Sustainability Policies

Protecting our shared environment

A Moose Cree way of life for generations

Protecting our shared environment is of fundamental importance to our way of life and is a value that we continue to pass to our children. We feel it our duty and privilege to be caretakers of the land so it can be cherished for generations to come. We also feel privileged to lead by example so guests and community members alike can improve their own actions to achieve environmental sustainability in their own lives.

To support this common goal, we strive to:

1. Continuously improve our environmental performance on all levels of operations.
2. Comply with existing provincial and national environmental regulations and codes.
3. Reduce pollution, emissions, and waste.
4. Recycle and reuse materials whenever possible.
5. Use water and energy efficiently and create the opportunity for our guests to do the same.
6. Abolish the use of all harmful chemicals and toxic products wherever possible, in accordance with governmental regulations.
7. Reduce the use of non-renewable energy sources.
8. Raise awareness, encourage proactive participation and train employees in environmental issues.
9. Liaise and raise awareness within the local community on environmental issues.
10. Expect similar environmental standards from all partners, suppliers and contractors.
11. Procure and purchase products selectively, with emphasis on reduced packaging, sourcing from renewable and/or sustainable sources, and having low environmental impact.
12. Participate in environmental discussions and inform guests of our environmental policies including methods for achieving our commitments.
13. Protect and conserve the natural environment and its wild inhabitants in and around Washow Lodge and its surrounding communities.
14. Utilize our own baselines to monitor progress and review our performance annually so as to consistently improve and/or meet our goals and targets.

How we meet our commitments

Because these policies are only valid when transformed into action, we work to achieve these environmental commitments through the following actions:

• Incorporating our traditional land-use values into the running of our Washow Lodge business. Such values include respecting the seasonal cycles of the land and wildlife, fishing responsibly, low impact travel methods (canoe, snowshoe) and many more.
• Using and encouraging the use of more sustainable transportation methods for employees and guests, whenever possible.
• Limiting travel by motorized vehicle and air, whenever possible.
• Implementing a recycling strategy throughout Washow Lodge operations.
• Practicing Leave No Trace on all cultural excursions.
• Providing comprehensive environmental and social responsibility training for all Washow Lodge employees.
• Using biodegradable alternatives to synthetic toiletries and cleaning products.
• Purchasing responsibly. As examples, we only use recycled or FSC-certified paper products, we purchase fairly-traded goods whenever possible, and we choose organic ingredients for our restaurant whenever they are available to us.

Cree Ecotourism