But their latest certification — LEED Gold from the Canada Building Council — specifically shines a spotlight on the energy and resource efficiency of their River Front Cabins.
Natural gas fireplaces. LED light bulbs. Low-flow water fixtures. These are just a few of the features that helped secure LEED Gold certification for Cabin 17 at Pine Bungalows. Like the rest of Pine Bungalows’ River Front Cabins, the LEED certified cabin faces the Athabasca River and recently underwent an overhaul that not only returned the cabins to their original aesthetic but also integrated many environmentally friendly components.
“We don’t have enough time to go into how happy [the LEED certification] makes me," says Michal Wasuita, owner of Pine Bungalows.
It’s my legacy, I’m trying to lead by example.
Although only Cabin 17 officially underwent the extensive certification process (which included inspection by an independent third party) to become a LEED Gold certified home, Wasuita says that the same building philosophy and products were applied to the other cabins at the 80 year old seasonal property.
“This cabin is at the national forefront of quality and their example can help us all to live better by reducing our environmental footprint, cutting our utility bills and coming home to a healthier place to live,” said Mark Hutchinson, Director of Green Building Programs for the CaGBC. “[It] serves as a model of greener living for the entire community.”
Pine Bungalows commitment to green homebuilding has a visitor-friendly side effect: since they’re so energy and water efficient, the accommodations are on the affordable end in Jasper National Park.
To become LEED certified, homes must pass a third party home energy (EnerGuide or HERS) rating and onsite inspections, verifying that the home is built to be energy and water efficient, environmentally sound, and a healthy living space. Some other features that Wasuita integrated into the cabins include: top quality insulation, reusing the original knotted pine, reupholstering the chairs with low volatile organic compounds fabric, steel roof, cedar siding sourced from within a 500 mile radius, and planting native, drought resistant plants.
To obtain LEED certification you need to change your attitude.
The Canada Green Building Council is a not-for-profit organization representing the entire building industry, with more than 2,400 member companies and organizations. Since its inception in 2002, the CaGBC has played a vital role in providing a leadership forum and a unique, integrating force for the building industry.
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