Environmental Responsibility

Acadia Park Kayak Tours

I Strive to have my business practices be environmentally friendly and sustainable.  This also results in better service for you.

I provide bottled spring water in non-toxic and shatter resistant glass bottles rather than trying to sell you bottled water in disposable plastic bottles.

The spring water is Mount Desert Island Spring Water that I collected from the company’s headquarters myself.  This water has never touched plastic.  As more and more news has come out about the negative health consequences of drinking water from plastic containers because of BPA, phthalates, and other chemicals more people are turing away from plastic.  If you would like to read more about this issue here are some links.

Link 1 health risk of PET #1, Link 2 plastic health risk chart, Link 3 how to choose a healthy water bottle, Link 4 interview on Nalgene/BPA health risk

I provide earth friendly EVA rain ponchos rather than trying to sell you cheap disposable PVC ponchos.

None of my life jackets or any of my gear is made with PVC plastic.

If you want to know more about the dangers of PVC click this link to the MY HOUSE IS YOUR HOUSE consumer education and advocacy campaign or this one to the Healthy Building Network.

I provide high quality optically clear aquapac camera cases that float so you can use your own camera on your trip rather than trying to sell you cheap disposable cameras that take poor quality photos.  I even have cases for large SLR professional style cameras and camcorders.

I don’t pollute the environment and spend your tour time driving you to a beach that is within walking distance of downtown Bar Harbor.

I get my kayaks down to the beach by towing them on a bike cart. 

When I buy gear in addition to the gear having to perform well I only buy from socially/environmentally conscientious companies.

I donate five percent of my profits to one of several charities you can choose from.  All of these non-profits are involved in ocean conservation and research or in reducing environmental pollutants.

All of my advertising literature is printed on recycled paper.  To learn about options for using recycled paper in your business visit conservatree.org

I use an eco-horn air horn for signaling in fog which can be re-pressurized with a hand pump and does not require the use of disposable cartridges.

The wallet sized guides to sustainable seafood I hand out at the end of my tours are published by the Blue Ocean Institute.  If you would like to print out more wallet sized guides you can download them from their website or by clicking Seafood_Guide.zip.  They also have a wallet size guide to sustainable sushi Sushi_Guide.zip.

If you are interested in keeping up to date on the activities of the eagles nest on Sheep Porcupine Island that I may have pointed out to you on your tour the Biodiversity Research Institute maintains two webcams of that eagles nest along with webcams of other birds nest in Maine.

I raise awareness about the hazards of light pollution on my night tours and hopefully inspire participants to value the natural view of the night sky.  Here is a link to a National Geographic article on light pollution which names Acadia National Park as one of the four best star gazing spots in the nation.  Bar Harbor recently passed lighting ordinances in accordance with the  International Dark-Sky Association to protect its night skies.

I follow leave no trace outdoor ethics.

Sustainable Business Practices