Environmental Care - Bike St. Lucia

Environmental Care at Bike St. Lucia

Our goal at the Anse Mamin site is to minimize any negative impact on the environment due to its use as a tourist adventure sport location. We want to take what is a negative and turn it into a positive result both for the environment and our recreational adventure sports activity users.

For example, there is a river which runs through the property. During the rainy season, a fair amount of soil from the surrounding mountains runs off into the river and out to the sea. Suspended sedimentation, then, has the chance to be deposited on existing coral reefs. This can have a negative effect on reefs when sedimentation reaches critical levels. We also had the dilemma of having our bikers traversing the river in several places. We created several bridges made out of indigenous stone which slows it down at peak flow rates.

By slowing the flow of water, less sedimentation reaches the sea which helps the reefs. The bridges also help you enjoy the area. We've also added a natural stone dam to create a swimming hole further upstream which helps slow the flow rate as well. And the added benefit to you as a biker is a relaxing place to cool down from the tropical heat. We call it "The Swimmin' Hole."

Perhaps the single largest concern about biking through a coastal tropical jungle is the erosion which could be caused by bikers especially when conditions are wet and muddy. To counter this, we constantly monitor the trails for bad spots and repair them. We have taken an eyesore... fallen debris from the trees such as coconut palm fronds, fallen limbs, leaves, etc. and put them through a shredder similar to what you see when city tree crews come around to prune the trees. The shredded mulch is put down on the trails. So instead of riding on soil, bikers are riding on mulch. By riding on the mulch, you are helping out to break the compost down and feed nutrients back into the soil. This makes the soil healthier and allows for the growth of natural vegetation which in turn reduces the possibility of erosion. And trails look much nicer for you as well.

And thirdly, we had the problem of human waste especially with the water table so close to the surface near the beach. So we are using Biolet composting toilets which are waterless. They have been used in homes in Sweden and Europe for nearly 30 years. The liquid waste is mostly evaporated off. The solid waste, mixed along with the plentiful coconut husks available to us, are removed in its own container and allowed to dry out in an area removed from the public. A top layer of mulched coconut husks prevents odor. After a suitable time, it is deposited into a compost pile and after a further period of time becomes safe for use on plants as fertilizer. We also use waterless urinals. As there is no flushing with either of these two units, we have no waste water problems.

We also use an evaporative hand sanitizer for cleaning one's hands after using the toilet facilities, which have proven more effective than traditional soap and water in hospitals in the US for more than 10 years. Therefore, we have no water and no paper waste to deal with either. It just takes a time or two to get used to this alternative to traditional toilet facilities.