Phone: 250-537-2214
Email:info@cranberryridge.com
 
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.“...this was a 10 Star experience. Peaceful and tranquil and exactly what we needed. Thanks for everything”

Bob & Faith, Vancouver Island BC

 
 

Being Green

It's easy to be Green on Salt Spring.

Salt Spring Island is the largest and most populated of the Canadian Gulf Islands and is situated off the east coast of Vancouver Island, midway between Victoria and Vancouver, BC. Our island has 8 parks, 9 lakes, numerous hiking trails, 9 swimming beaches and more than 120 species of birds. You will also find 16 restaurants, 15 cafes and coffee shops, amazing scenery, and a great variety of accommodations.

The population of Salt Spring Island is approximately 10,000. However, we get more than 4,000 additional visitors and part-time residents during the peak tourist season.

Despite being an island surrounded by salt water, the biggest resource issue that Salt Spring faces is limited water supply. Islands residents as a community are continually looking at ways to conserve and protect this valuable resource. We are very fortunate to be on the shores of the largest fresh water lake on Salt Spring Island. Our proximity to this important Lake and watershed comes with some responsibilities. At Cranberry Ridge Suites at Cottage Resort we are involved in a continuing process of improving our conservation efforts as well as taking all steps to protect the quality of the water in St Mary Lake. Although water supply and quality is our biggest issue, we are also concerned with our other natural resources.

We are inviting our guests to assist us in minimizing our impact on the lake. For example did you know that the softness of water in this region means we need to utilize far less soap and detergent than in other areas. In fact we have found we can utilize half or less (hand soap, detergent, dishwashing liquid, shampoo, toothpaste and other cleaning products) than what the manufacturer recommends. By using less we can reduce the harm we may be doing to the environment.

We welcome you to take a few moments to read through possible choices you may wish to make while staying with us.

- Reuse bath and hand towels.
Limited laundering of towels and linens depending on length of stay
- We do not offer guest laundry
- When showering - turn off water while washing hair
- Turn off water while brushing your teeth
- Try bathing in a smaller volume of bath tub water
- Keep a cool jug of water in the refrigerator
- Flush only toilet paper and human waste..
- Flush only when necessary

-Turn off lights when you leave your cottage
- Turn off fans or heating units when you leave the cottage
- Unplug hairdryers, curling irons, electric shavers, cell phone chargers and other electronic chargers.

All garbage and recycling is trucked/ferried off this Island. We therefore try to minimize garbage and recycle as much as possible. We compost any suitable foodstuffs.

- Recycle glass, aluminum and plastic in bins provided. We recycle all plastic grades 1-7
- Recycle newspaper, paper and corrugated cardboard - even pizza boxes are recyclable on Salt Spring as long as you remove all food residue.
- All appropriate food leftovers can be composted in the chicken pen beside the office. No citrus, fruits or meat products please)
- Cycle or walk whenever possible - Ganges is about 4 KM from Cottage Resort
- Buy organic and locally grown food.
- Use non-toxic cleaners and phosphate free detergents.

We use green products for all our housekeeping needs and use recycled paper products.
- Absolutely no washing of people or boats in the lake and pets are not allowed in the lake under any circumstances. The lake is our drinking water.
- Healthy, natural shorelines promote good water quality. They prevent erosion, filtering runoff and preserving fish and wildlife habitat. This why we have kept a large part of our shoreline in a natural state.
- No gasoline motors are allowed on any of Salt Spring Island Lakes - electric motors only.
- Please use reusable/washable plastic cups and plates by the beach area (no glass in our park or beach areas please). This is a bare feet zone!

Many of the ideas listed above may be things you already do at home. Please feel free to continue doing these actions and try new ones while here on Salt Spring. We invite you to share in the Salt Spring Island way of life. We are the following the advice of the Capital Regional District, Salt Spring Chamber Green initiative, Salt Spring Conservancy and participating in initiatives to maintain the quality of the water in St Mary Lake while still being able to enjoy it for recreational pursuits.

We welcome your questions, comments, suggestions. Please ask us for more information about our efforts to be Green at Cranberry Ridge Suites at Cottage Resort.

Thank you for your time, attention and concern for our Island. We hope you will enjoy your time on Salt Spring Island and your stay at Cranberry Ridge Suites at Cottage Resort.

Accreditations

Memberships

At Cottage Resort:

175 Suffolk Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 1L8

For more information or to make a reservation
please email or call toll free 1-888-537-4854.