C: digestible.
Pictured is the compost and food digester that allows SPL to minimize waste
We have digesters, which are big metal drums that are buried underground that compost cooked food with no smell, so as not to become a wildlife attractant or snack buffet. Raw food (if there are no active wildlife sightings on the property) can be composted. Lastly, there are burnables such as napkins and cardboard, etc.
Recycling has been given a bad reputation, and rightfully so as much of what we diligently clean and send to the blue box inevitably ends up in landfills. It is a sad reality, and one that nudges us further into minimizing our single use products. An example, in order to offer guests with beverage options, a large vat of iced tea is concocted in order to reduce bottles. That is the reduce piece of the puzzle.
Live, buy and support local
If we aren’t building it ourselves, we are outsourcing the project to local artisans, talent and farmers. We buy things that are made locally to avoid contributing to the carbon contributor that is shipping. By supporting the local economy we are also celebrating the diversity and craftsmanship that is available on Vancouver Island and within our home province.
Vegetables are grown locally and sourced from a Vancouver Island farm
Local eggs and meat are purchased from island farms. Meat is often a small portion of what is offered, however, we deal direct with the farmers for their quality and sustainably raised animals. We have over 100 of our own heritage fruit trees on site and the diverse alcoholic beverages are all BC-made, additionally, our supplier is also solely BC stocked.
On display of our welcome centre we have indigenous carvings displayed from a long-time family friend, a culture and relationship that is deeply valued.
When we live in a corner of the globe that offers so much abundance, it would be a shame to search beyond those borders.
This concludes our More with Less sustainability series. Our hope is that you feel inspired and empowered to know that by taking a pause before making a decision, you as an individual can contribute to the good in the world — and that is a powerful motivator in knowing that we are in this together.
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