Maintaining a healthy environment
When we cleared the land for our gravel airstrip and hiking trails, we buried the roots and stumps, instead of burning them, to enrichthe soil. We thin our forests instead of clear cutting, using leftover wood in our lodge fireplace, for building small animal habitats, and for heating the evaporator in our sugar shack. This logging method results in less erosion and wildlife habitat disruption,and by diversifying the age of our trees, no section of our forest dies completely of old age. Brush thinned out from the hiking trails and lodge area is chipped and spread on the trails, and our motorized power tools are fitted with efficient, clean running,non-polluting 4-stroke motors.

Our eco-resort building construction
All of our buildings have insulated concrete forms and triple glazed windows for a high degree of thermal and sound insulation. Our Sheiling Guest House, the Cloisters and the future Lodge are constructed of reclaimed timber frames, which preserve the heritage of Nova Scotia. All our roofs are made out of long-lasting metal tiles, so we avoid throwing asphalt shingles into the landfill every 15 years.

Organic, traditional farming
We grow our own delicious organic food including beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, fish and vegetables. No pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used at Crown Jewel, only manure. We only use a few motorized tools, instead horses and dogs used for chores in the farm, minimizing the use of fossil fuels.

Saving energy and reducing waste
We only use biodegradable soaps for cleaning, dishes and laundry. The guest rooms are equipped with low flow faucets and showers heads, and 6 litres flushing toilets, and we only change the towels and sheets on request. Designated a "non-smoking" facility, our eco-resort features fluorescent low-wattage bulbs and geothermal heat pumps for heating, cooling and domestic hot water (no freon coolant is used). By using ground heat, we are able to cut 60% of electricity and the water used for the heat pumps are returned to recovery wells. Avid composters, we have facilities for recycling paper, food containers, bottles and cans. With the exception of some power tools, fossil fuels are not used in any part of our eco-resort.

Community involvement and education
Regularly scheduled educational and fun activities and events are always available for our guests and the general community. The history of our community, and of our ranch in particular, was collected and edited as a printed booklet to preserve the past and help visitors understand our heritage. All the old structures that once stood on our property have been identified and cleaned, and we have installed interpretive signs nearby, telling the individual story of the buildings. The public road that crosses our ranch is meticulously maintained for the benefit of everybody traveling the road.