Houseboating and the environment

It was a few years ago now that the realization hit me that my garbage doesn't just vanish when it goes to the dump. I know that's a fairly elementary idea but I really hadn't thought about it before. Living in a small town we do not have curbside recycling so it is much easier to say that it's too much work to recycle. It was an article in National Geographic about our high tech garbage ending up in third world countries where people scavenge it for the precious metals by burning off the plastics that cover them. I was horrified to realize that my world is so neat and tidy because I allow those who go without to deal with my problem. That was when I began to recycle and to compost and why I've chosen cloth diapers. Having to deal with my own garbage is certainly more messy than just sending it off to the dump but I believe it's worth it. It's a bit overwhelming to personally take all of our houseboaters recycling to the blue bins but I did do it until our little girl was born. Now it really is too much but that doesn't mean that each of our customers can't take their recycling to the bins when they return from their vacation.



With our houseboat rentals we have tried to make them as environmentally friendly as possible. Protecting our environment is about taking responsibility for the garbage we make, protecting our natural resources and limiting the amount of pollution we create. We live in a nearly pristine part of the world and we want to keep it that way. But the question is how do you define environmentally friendly?As long as we use motors on our boats some people will say that they will never fit the definition. At the same time we can say that we are using very fuel efficient motors thereby making our houseboats better for the environment as well as more economical. Our Yamaha 9.9hp four stroke motors may seem small but they are designed to push barges through the water very efficiently. They motor along at about 5 miles per hour - just the right speed for enjoying a beautiful day on the lake. And when you don't run them at full throttle a little bit of fuel will take you a long way.



When people inquire about our houseboat rentals we are often asked if we have showers and running water on board and the answer is no. For one thing our holding tank does not allow for that much water usage. The other option would be to have the grey water from your sink or shower run directly into the lake but we would rather not see that happen. Lake Temagami is a beautiful lake with clean, clear water and we want to protect our water quality as much as possible. Just remember that whatever is dumped into the lake is what you will be swimming in later in the day and using to wash your dishes. We encourage guests to take their grey water up on shore to dispose of it and give the soil a chance to filter it before it reaches the lake.

Our houseboats are also equipped with garbage cans and toilets. We hate to receive reports from our guests who have arrived at a campsite only to find it strewn with garbage. We encourage our guests to leave the campsites they visit as clean as when they arrived. We live in a beautiful part of the world and we want to keep it that way. It's simple to burn what you can in your campfire and to pack the rest out in your garbage can.

Also because our boats do not travel at high speeds they have little impact on the shoreline because they do not create a large wake.  They are unlikely to cause damage to cottagers' property or to wildlife habitat along the shoreline like this loon's nest.

So back to my question: how do you define environmentally friendly? What more can we do to limit our impact on the environment?
Post Script: I did a quick search and found that the National Geographic article is available online at the following link if anyone is interested in reading it. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text