Sustainability
Local Food
Your stay at the Basecamp includes meals served with farm-fresh eggs and sustainably grown fruit, veggies and grains from our local farmers and garden whenever possible.
Land Protection
21 of the 25 acres of forested, wetland and reverine habitats at the North Cascades Basecamp are protected under a conservation easement with the Methow Conservancy. To see more on Conservation Easements and how you can protect open space in rural communities, see the Methow Conservancy's website.
Energy Efficiency
At the Basecamp, rustic and eclectic buildings provide energy efficiency in their foundation and structure. They use extensive passive solar sunrooms and southern exposure, providing warm light even on the shortest winter days. Large windows throughout the buildings open onto decks with sweeping views of Mt. Gardner and Goat Wall. During summer months, the buildings hold the cool air when we shut the windows and blinds, and air conditioning is just not needed in these buildings even during the hottest days of the year.
Waste
We all do our part here at the Basecamp to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle everything possible! From reusable cotton lunch bags to 100% recycled toilet paper to buying bulk ingredients whenever possible, these efforts help reduce packaging, waste and the energy consumed in making these products. We work closely with with Recycle Roundup, especially after large events at our facilities to recycle all glass, plastics, cardboard and paper products. We also have an intricate compost system for all food and yard wastes which includes a worm bin, chickens and two additional composters to turn waste into garden gold fertilizer. And we do it year-round!
Wildlife
We welcome wildlife at the North Cascades Basecamp and hope to provide as much habitat for our neighborly critters as possible. To do this, we work with service groups to collect and plant native seed for restoring beneficial plants and grasses to disturbed sites. Bird boxes hung by local school children help provide additional nesting habitat for local birds. Weeds are diligently pulled to maintain native plant vigor and forage for our local wildlife. We regularly see animals or sign of bear, cougar, otter, mink, coyote, mule and white tailed deer, as well as a diversity of insect and bird species here in Mazama.
