Sustainability as A Lifestyle
It’s how we make it here, year-round!
Lost Creek country above the lodge on a sunny September day
Here at the lodge conserving resources, recycling, and reducing our environmental impact are a way of life. Being so far from any cities and without many other people for several miles, we have to stay mindful of what we use and how we use it, through all the seasons. When you are your own utilities and services (power, water, waste, communications, emergency response, culinary & education), you go at things with a different eye.
When we first took over the lodge, there was a loud, unreliable diesel genset running 24 hours a day to provide electricity. Not only was it a dirty thirsty beast, averaging 6-gallons/day fuel consumption and soot everywhere, it was also lonely - with frequent breakdowns requiring several hours repair, fabrication of new parts, and volumes of colorful language. There was also aluminum wire strung overhead through the trees for powering the various buildings, but that’s another post…
After about a year of this we decided an overhaul was in order, with a cleaner, quieter power plan involving solar panels, wind mill, more efficient genset, and LED lights throughout our buildings. It was not cheap by any stretch, but a much-needed investment on many fronts, and we discovered so much more birdsong with the silenced generator!
You can hear numerous birds each day at the lodge - warblers, chickadees, thrushes, sparrows, grosbeaks, & swans, just to name a few!
The Midnight Sun is an excellent source of clean, renewable energy! And our on-site fireweed is harvested for tea, salves, & jelly.
This may sound fairly simple—just call up an off-grid company and order a new electrical power generation setup to be installed. In the middle of nowhere Alaska off the grid. If there were any companies who did this. But there aren’t… so we had to design, build, and test the whole system. Thankfully Michael has a background in electrical and mechanical engineering, and the rest of our family is patient and good at following directions. This was a process that took many months and flexed the gray matter to extremes sometimes. Here are the highlights:
Kiddos helping dig a trench to tie the solar panels into the system
To keep the project as local as possible we sourced the solar panels, windmill, gensets, and inverters all from American or Alaskan businesses, and in true eco-fashion, recycled some used components from off-site, thus reducing the amount of transportation fuel and our reliance on newly manufactured goods.
We considered an adjustable frame but given our particular variables, settled on double-securing the solar panels to a rack on the roof of the historic lodge. Out front, we installed a small wind turbine to take advantage of the regular winds that blow off the Nabesna Glacier and funnel down the mountain valleys. For winter power, and increased summer guest demand, we installed a cleaner, much more efficient genset in a new, sound-proofed shed.
By automating our power system and covering the roof of the historic lodge with solar panels, we were able to reduce our fuel use by 90% in the summer (hello midnight sun!) and by 75% in the winter.
In all but the darkest months, our solar panels help provide clean power for our guests.
We’ve taken our commitment to sustainable tourism to the next level by becoming a member of Sustainable Travel International. As a member, we are part of a global movement of conscientious travelers and businesses that are passionate about making a difference and giving back to the places we depend on and love.
Sustainable Travel International is a mission-driven organization dedicated to protecting and conserving our planet's most vulnerable destinations. They are working to transform tourism's impact on nature and people by working alongside local communities, engaging travelers and businesses in responsible practices, and strengthening destination management. Through this work, they aim to safeguard nature, combat climate change, and empower communities to preserve the integrity of destinations around the globe. To learn more about what we are supporting, visit www.sustainabletravel.org
Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge has also signed the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge, to demonstrate our commitment to improving the sustainability performance of our business between now and 2030. The UN World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.” More info about these goals can be found here.
Each year, we commit to measuring and improving our sustainability performance in the following ways:
Actively work to find opportunities to reduce our non-renewable energy consumption and emissions year over year;
Support local entrepreneurs and the community by purchasing supplies as close to our business as possible and having a local-hire preference;
Ensuring a clean potable water supply is available so bottled water is unnecessary, reducing plastic waste and carbon emissions from packaging and transporting water hundreds or thousands of miles;
Working to partner with local cultural and educational entities and organizations to help visitors learn about and appreciate the unique heritage of this area in culturally and environmentally responsible ways;
Using ceramic, metal, & glass service ware that can be sanitized and re-used;
Discouraging single-use items and plastic water bottles.
Our additional environmental & social responsibility practices:
~ Growing our fresh herbs & greens on-site
~ Harvesting local ingredients like wild blueberries, spruce tips, & forest mushrooms
~ Offering organic, seasonally-available, & locally produced goods
~ Ensuring a clean potable water supply so bottled water is unnecessary and discouraged
~ Hiring local staff when possible & paying a living wage
~ Heating our spaces with renewable biomass & using heat-powered fans
~ Making gourmet food & guest treats on-site vs. importing from out of state or country
~ Sorting, recycling, & composting our waste
~ Providing hooks for guests to hang up & reuse their towels
~ Encouraging our guests & staff to turn off lights/appliances when not in use
~ Using ceramic, metal, & glass service ware that can be sanitized and re-used
~ Using non-toxic & biodegradable cleaning products
~ Offering digital trail guides instead of paper ones
~ Plumbing in the cold ambient air to provide refrigeration/freezer cooling
~ Repairing, re-using, or up-cycling serviceable items before purchasing new ones
~ Creating travel plans with multiple stops to maximize fuel economy
Winds off the Nabesna Glacier turn our windmill & provide clean, renewable energy for our guests
We are always on the lookout for ways to improve our sustainability & would love to hear how you practice environmental responsibility!
Email us at WrangellLodge@gmail.com