Eco-Friendly

WildSpring is fortunate to be located in an astonishingly beautiful part of our planet. We try to keep it that way.

Everything we do here has been designed to have a minimum impact on the environment, and all our choices were made with three questions in mind: Will it be beautiful in a natural way? Will it help protect the environment? Will it make guests feel cared for?

WildSpring is a remarkable place with an incredibly serene energy that creates a sense of connection to the land and to those who have shared it through the years.

There is a sense of timeless reverence here, and it’s easy to lie in one of the hammocks looking up at the treetops swaying in the wind and imagine a different life.

We hope if our guests are given the chance to be surrounded by this much natural beauty, they will understand on a deep level how special this kind of environment is and be moved to protect it when they return home.

Design & Development
We used responsible local contractors who would understand the need to be kind to the land and vegetation within their own community. And, even though we are in the midst of a 2nd-growth residential forest of 100 ft trees, we were able to situate the cabins and dig deep enough – below the roots of the trees - for all the various infrastructure pipes, that we only had to remove two living trees during the entire development. Our design concept intended that everything guests see or touch be made of natural materials. We wanted to create an environment that felt organic, but luxurious. We paid attention to every detail and, rather than compromise development by having to make cheaper decisions, we stopped work until we had the money to proceed correctly.

Almost all our vegetation is native to this area or suitable to its natural cycles, including a spectacular collection of rhododendrons, sea grasses, ground covers, trees, heritage bushes, junipers and wild irises. The grounds are kept kempt and parklike, but not groomed like a garden, allowing the natural environment to express itself.

One thing that also stands out here is the nature of the aesthetic. Many eco-facilities are rustic. Not here. We tried to create very luxurious environment that is also eco-responsible… and largely the result of recycling. All of the wood furniture in the cabins are vintage and antique pieces we rescued from garage sales and restored, as are most of the lighting fixtures and decorative pieces.

Operations
All our appliances are low energy and low-flow, and we use low-watt and energy-efficient lights and bulbs inside when possible. The cabin lighting is low and atmospheric, guests are given individual reading lights in the cabins and good LED flashlights for outside. The Guest Hall is lit by skylights during daylight. Our landscape lighting is a 12v system, directed to the ground to protect the starry nights (Port Orford is a Dark Skies Initiative city), and on a timer (on at deep dusk and off at 11pm).

Our landscaping is designed to primarily depend on natural rainfall. What landscape watering we need comes from a well so that what comes from the ground goes back to the ground.

All our stationery and promotional materials use recycled paper.

This area does little to pick up any range of recycled materials, so we store them ourselves and take them where appropriate. We take all shipping materials such as popcorn, bubble wrap and boxes to our local myrtlewood gift manufacturer so they can be reused when they ship their items.

We ask our guests to either leave any empty water bottles in the cabins or drop them off in the recycling bin in the Guest Hall so we can ensure they are recycled and don't wind up in some landfill somewhere.

Our bodycare products are 100% natural, and the bottles are biodegradable.

We use nontoxic, pH neutral, scent-free cleaning and laundry products.

We buy local whenever possible, to minimize gas for shipping/trucking.

We donate leftover food to a local individual who distributes it.

We are working to solve composting without attracting wild animals, a challenge in this area.

Guest Participation
We invite our guests to participate in water and energy-saving measures with us:

“We kindly ask you to participate in our conservation program by using your towels and sheets more than once. Hang up towels if you want to participate; if not, simply leave them on the floor and we will replace them with freshly laundered ones. As far as sheets, we will change them after three days for extended stays, unless you let us know you'd like them changed that day by putting the special card from your nightstand on the pillow. In addition to decreasing water and energy consumption, you help reduce the amount of detergent waste water that must be recycled within our community. We also ask that you turn lights off in the cabins when you leave the cabins.”

Outreach
We donate funds and provide free stays for fundraising auctions to a number of environmental and humanist organizations, including Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity, World Pulse, Columbia Land Conservancy, Kalmiopsis Audubon Society, Rotary Club, Public Counsel in Los Angeles. We support organizations like these who share our goals to protect the land and help the disenfranchised. Currently we have over $5,000 in free stays outstanding for this and for our local community support as well.

We also donate pro bono marketing support to the Conservation Leaders Network, an organization that
promotes conservation at the county level across the nation.

Certified Wildlife Habitat
And, we are a National Wildlife Federation certified habitat for wild animals. Visit their website for more information about this program.