SUSTAINABILITY
Lagom {LA-GOM} is Swedish for not too much, not too little, just right. It is an ethos that seeks to bring more balance, happiness and wellbeing into our lives. It is also about living more sustainably by conserving our resources, reducing waste and reusing and recycling more. Lagom is everywhere in Scandinavian culture, from a desire to preserve natural resources and protect the wilderness to creating minimalist and functional design, slowing down consumption and buying quality, hand-crafted items.
This ethos is at the heart of our operations at Uppliva. We follow this philosophy as well as The Natural Step Framework to guide our actions towards environmental and social sustainability in all aspects of our business.We rely on as little carbon as possible, and use renewable energy in our efforts to produce zero waste. We offer our Wildcrafted Spa Treatments made with organically grown ingredients, and we source as many of our supplies from local farmers, small businesses and artisans as possible.
Read below all of the ways Uppliva lives and breaths the Lagom philosophy.
Low-carbon and renewable energy
Urgent action is needed to tackle the climate crisis, which is why we are committed to using renewable energy and having low-carbon operations. As you may know, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas in our atmosphere that is a major contributor to global warming and climate change. To limit carbon emissions, our spa is powered by renewable energy supplied by Bullfrog Power. Bullfrog Power uses renewable, carbon dioxide-free, wind and water electricity sources. And, their green natural gas comes from organic waste at a Canadian landfill, such as apple cores and egg shells. At the landfill, the gas released from the decaying material is harnessed, cleaned up and put in the natural gas pipeline.
By sourcing as many spa supplies locally as possible, we reduce the distance that goods and people have to travel, and limit the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from airplanes, transport trucks and postal service vehicles. All of our local suppliers are located within 100 km of Ottawa, with a number of them in the city. We also offer incentives for spa guests and employees to walk, bike and take public transportation to our spa. We are conveniently located on the OC Transpo route and within walking distance from the O-Train Confederation Line.
Conservation
We are committed to conserving energy and water. We use LED light bulbs in all of our lighting, since LEDs use up to 85% less energy than a regular light bulb. All of our appliances are ENERGY STAR® rated, which means they are designed to consume less water and energy. All of our showers, toilets and sinks are low flow and high efficiency to conserve water. We also take small actions each day to conserve energy within the spa, such as turning off lights and appliances when not in use.
Low-waste
We want to be part of the solution, not a part of the problem. Excess waste, from single-use plastic polluting our waterways and oceans, to overflowing landfills and garbage polluting our groundwater and soil, waste is a serious environmental and health issue. To help preserve our natural resources and protect our environment, we are aiming for our spa operations to be low-waste.
How will we do this? We will use organic and biodegradable ingredients in our spa treatments, avoid the use of single-use plastic products and use only reusable glass and ceramic containers in our spa operations. We source organic botanicals from local farms, which require no packaging. We are also working with our suppliers to eliminate packaging waste and recycling all of our beverage bottles and containers.
Organic ingredients
All of our spa treatments are made with organically grown ingredients, such as botanicals, flowers, clays, sunflower oil and honey sourced from local farms. These ingredients are grown without any harmful chemical pesticides, are healthy for you and your skin, and provide a number of healing benefits. All of our linens, including our spa towels and robes, are made with organic cotton and bamboo. In addition, the herbal teas, kombucha and cold-pressed juices that we offer in our spa are made with only pure organic ingredients.
Organic farming has a number of environmental benefits, from improving soil quality and surrounding water quality, to improving the lives of animals who live on the organic farms and supporting biodiversity.
Sourcing locally
We have partnered with a number of local suppliers to support organic farming, creative artisans and the local economy. We want to see our community thrive, and we enjoy collaborating with unique local businesses to offer you an equally unique experience at our spa.
