Photo courtesy of Barbara Steinberg
I normally have a healthy skepticism for tour operators, hotels and others who slap an eco- prefix on their name and declare themselves to be green. After all, it’s pretty easy to make some superficial changes to your business without tackling the real impact issues.
But recently I came across a tour operator that really means it: Mother Lode River Center, in California’s Sierra Nevada.
Mother Lode’s camp on the American River is powered by solar panels. Rafters arrive at the camp on the WVO-fueled Eco-Bus, and while there they eat organic food grown in Mother Lode’s garden. The center is also hard at work on educational initiatives to spread the word about permaculture and alternative energies.
From what I can tell, Mother Lode is truly dedicated to making the sort of across-the-board, big-picture adjustments needed to achieve genuine sustainability, rather than just piecemeal cosmetic tinkering.
Headed to the Sierra Nevada? Give their rafting trips and other adventure offerings a browse!
And even if you won’t be hitting the American River any time soon, check out Mother Lode’s news page to learn more.
Community Connection:
Want to create your own WVO-fueled vehicle? Check out How To Stop Paying For Gas and Run on Free Vegetable Oil in Eight Easy Steps. And for some thought-provoking discussion, see How Local Self-Reliance Will Overthrow The System.
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I read with interest your post about Mother Lode River Center – and thought you’d be interested in knowing what we’ve been up to…
For nearly 40 years O.A.R.S. (Outdoor Adventure River Specialists), has been committed to being a leader in the field of sustainable travel. Our goal isn’t simply to be one of the most environmentally responsible tour operators in the world, but to continually raise the bar and challenge other companies to raise their standards as well.
We were the first river company in the U.S. to offset all of our carbon emissions, and we’re in our third year of working with NativeEnergy, purchasing approximately 613 tons of carbon offsets in 2007 ( = the same global warming offset impact as keeping over 100 average cars off the road for an entire year.)
We’ve gone 100% solar for our HQ in Angels Camp, California, and for our warehouse and office in Flagstaff, Arizona, for our Colorado River operations in the Grand Canyon.
Feel free to read more about us at: http://www.oars.com/about_us/our_company.html#responsible
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