Lessons From the Land and Sea – and people
August 19th, 2010
Lessons from the Land and Culture
This recent article (Lessons From the Land and Sea) by the Sierra Club of BC (Accent Inns is a supporter) really touches on several areas of interest or connection for those of us that live and work in B.C. This caught my attention as an Accent Inns team member because we are proud to work with so many of the local first nations bands around BC, support groups like the Sierra club of BC in their efforts to protect our local environment and the fact that Eco-tourism is an important part of our economy, makes this article by the Sierra club well worth the read.
Many of us on the Accent Inn team really enjoy outdoor activities and adventures. I personally have traveled all over this province hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking and have always been in awe at we have right in our own backyard (globally speaking). The opportunity to view a bear, eagle, wolf , whale and other wonderful creatures in the wild is something that can’t be described but needs to be experienced. Sharing theses “visions” first hand with my young daughter is something so special and something I hope she has the chance to do with her children. Now it’s also very important that we care and manage BC’s wonderful resources that are so important to our economy. Luckily I have seen and heard of so many great examples of companies working together with stakeholders to do a good job of providing economic benefits as they “use” the resource but also protecting or renewing the very same resource for the future. In many cases these “good operations” have enhanced access or experiences for someone like me.
The first nations culture here on the coast is certainly one that we can and should learn from. For many years they managed to take what they needed from resources readily available, yet still protected their environment for future generations. One of my favorite examples is how they could use the bark and even take planks from a cedar tree yet do it in such a way that the tree would continue to live and grow. And they did this without modern technology!
It is the opinion of this author that we need to keep moving forward in learning how to balance and sustain our economic use of our resources yet maintain those resources for future generations to come. I think this goal is right there in our grasp. We need to look forward to technology and how we use or what products we use to sustain our way of life. We also need to look backwards to those that lived, survived and thrived in partnership with the world around them. Seek out and listen to the lessons they can offer. After all, culture and history are also a most precious resource!
For more about Accent Inns connections to community click here
John Espley, author, loves the outdoors
John Espley
Business Development Manager