Sustainability Spotlight: Lighthouse Excursions
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.
Lighthouse Excursions has been a fixture of Ketchikan’s tourism scene since 2001, when locals Rob and Pamela Houston founded the company to share the remarkable nearshore waters of the Tongass Narrows with visitors. Today, under the ownership of Jeff Karlson, who purchased the business in 2018, Lighthouse Excursions offers wildlife viewing and sightseeing cruises that bring guests face-to-face with American Bald Eagles, the Alaska Native clan house and totem poles of Totem Bight State Park, and the iconic Guard Island Lighthouse.
While some sustainable practices – like recycling aluminum cans and cardboard – were already in place when Jeff purchased the business, the majority of their sustainability practices were implemented in the unexpected down-time following the 2020 COVID-19 shut down of the cruise and tourism industry. The shut down actually gave the team breathing room and time – something small business owners rarely have enough of – to build a stronger tour product with a much more intentional approach to environmental stewardship, crew well-being, and community investment.
That commitment now touches every pillar of the Adventure Green Alaska program. Lighthouse Excursions prioritizes sourcing supplies and retail goods from other small businesses in Ketchikan and Alaska. Guides are thoroughly trained on Alaska history and culture, so that the stories they share with guests are authentic and respectful of the communities that call Ketchikan home. And on the water, the team operates with a careful eye toward minimizing the impact on the wildlife and wild places they encounter.
Perhaps what the company is proudest of, though, is something less visible to guests: the sustainability of their crew’s livelihoods. Lighthouse Excursions offers competitive wages, meaningful benefits, and a genuine commitment to work-life balance. They recognize that a thriving team is just as foundational to a sustainable business as any environmental practice.
Lighthouse Excursions believes that the Adventure Green Alaska program helps create what they call “positive peer pressure:” “Sometimes, all it takes is seeing another company doing something that helps them stand out to inspire others to try it too. Adventure Green Alaska provides a platform to businesses to share their stories, and an increasingly recognizable badge for businesses to work towards achieving.” – Rebekka Esbjornson, Operations & Finance Manager.
To learn more about Lighthouse Excursions, visit their Green Business Profile and their website.