Green is the scene

Published on April 21st, 2010

By CINTHIA RITCHIE

Three Seward businesses racked up gold level status at Adventure Green Alaska, the state's first tourism certification.

Kayak Adventures Woldwide, Orca Island Cabins and Sunny Cove Sea Kayaking were awarded high marks in the economic, social and environmental sustainability arena.

The Adventure Green Alaska program highlights eco-friendly business practices. The nonprofit program, which is in its third year, encourages tourism-related businesses toward environmentally conscious management practices by awarding three levels: bronze, silver and gold.

Seward nabbed three of the top five gold awards, which doesn't surprise Kayak Adventures Worldwide co-owner David Doughty. Doughty, who runs his business with his wife, Wendy, sees Seward as a virtual pot-of-gold of sustainable living.

"Alaska, and especially Seward, is a perfect setting for green work, and that makes us different from most parts of the world," he said.

It's pretty easy to talk about water quality and sustainable living when it's right outside your backdoor, he added.

Living green is a long-term investment for the Doughtys, who have been running their kayaking adventure out of Seward since 2002. They presently employ seven guides and see about 2,000 customers a season. For each client they take on tour, they donate $2 to Tour Green. They've also replaced their windows and lights with more energy-efficient models, use recycled materials and natural cleaners as much as possible and travel by bicycle around town whenever possible.

And while green practices can be more expensive, the Doughtys see it as both an economical and ecological investment.

"It's a choice you make, a choice for future generations and one that hopefully keeps us in operation longer," Doughty said.

They also limit their use of processed or freeze-dried foods, relying on home-cooked meals whenever possible.

"Obviously, you make sacrifices when you're working out in the field," Doughty said. "But you can still buy and prepare whole foods instead of taking prepackaged and prepared things."

Dennis and Susan Swiderski, owners of Orca Island Cabins, depend upon solar power, composting toilets and other eco-friendly practices for their remote business in Humpy Cove.

"We are very selective of the footprints of our cabins," Susan Swiderski said. "We built them in locations that didn't require us to cut down trees and whenever possible went around them."

They also us propane for their heat source, bring in their own firewood and have designated boardwalks to ensure that visitors don't disrupt delicate moss and flora.

"It's definitely more expensive to build environmentally," Swiderski said. "But it's not really about the cost. It's about doing the right thing and keeping that area pristine."

The Swiderskis believe that green living impacts more than the environment. It also impacts the people who visit.

"Our guests get back in touch with the peaceful and pure sight of life," she said. "Staying out there and seeing the environment in such a pure state definitely makes a deep impression on them."

Over at Sunny Cove Sea Kayaking, John Page shares similar views. He started his business out on Fox Island but later moved to Lowell Point and sees sustainable business as more than recycling or buying recycled - it's a way of interacting favorably with community.

"And means giving to conservation organizations and supporting local businesses and charities," Page said.

He purchases the majority of his supplies at area businesses such as the Safeway and Three Bears grocery stores. While he does head in to the Anchorage Costco for bulk purchases ("Obviously, that's a necessity," Page said wryly), he buys produce and fresh goods as close to home as possible. Supporting local businesses, he said, keeps the community vibrant.

The Sunny Cove staff also discusses their green way of living with tour clients.

"We don't browbeat them, but we make sure we can answer their questions," Page said. "People come up here with a mindset to experience nature in its most pristine element, and a lot of them come with a receptiveness of learning more on how to interact in a sustainable way."

Everyone in Seward interacts favorably with the environment, even if they don't consider themselves green, said Page.

"My sense is that many people in Seward might not label themselves green but they do care about the environment around them, and a good many businesses are taking steps to preserve it."

Doughty hopes that more and more people will slowly adopt sustainable living practices.

"In years to come this won't even be newsworthy," he said. "It will simply be the norm."