(Originally published inTOURISM)
Dealing with the carbon footprint of tourism operations is a complex undertaking at the best of times. When someone takes the lead, a significant amount of corporate soul-searching has been invested before arriving at a solution, especially if the steps taken cut deeply into the bottom line. One of those industry leaders is BC’s King Pacific Lodge, a distinctive floating fishing lodge which has earned rave reviews around the world.
Moored in the shelter of Barnard Harbour on Princess Royal Island (south of Prince Rupert), it offers every luxury one could hope for in a wilderness setting. It is accessible only by float plane, and in close proximity to the Great Bear Rainforest, the largest intact temperate rainforest left on Earth. Imagine how strongly a place like this should feel about its carbon footprint!
King Pacific Lodge recently announced plans to reduce its carbon footprint by half over the next five years. It has committed to offsetting the carbon emissions of all lodge operations and employee travel, while also offsetting guests’ air travel to and from the lodge – creating what the company promises to be a truly carbon‑neutral vacation.
If journalists and environmentalists have been quick to point out that the lodge remains a relatively small player in the carbon footprint equation, King Pacific Lodge president Michael Uehara is inspired by something, perhaps, more fundamental. He and his team will look at everything from using more efficient light bulbs, to their recycling practices, even to installing a river‑hydro plant and solar panels for the lodge’s power needs. They will also look at using suppliers who conduct their own carbon reduction programs.
“It is really about an evolution in attitude that we are fostering, about hiring people who think in a similar vein; about associating with companies and creating a network of partners that are like‑minded," says Uehara. "You spread the notion of the need to reduce your carbon footprint and it influences your approach to social and environmental responsibility, even your perception of what are equitable practices.
“We sent a letter to every one of our suppliers telling them what we were going to do, and the letters we got back were incredible. Here are these companies that for years had been taking these small steps, unbeknownst to us. Yes, it is true that we are a small company offsetting our carbon – it is not like reducing emissions at a coal‑fired power plant on the shores of Lake Ontario. It really is more about harnessing our collective actions, and I am surprised at how quickly this catches on.”
According to Uehara, King Pacific Lodge has teamed up with Ecotrust Canada, an organization which focuses on building what it calls the “conservation economy” while raising and brokering capital among communities and businesses to achieve this. Ecotrust connects conservation entrepreneurs to each other.
“They are bringing about ten other companies in a carbon offset program,” notes Uehara, “which will involve the Pembina Institute, a non‑profit organization which is mandated to create an elaborate carbon footprint measuring tool to make it possible to assess the carbon footprint of companies and figure out ways to reduce it.”
When reminded that tourism is frequently referred to as one of the industries that contributes significantly to carbon emissions, he offers the following comment:
“We all have a definition of hospitality and of tourism; they exist for a reason. For me, they are absolutely necessary. They are about taking people outside of their world and introducing them to a new world. It is somewhat akin to providing an intensive course in the authentic lives of other people, in an authentic setting that you are not familiar with. It expands your mind and gives you a greater appreciation for all sorts of things in life.
"Of course, there is a cost; everything has a cost. When a baby is born, there is an environmental cost. Should we stop engaging in tourism activities? Is tourism worth the cost? In my mind… absolutely! We all need that sense of recreation. We all need to be exposed to hospitality. In many ways, it goes to the core of our human existence since the beginning of time.”
Evidently, the soul‑searching still goes on at King Pacific Lodge.
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