Solar Dreams Come True
At the heart of Soul Fly Lodge is a commitment to sustainability. We strive daily to do our part to ensure that the fishery and the community in which we operate are not only cared for today, but stewarded such that they can flourish for generations to come. In fact, this philosophy is written into our mission to “cultivate a deeper bond with our planet, the Berry Islands fishery, and the local community through conscientiously-crafted fly rod adventures.” We believe that if Soul Fly Lodge is doing its job well, our lodge guests will not only have an enjoyable and fulfilling visit, but they will also be inspired to bring similar approaches home with them.
Since opening Soul Fly Lodge in October of 2021, we’ve approached sustainability from a variety of angles - responsible fish handling and catch and release practices, locally-sourced foods whenever possible, investing in responsible agriculture projects, supporting and engaging in fisheries monitoring and research - but among our top priorities is reducing our carbon footprint and reliance on fossil fuels. This year, we took a giant step in this effort and in reducing our consumptive impacts by completing installation of our new solar panel array. This 42-panel system is now fully-operational, bringing sustainable, renewable energy to Soul Fly Lodge.
Working in partnership with Limestone Solar - a Bahamas-based and staffed solar power installer - we were able to realize our dream of shifting away from fossil fuels, installing a 17.2 kilowatt system that will supply approximately 50% of the lodge’s electricity needs. As is typical in out-island construction projects, the timeline required a lot of patience. However, some of the delays were welcomed, as during installation, crews were interrupted multiple times by neighbors and passersby who had questions and started conversations about the project, our intentions, and the expected power generation. In fact, such discussions even led to a handful of referrals to Limestone, a sign that our work is top-of-mind for Great Harbor Cay residents and Bahamians in general.
Currently, the vast majority of the electricity used in the Bahamas comes from diesel generators. Not only is this type of power generation harmful to the environment for the carbon dioxide it produces while the diesel is being burned, but there is a compounding effect in that the diesel used in the generators must be shipped to the Bahamas, thereby requiring more diesel to power the ships that carry it. It’s a vicious cycle - one that isn’t sustainable and one that Soul Fly Lodge wanted to start breaking free from.
“With the Bahamas slogan being ‘Sun, Sand, and Sea,’ it’s only right that we use the power of the sun,” says Soul Fly Lodge guide Capt. Travis Sands. “With so much sun, it’s right to turn towards such a plentiful resource.”
This work in eliminating as much fossil fuel consumption as possible is important across the globe but especially so in the Bahamas. Unique climate change impacts are being felt in the Bahamas right now, from rising sea levels to increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes and storms to reef degradation and loss of mangrove habitat. In addition, the rising costs and growing logistical difficulties in transporting the fuel that is used to make the electricity that powers the Bahamas complicates the after-effects and difficulty of recovery efforts when natural disasters do occur. Moving to solar power is one meaningful way that we can help to combat these changes and adapt to climate change.
While this solar project has been a vision of ours since before the lodge even opened, our initial business plans didn’t see it coming to pass until much longer after we launched our lodge. Instead, Soul Fly Lodge’s success made this dream come true much quicker than we originally thought possible. We believe this success is due to a variety of factors: our steadfast commitment to our mission of cultivating a deeper bond with our planet, the Berry Islands fishery, and the local Great Harbour Cay community; our staff’s incredible expertise and exceptional work-ethic; and the tremendous support from our lodge guests and the fly fishing community. The fact that we were able to realize this solar installation dream so quickly tells us that we’re on the right course and that we’re working with the right people.
“With more intense storms, loss of biodiversity, and sea level rising, it’s so important for us to walk the walk and reinvest into our sustainability mission. We all have so much at stake,” says Capt. Kyle Schaefer, Soul Fly Lodge co-founder and managing partner. “Thanks really goes to our clients for supporting Soul Fly Lodge and making this dream a reality. There’s plenty of hard work ahead but we’re celebrating the little milestones.”
The entire Soul Fly Lodge family is incredibly proud of this project. Seeing the newly-installed solar panels as we come and go from the lodge or go about our work, we’re reminded of the impacts of climate change to our community and fishery but we also know that we’ve taken one definitive step toward the solution. We look forward to sharing this story and showing off our new panels to you in person on your next visit to the lodge. And trust us when we say, our pursuit towards our sustainability mission is far from over, thanks for being a part of our story.
