COPPER HARBOR, MICH.—Folks staying at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge in Copper Harbor, Mich. have at least one common goal in mind—getting away from it all. To get to this historic wilderness lodge in the upper peninsula of Michigan, one must drive as far north as Michigan stretches into Lake Superior.
Keweenaw Mountan Lodge visitors are not only attracted by its remoteness, but also by the area’s natural beauty and the property’s sustainability initiatives. The Lodge is a Certified Gold Audubon International Green Lodging Establishment, has earned B Corp Certification, and is a Dark Sky Park. The Lodge is also in pursuit of Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary Golf Course certification for its nine-hole golf course.
The lodge consists of 24 cabins that were originally built in the 1930s. “It was built to alleviate unemployment during the Great Depression,” according to John Mueller, part of the team that owns and manages the property. The Lodge consists of a main building built in 1934. The golf course was added the same year. The main building was expanded in 2007. The employee housing was initially built in 1984 as a motel. It was transitioned into employee housing in 2020.
John bought the property in 2018 after it went up for auction. It was previously owned by the county in which it resides. The county had difficulty keeping up with the maintenance for the last 30 years on the resort that is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
“We have been working through deferred maintenance issues the past seven years because of the lack of maintenance the previous few decades to ensure the property is in good shape,” John says.
Audubon International Certification
The Lodge had been a member of Audubon International for several years but did not become certified as part of The Green Lodging Program by Audubon International until last year. The certification is proof of a commitment to water quality, water conservation, waste minimization, resource conservation, and energy efficiency.
“Our goal is to get better through the certification process,” John says. “Our aim is not to use it for marketing purposes.”
There are four wells on the property with two tied to drinking water. By using low-flow fixtures and keeping a close eye on water consumption metrics, the Lodge is highly water efficient. LED lighting helps keep energy consumption low. When the cabins were originally built, heat efficiency was not prioritized. They have since been insulated and have had new storm windows put in. Given its remote location, recycling is a challenge. For example, one must drive two hours to drop off glass for recycling due to the local single stream recycling service’s limited ability to efficiently sort glass (whole or broken) from other materials. Still, paper, plastic, metal and glass are recycled to minimize the likelihood of landing in a landfill. Vehicle oil is also collected for recycling. There is a strong emphasis on reducing the amount of waste going to the landfill in the first place.
Martin Mueller leads the green team and is the property’s sustainability champion. He said 20 percent of the food served on property is locally produced. The chef is particular about how much food she makes, and the food waste rate is only 3 to 5 percent when compared to many restaurants that throw out 30 to 35 percent.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
“Recycling should be the last thing you do,” Martin says, emphasizing the importance of reducing and reusing.
John adds that the Lodge will soon test dissolvable EarthSuds tablets in an effort to reduce the amount of soap waste and single-use plastic waste used with shampoo and conditioner.
To maintain a high level of indoor cabin air quality, cabins are not rented out continuously but are given a break for airing out.
Visitors driving electric vehicles can recharge them at one of the resort’s three charging stations.
To maintain a high level of service consistency, employees are trained in the resort’s values. The Lodge team is working with Mammoth Climate which helps organizations meet climate targets by bringing climate literacy and employee-led emissions reduction into the workday.
Meeting High Standards of Verified Performance
B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. Keweenaw Mountan Lodge is a rare case of an individual lodging establishment having achieved B Corp Certification.
Through Dark Sky International’s DarkSky program, the Lodge has become an attraction for travelers looking to star gaze with no light pollution. From April 24 to 26, the Lodge will host its third annual event around International Dark Sky Week: The Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival.
“People come up here from all over for dark skies and clean air,” Martin says.
Moving forward, the team at the Lodge is studying the addition of a 272-panel solar installation that would power the main building, employee housing and activity center.
*This article was also featured in Stewardship News.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
