Off-grid lodge an icon of self-sufficiencyJust because Aurum Lodge is off the grid doesn't mean it's off the tourism map. The year-round lodge caters to visitors - including 25 per cent from Europe - who want to enjoy nature and low-impact outdoor activities in a quiet Rocky Mountain retreat without phones, television or shops.
"People are becoming more environmentally conscious," says owner Alan Ernst. "It's the attractions and activities that draw people first. But if you give people three choices in the same area, it's an advantage having an environmentally-friendly facility, as long as it doesn't cost more." The fact that the lodge - on the shores of Abraham Lake in the front ranges east of Banff National Park - produces all its own power and heat may not matter as much to guests as it does to Alan and Madeleine Ernst, who believe in environmental acceptability as much as profitability. Indeed, their award-winning lodge, nearly a kilometre removed from any highway and any power or gas lines, is a true eco-facility. It produces 85 per cent of its electricity and much of its hot water from solar panels and most of its heating from solar passive design and tightly-insulated buildings, with efficient wood stoves and a generator filling any energy gaps. Other features include composting toilets and a sand filter septic system and partial gray water heat recovery. "I think going renewable forces you to be more efficient and to conserve energy," says Ernst. "About one third of our energy savings comes from technical innovation and improvements. The other two thirds are from just using less, which means changing operating practices and avoiding wasteful habits. For example, we don't use the clothes dryer unless we absolutely have to. I don't think technology is going to save us. People have to change their lifestyles." And that message - perhaps as much as the memories of scenic Rockies' grandeur - is something Ernst hopes his visitors take home with them. |
