Doing what comes naturally

Running a small family business on environmental principles is second nature to Mike Wasuita – part of growing up in a national park surrounded by wildlife.

“It has to be a grassroots philosophy; a way of thinking,” says Wasuita, owner-manager of the Pine Bungalows.

“If you can do that first and accept what needs to be done, you can do all the small things that add up to a big picture.”

For Wasuita and Pine Bungalows, that means conserving water and electricity, proper sewage disposal and softening the footprint of the 70-year-old collection of cabins seeded through 10 acres of forest on the banks of the Athabasca River.

“We’re moving into a new era, even though it’s a really old place,” said Wasuita, who moved on to the property when his parents bought it almost 50 years ago.

Over the last decade, Wasuita developed and started working through a nine-phase program intended to bring the bungalows closer to nature, gaining recognition from Parks Canada and travel associations.

“We have to move more slowly than I would like; we’re a small family business,  we don’t have the resources of a large chain and we only operate six months a year, so that doubles the pay-back time for any major changes.”

Wasuita is gradually replacing the old central hot water system with individual units in the cabins where electrical consumption is monitored and the load automatically shifts between baseboard heaters and kitchen appliances.

“I don’t keep track of costs that closely, I’m looking to peace of mind and the future,” said Wasuita. “It’s not a question of  can we afford to do it? If it costs more, let’s do it  because we can’t afford not to.”

There is a blue box in every cabin, and “they are often overflowing,” Wasuita says. “Customers are recycling so much more material than when they were first put in five years ago, I’ll have to buy bigger boxes. 

“More and more, people are getting on the green rush – not the gold rush, the green rush.”

Wasuita is working with Parks Canada to control non-native vegetation and reduce fire risk by stand thinning. Native grasses and ground cover are replacing non-native species. The riverside trail is softened with wood chips from windfall and thinned trees.

A land management plan for the 10 acre site developed jointly with Parks Canada will will reduce the number of cabins from 72 to 50, concentrating the impact on  the Pine Bungalows’ conference centre.

Bears and coyotes wander across the riverside property which is posted with signs warning of calving elk. Wasuita plans to develop interpretive weekends that will introduce guests to Jasper’s wildlife, birds, and the glaciology of the park.

“We haven’t aimed for environmental awards, and I can’t claim leadership. There are others who have shown the way, I’m just happy to do what I can. I’m living a blessed life; I thank my parents who set this up,” he says.