What is Eco Tourism?

Environmentally responsible travel in natural areas with minimal impact on the habitat, while educating the traveler and benefiting local communities.

Out For Adventure’s Environmental Ethos
Global environmental issues such as climate change, resource depletion, and decreases in bio diversity are just a few of the results of human activities which our world is now having to cope with.

We believe that sustainability is the key to reducing or altogether preventing the adverse effects these environmental issues are having on our planet.

Out For Adventure is committed to delivering eco-friendly trips and conducting business in an environmentally responsible manner. We are a small family owned and operated business that is very serious about giving you your money's worth and more, while maintaining a healthy environmental ethos.

Social Responsibly
Part of eco-tourism is about being socially responsible in every aspect of our operation. This means not just responsible travel but responsible advertising and marketing which is why you will not find outrageous guarantees or claims in our promotional material.

The trips we do are beautiful in a part of the world that is so beautiful that you can turn in any direction and feel great. There is no need to add superfluous marketing hype, just the facts, the real deal.

"We've had thousands of happy travelers come out with us, you won't be disappointed and I'll bet you will want to come back."
Expedition Director, Jim Martin

Ways We do our Part for the Environment

Local Guides: We hire local expedition leaders and base crew whenever possible.

First Nations: We deal with First Nations for all our permit applications seeking approval and input from the native bands in whose area we paddle. We have special arrangements with the Namgis First Nations for our base camp operation thereby putting money directly into the local community.

Whale Watching & Wildlife Viewing: The Department of Fisheries & Oceans enforces guidelines which we strictly adhere to, respecting whales, wildlife and the environment.

Responsible Advertising: Three seasons ago the Department Of Fisheries and Oceans requested on behalf of the DFO and Straitwatch that sea kayak companies voluntarily stop advertising trips with pictures of whales & kayaks that are too close together, including pictures that show kayaks blocking whales. This request was made in an effort to reduce harmful impacts on the Killer Whales in that it encourages the public, guides and tour operators to get too close to the whales. Out For Adventure was one of the first companies to comply with the request. In our opinion it was the only thing to do, the environmentally responsible and ethical thing to do, even if it cost us bookings. Some of our competitors still advertise with the whales illegally close to the kayaks and although some people may be fooled by the photos, it is against the law to breach the 100 meter boundary.
So when choosing a company, please choose one that practices responsible and ethical advertising.

Habitats: We stick to only designated campsites and trails, practicing no-trace camping on expeditions to minimize our impact on the habitats of wildlife.

Efficient Transportation: Whenever possible we choose environmentally responsible travel means. From feet, to bikes, to mopeds, to motorcycles, small cars, minivans and then our people movers: expedition shuttle vans. We try to only use the maximum size we need for the job. We use a water taxi only on our Orca Expedition tour, and we choose a short route from Telegraph Cove to camp, only about a 30 minute ride. And those tours are also run back to back, which means that the water taxi takes a group in and takes a group out, which reduces our carbon footprint.

Renewable Energy: At our head office, we use solar and wind power, and are “off the grid” in an effort to maintain acute awareness of our consumption of all things at all levels. Being directly responsible for your energy supply heightens the need for conservation. At our Quadra location, we are only open for the summer months, and then all power is reduced to the bare minimum.

Office Equipment: Our computers are energy efficient Apple computers that are manufactured of highly recyclable glass, aluminum and other non toxic components. We lean toward buying higher quality products and replacing them less often. Most of our lighting for this office is via LED lighting, the latest and highest efficiency light producing bulbs ever invented. Of course we do the usual responsible things such as use recycled paper, no air conditioning etc.

Junk Mail: We opt out of receiving any flyers or other distributions in our post box. If we need to access information, we use the internet.

Canadian Made & Locally Made: We use Canadian made products as much as possible, especially aiming to purchase products made in British Columbia, such as Seaward kayaks (located in Ladysmith, BC), Nimbus paddles (located right on Quadra Island, BC within a couple of kilometres of our shop) and Brooks paddle skirts (located in North Vancouver).

Community: We purchase food and any other products we can from our local stores such as bread at Loven’ Oven (one block down from us), coffee at Aroma’s (our next door neighbour), Quadra Island Builders (a few blocks away), among many other fine businesses we frequent. We visit the whale museum in Telegraph Cove, educating people on the whales and this historic community. We have an agreement with the ‘Namgis First Nation out of Alert Bay to have our base camp on ‘Namgis traditional territory. For our Orca Expedition we use a water taxi out of Port McNeill, a local company that employs local people. We support the Quadra Island Senior Citizens Tourism Committee and Quadra Island Trails Committee. We hire a local certified natural heritage interpretive trainer from Quadra Island as part of our guide training program.

Business Taxes: Our adventure base is located on Quadra Island where we occupy a professional, business location that contributes several thousand dollars in business taxes to our community every year. We do not operate from our home or garage and in doing so Out For Adventure adds value to the community by participating in the professional business community that drives our local economy. Directly and indirectly this helps feed our neighbours.

Ride Share: We have central pick up locations on Quadra Island and in Campbell River for guests to meet at. Everyone meets at these points and are then transferred to our launch sites. We recommend staying in hotels close to these places so that guests can walk to and from hotels.

Organic & Bulk Foods: We purchase organic products when available and bulk foods. We use reusable containers or biodegradable packaging.

No Permanent Camp Structures: Keep it simple and low impact for the environment. We pack it in and we pack it out. No excuses.

Guide Ratio: An industry standard is 1:5 for guide to client ratio. By using only the number of guides needed to guide our trips efficiently and safely we reduce consumption, waste and impact on the environment.

Small Groups: Smaller groups means a smaller environmental impact and better chances of seeing wildlife due to less noise. You group is more mobile which is an asset for all movement in the outdoors.

Out For Adventure Shop Location: For the past 9 years, we have been in Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island, within walking distance of the ferry and most amenities on Quadra Island. We can walk or bike to get our mail and to the local stores. We do our best to keep lighting off when not needed, conserve water and only keep this office open for the operating season. Because this location is a larger facility required to handle the summer load, we close it for the off-season times. During the winter, lights are off, no signs are lit, all refrigeration is shut down, and no heat is on except on water lines.

Brochures & Trip Information: We don’t print brochures and haven’t for many years now. We provide information through email, podcasts and telephone. Welcome Packages for trips are sent out digitally. The forms which need to be filled out and sent to us can also be returned to us digitally.

Support for Environmental Groups: Out For Adventure supports a number of groups that we feel are helping the environment or helping spread awareness that creates change at a grass roots level. We encourage you to find organizations that suit your beliefs and support those. Although we do not want to use our donations to these organizations as "sales material" we feel our public connection to them is part of spreading the word. So from time to time we will help promote them through our website.

The Problem can Fuel the Solution

In a perfect world you would teleport from our home to our sea kayak launch site stepping into kayaks made of a no impact material that used zero energy to produce and we would walk on small air cushions that prevent us from leaving any trace. Our camp sites would be levitated and animals would be unable to sense us and us unable to affect them. But this is not a perfect world and coming to grips with that is part of the ultimate solution.

If we acknowledge that every action we take, every trip, every activity carries with it a negative effect, we can then use that knowledge to help curb or even eliminate unnecessary waste. Raising awareness for any cause is almost always done through education and exposure, so take the knowledge that your Out For Adventure guides are trained to divulge and become a champion for a cause and help others become aware of our natural gifts and encourage through education the preservation of our precious earth, our wildlife and our environment.

You CAN Make a Difference

Choose a Responsible Tour Operator: Review Environmental Policies, paying special attention to how a tour operator is reducing their environmental impact and how they are supporting their local economy.

Carbon Conscious: Make choices based on reducing your carbon impact on the environment. Minimize your use of lights, water, and towels while staying in a hotel. Avoid fast foods with lots of packaging. Choose a flight with no or fewest stopovers. Use paper-less airline tickets.

Travel Light: Pack only what you need. We supply you with a comprehensive packing list, but we ask you to take in to consideration the time of year you are traveling and the trip duration. Often, you can mix and match clothing, and you can wear clothing more than once. Take advantage of travel size containers to limit weight and size of your personal items.

Wildlife Viewing: Educate yourself and follow wildlife watching guidelines. Maintain the proper distance and do not disturb wildlife. Be aware of the flora and fauna and avoid picking plants, flowers and collecting insects.

Save Water: While OFA does offer camp showers, we ask that you limit their use to help us conserve water. Reusable wash bins are provided for washing in. Please use only the amount of water you need.

Refillable Drinking Water Bottle: Bring a reusable container rather than multiple plastic water bottles. While recycling is available, reusing beats it hands down.

Public Transportation: Walk if possible, take a bus or share a taxi with someone.

Clothing & Packs: Rather than buying some outdoor clothing or a truck sack for your trip, borrow them from a friend, neighbour or family member, or buy gently used items.

Souvenirs: Try to purchase souvenirs that have been locally made. Many local artists offer their crafts for sale at farmer’s markets, or small gift shops. Or just take home photos and your great memories.

Carbon Offsetting

We actively do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and instead of buying carbon offsets we put our money towards carbon reducing options such as a demand hot water system and solar panels at our head office, purchasing a fuel-efficient moped for quick trips on the island and buying energy-star rated appliances, just to name a few. We endeavour to work with companies with high environmental values to encourage a collective "greening" of business in sectors we interact with.

Fuel consumption to operate is a large concern as it is with many environmentally conscious business so we choose to reduce first, rather then consume and later offset with carbon credits. In this business, water taxis are one of the most consumptive and inefficient modes of transportation so you will notice that we always seek more efficient means and using water taxis only when we have no other options. We do not using them for sightseeing as that could never be considered a "green" option for an environmentally conscious sea kayaking company.
For more information click the "Doing Our Part For The Environment" tab.

A Productive Alternative to Carbon Offsets.

A good exercise is to calculate your carbon output for the year and follow a few steps:

• Decide ways you can reduce your carbon emissions.
• Look at the cash value of your carbon emissions (the amount to purchase offset credits) and decide if you can directly use that cash to help better the planet. No middle agency, just you. Perhaps you can buy photovoltaic cells and run a grid tie system, or replace your main lighting with LED, or a geothermal system to reduce heat, or purchase a smaller, fuel efficient car, etc, etc.
• If you can't find solutions for yourself for step 2, then perhaps an offset program is for you. But beware, not all offset programs are created equal. A carbon offset that helps build a solar generating plant may have much greater value than one that plants trees.

The bottom line is that humans must choose something to reduce their emissions and environmental footprint. If Carbon Offsets are your choice then you may want to ensure that the credits are used for renewable energy projects rather than tree planting schemes. Our choice is to use these dollars and more directly and immediately reduce our impact. Remember that we can all make a difference, after all it was one person at a time that changed our climate, now lets work together to make our world better for those that follow.

Friends of the Earth International - Friends of the Earth International
BBC Carbon offset schemes not working, says holiday firm - BBC News
World Bank Carbon offset sales have not worked – World Bank
The Economist - Another stab at carbon offsets - The Economist
David Suzuki -The problems with carbon offsets from tree-planting - David Suzuki Foundation