Sustainability Spotlight: Avens Alaska
Our Sustainability Spotlight series is aimed at broadening the conversation surrounding sustainable tourism for visitors and businesses by sharing the stories of our Adventure Green Alaska certified businesses. To learn more about Adventure Green Alaska certification please visit our about page.
Avens Alaska began life over 60 years ago as a rugged outpost built from bridge timbers salvaged during Alaska’s early road-building days. For decades, it served as a rustic hunting and fishing lodge and later as a tavern and gathering place on the far-flung Nabesna Road, one of only two roads in Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve.
When Michael and Victoria Rego purchased the property in 2018, they saw its potential to become something more: a true wilderness retreat that balanced comfort with stewardship. What began as a resource-extractive business (trophy hunting/fishing) has since transformed into a sustainable, renewable one: a full-service off-grid lodge, offering plumbed cabins, premium yurts, chef-prepared meals, and warm hospitality within Alaska’s (and North America’s) largest national park.
Avens Alaska’s mission is simple: to help guests experience and connect with the extraordinary wonders of Wrangell—St. Elias with ease, confidence, and respect for the wild land. Guests can explore stunning scenery on quiet trails, canoe pristine lakes, or watch the northern lights dance over three mountain ranges before returning to a cabin or yurt that feels like home, any time of year.
Given their remote location, sustainability has been Avens Alaska’s practice since day one. One of their first actions as owners of the property was to install a solar array and battery bank, dramatically reducing diesel consumption. “For the first time since the lodge was built, the nights were free of the generator’s low rumble and we could hear wood frogs and loons calling in the lakes out back. That quiet moment was when we knew we were on the right path,” said Michael. “Seeing caribou at ease and hearing so many songbirds without the hum of a generator are the moments that make it all worthwhile.”
From there, they expanded renewable systems to include additional solar, wind, and biomass energy, replacing aging oil-fired heat stoves with high-efficiency wood pellet heaters. By transitioning their energy sources in combination with weatherizing building and updating to LED lighting and high-efficiency fixtures, Avens Alaska now runs almost entirely on renewable energy. They have reduced generator fuel use by roughly 90% in the summer and 75% in the winter.
To provide fresh and local food in their remote location, they grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers on site, raise chickens for eggs, and practice responsible foraging in the surrounding wilderness. For anything not grown on the property, they source supplies as locally as possible: first looking in regional communities, then turning to Alaska and the USA before going international. This keeps money moving within their local economy, while reducing their carbon footprint and reliance on increasingly unreliable supply chains.
Michael and Victoria advise businesses beginning their sustainability journey to “track your progress and include your customers in your story. Visitors are curious and inspired when they see how you can live off-grid or how your systems work. And celebrate each step. Sustainability is a practice, not a finish line, and sharing your steps can help others see that it’s achievable anywhere—even deep within Alaska’s wild heart.”
The lodge sits at the crossroads of two pillars of the Adventure Green Alaska (AGA) program: the environment and Alaska’s history and culture. With structures built from reclaimed materials, surrounded by one of the most awe-inspiring wild places on Earth, every choice they make honors this special land and the people who came before them.
“Adventure Green Alaska has connected us with a community of Alaskans who care deeply about how tourism shapes the future, as well as mindful travelers who recognize their power to promote sustainability,” the Rego’s share. “It connects us to like-minded operators and gives travelers confidence that our commitment to economic, environmental, and social responsibility is more than words- it’s verified, measurable, and ongoing. AGA challenges us to keep improving while helping share our work with guests who value authenticity and stewardship. It is a shared commitment to keeping Alaska wild, welcoming, and thriving.”
To learn more about Avens Alaska, visit their Green Business Profile and their website.
