West Coast Expeditions offers unique wilderness retreat and sea kayaking tours on Spring Island, off the west coast of Vancouver Island. They have always operated as a sustainable business with a minimal environmental footprint, and have built a strong connection to the Kyuquot community over the past 40 years.
Top 5 Unique Green Actions
Current owners, Dave and Caroline are doing a lot of sustainable actions, but here are the top 5 green actions that make West Coast Expeditions truly unique.
1. Solar Panels
Base camp is off the grid with minimal power needs served by a 400 W solar system backed up by an efficient generator.
2. Exceptional Employee Care
They take such good care of their employees, who seek them out because of their social and environmental values, that veteran guides come back year after year. In fact, they just won the Employee’s Choice Award from the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce in January 2016.
3. Repurposed Propane Stove
With a donation to the local Kyuquot Elementary and Secondary School, Dave acquired their retired 30-year old propane oven, moved it to Spring Island, and eliminated the need to run a generator to support the electricity needs of their previous gas oven. This extended the life of an oven otherwise destined to become scrap metal.
4. Unique First Nations Experience
With local First Nations ownership, West Coast Expeditions is committed to building capacity, education and training collaboration with the Kyuquot & Checleset First Nations, which offers guests a truly unique cultural experience.
5. Volunteer Wardens of Nature
The team acts as Volunteer Wardens for British Columbia’s largest ecological reserve: Checleset Bay Ecological Reserve and supports a variety of marine-focused environmental NGOs as well as 1% for the Planet.
Why Did They Choose Certification?
“I just seemed an obvious fit and an opportunity to systematically assess our practices while gaining external feedback, expertise, and ideas for continuing to improve our ecological footprint.”
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