Alaskas Ridgewood Wilderness Lodge

The International Ecotourism Society - Member

Contact:

The International Ecotourism Society 1333 H St NW, Suite 300E Washington, DC United States 20005 phone: (202) 347-9203 email: info@ecotourism.org

Property's Green Team Leader:
      Kevin Sidelinger - (907) 296-2217

Mailing Address:
      Box 659
      Homer, AK US 99603

Designed to be in harmony with the surrounding environment, as an eco lodge Alaska’s Ridgewood utilizes local businesses and all of our guides and employees are Alaskans. We maintain a vegetable garden, and support our local Natural Foods Stores and Farmers Market. We also support our local environmental organizations.

We are situated in a semi remote location, adjacent to the Kachemak Bay State Park but we do not sacrifice luxury or comfort. We have preserved as much native vegetation surrounding our property as possible enhancing and conserving the local ecology. We have reincorporated trees and shrubs that will encourage birds and other wildlife to nest and rest here.

Our facility was designed and planned carefully. All of our appliances are modern and were selected for their energy efficiency. For example our washing machine is a front loader which uses a fraction of the water that a top loader does. And as a note, new sales in California mandate this style of washer. Our toilets are all low water flush, and conserve additional water.

We do not use bleach or other harmful chemicals and all of our soaps and detergents are free of animal fats.

The biggest challenge facing a wilderness eco lodge is how to deal with all of the water borne waste, before it is discharged into the environment, in an ecologically friendly way. Your health and safety is important to us, and with this in mind, our system was designed by career professionals, experts in their field of interest and was approved by The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Developed in 1982 in Australia our system is a compact, aerated waste water treatment system. These systems are in use in Alaska, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and elsewhere. This system biologically treats all waste water from the Lodge on site in a six chamber fully contained system. A clean, clear filtered and odorless effluent is discharged into the drain field, and is easily assimilated into the earth. No porta potties which amount to human waste being stored in your room, no environ toilets which are noisy and consume a lot of electricity or home made septic systems.

Our philosophy also extends to our oyster farm. With the cooperation of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and other local oyster farmers, together we sponsor an annual program designed to certify and guarantee the quality of the water. This is accomplished by taking water samples and tissue samples of wild mollusks five times annually. Our oysters are also tested weekly from May 1st through October, and monthly from November 1st through April. These farms are considered in the environmental community as “the canary in the coal mine”. In summary these oyster farms are a valuable addition to the local eco system.