Pine Bungalows has been awarded the Jasper Business of the Year award from the Grande Alberta Economic Region for 2009-2010. 

Pine Bungalows, located on Cotton Wood Creek Rd., was nominated for the award by a member of a  board that is made up of mayors, councillors and other dignitaries from surrounding Alberta towns. 

“That’s really satisfying,” said Mike Wasuita, operator of Pine Bungalows. 

Wasuita said the award reflects a change of attitude his business has taken to move towards more environmentally friendly practices, and “getting away from the all-mighty dollar.”

Pine Bungalows has undergone a number of changes to help reduce its carbon footprint. Wasuita said those initiatives have included changing light bulbs, toilets and water fixtures to more efficient models and creating a master plan that they hope to implement in the future. 

“[It’s] just doing what’s good for the land and reducing our carbon footprint,” he said, adding that many of the changes that have been made to reflect Parks Canada’s suggestions. “I look to Parks Canada for leadership.” 

Visitors to Pine Bungalows will notice that lawns are now allowed to grow as they wish. This has cut down on watering, noise, clippings, emissions from mowers, and wages that can be put towards more projects to increase efficiency. One of those projects is replacing an outdated water system. 

“I have a really inefficient water system right now, and I have addressed that in my master plan,” Wasuita said. 

Pine Bungalows has moved away from the traditional personal-sized shampoo and other toiletries and moved to dispensers which allow them to cut down on wasteful packaging. Wasuita now buys one gallon jugs of bath products to refill dispensers. He is working with the companies that make the products to switch to larger bottles to further reduce waste.

There are also fewer streetlights at Pine Bungalows now, to cut down on energy use. Wasuita has received a positive response from guests who now get to enjoy a star-filled sky at night with the elimination of light pollution. This is one of the ideas Parks has encouraged. 

“I didn’t eliminate everything,” Wasuita said, adding that guests are still greeted by streetlights at the main office. 

For inspiration, Wasuita looks to the Aurum Lodge, an eco-tourist lodge that focuses on sustainable tourism, located in Banff National Park.

“I only wish that some day, I could do half the things he does,” Wasuita said of the owner.

To protect his accommodation, Wasuita has worked with Parks’ FireSmart program to safe-guard Pine Bungalows against the threat of wildfire. 

The born-and-raised Jasperite is honoured to have received the award amongst a very tough group of competing businesses. 

“I’m very appreciative that they chose me,” Wasuita said. “Anytime anyone’s recognized, there’s a second and third place, so we’re all trying.”

Also honoured was Teck, Cardinal River Operations out of Hinton.