The average Canadian home, based on a 2,000-square-foot space, uses roughly 26 to 33 kilowatt hours (KWh) of energy daily. In comparison to Strathcona Park Lodge (SPL), which can host up to 225 guests at a time and 75 resident staff, runs at a modest 45 to 50 KWh, using roughly 1,000 KW daily - the equivalent to the daily consumption of three houses. How DO they do it, let's find out...
For my first day on site, I’m treated to a morning spent with Strathcona Park Lodge (SPL) owner Jamie Boulding. We explore the four-lake multi-storage dam system in the mountain behind, which, as he simply puts, “keeps the lights on” at the lodge.
It becomes acutely evident that Jamie is driven by both honouring the multi-generations of his family before him who were the proprietors of the lodge, and also by doing right by the land.
The simple yet sophisticated energy source was developed 40 years ago, with shared water rights on the land, the SPL is able to power and heat their entire ‘little village.’
The installation of the Pelton wheel
Big thinkers and regional tradespeople collaborated to build a small-scale dam system and installed a Pelton wheel – a water wheel that extracts energy from the force of moving water. On this day of my tour, we start by visiting site A known as the run of the river, where in 1989, Jamie and a team built a dam with nothing but manual labour and a large dose of problem-solving skills.
“Keeping the energy up is the biggest investment,” he tells me as we admire the satisfactorily full body of water above the concrete dam way. With over 100 thousand dollars invested into this system over the last five years, there is much emphasis put into monitoring the water levels.
Today, we navigate the incline by four wheels, but on any other given dam check days, Jamie likes to pedal uphill by his own force to sustain his 60-something-year-old commendable fitness levels and to live by his most valued philosophy of treading lightly on our shared earth, while being precautionary in decision making.
With the big red dog Nico in tow, we move along to the next site at Lower Cedar Lake where Jamie measures the water levels in the rain bucket, and has a look at the flow coming out of the 12-inch adjustable pipe, which he closes slightly to use only the flow that is required, and nothing more.
On again and up again we move to the next body of water, Raven Lake, and lastly the largest lake known as Camp Lake where he talks about the great damming skills the beavers have in the assistance of maintaining water levels.
Moisture and drought
Looking back in his record book, we talk about drought and the dry years past. SPL has run solely off of the Pelton wheel system for 11 and a half months of the year, while utilizing the backup diesel generator for only 15 days, a system they want to avoid using as it can cost upwards of $500 per day and is precisely why water and energy conservation is so highly valued. In seasons of drought, the diesel generator has been required for a two-month stint.
However, this past year, Jamie and his wife and fellow lodge owner Christine Clarke, are proud to reveal the recently-installed (May 2024) custom-built shiny new Pelton wheel. It has been twinned with the original and was a notable 250-thousand-dollar total investment. Jamie shows me this new-fangled operation near the shores of the lake where the modest outbuilding does the job of a medium-scale power grid.
She’s a beaut, and a real source or pride. As it should be.
“We’re trying to make decisions for the greater good,” he says. “By minimizing our footprint and believing in humanity and generosity are so important to the next generation.”
Alternative Energy
As I wash my hands before being treated to the communal social-centric cafeteria-style lunch, I become newly aware of my consumption at this off-grid haven after seeing first-hand the hard work of the interconnected tributaries and the work of Blue, their newest permanent lodge resident, the Pelton wheel.
For this little unofficial village located along the Gold River Highway on the shores of Upper Campbell Lake, there are no corners cut in regards to conservation efforts. Yet, the cabins and lodge amenities are stunning – the basecamp to adventure provides a sanctuary of comfort and a backdrop of serenity. The newest cabins have been outfitted with solar power and with hot water tanks on the roof. For a lodge that’s located 40 minutes from any nearby community, they have their very own solar-powered trickle car charging station. They’re responsible for every bit of waste and recycling and they work together as a team to responsibly remove and dispose of it. They even allow passersby to utilize their washroom – a privilege that my late grandfather might suggest leaving a quarter on the back of the toilet tank for such a provision.
“Tourism is a tenuous business to do on the green side of things,” Jamie says of the growing challenge to make it all work. “People do it as a labour of love. It’s daunting even for us and we’ve been doing it for 60 years.”
Being that SPL is not only a retreat centre, but also a renowned outdoor education centre, Christine says that the biggest and most important thing is education and stewardship. To teach people about energy use and how to incentivize people to take a hiatus from energy use – that is an achievable goal for everyone.
How can you limit your daily KWh consumption? Me? I just turned off my desk lamp and I think I’ll serve a meatless Monday meal to the family tonight.
To combat energy waste, we can take an individual and collective approach to lessening our impact on the environment. Follow the SPL blog series on More with Less in the coming weeks to learn how we manage and optimize our water, heat, solar and waste systems. Start your own journey into green living by following the lead of the zero-waste movement and applying the SPL’s six core values to your daily living and visit strathconaparklodge.com for more information.
Exploring the world and the people who occupy it is what fuels the creativity and content of Lynsey's writing. As a transplant to Vancouver Island she feels lucky to be surrounded by such natural beauty and friendly faces here in Campbell River. With family at the centre of her universe, shinrin yoku and the written word are also close in orbit. Find her published works at lynseyburke.com
