Instead of being dependent on modern conveniences, grocery stores and shopping malls to survive, there are communities today with residents who have consciously made the choice to turn their backs on just about everything we take for granted. One such community can be found on Lasqueti Island, an island in British Columbia’s Georgia Strait.
Lasqueti is a small island, only four miles (8 km) wide and 13 miles (22 km) long. The island lies east of Vancouver Island, about 10 miles away, and the only way to get to Lasqueti is by passenger-only ferry, which runs two to three times a day from French Creek to False Bay on Lasqueti, depending on the weather.
Living on Laquesti Island
Lasqueti’s 400 or so year-round residents have made the choice to live as a counter-culture if you will, and if there are no microwaves, hairdryers or a Foreman’s Grill, it’s not really an issue. Oh, there is no garbage collection or a sewer system, either. As a matter of fact, on the community’s website, there is an excerpt from a long-time resident’s handbook called “How to Shyte on Lasqueti,” with detailed instructions on compost toilets, septic fields and grey water.
If you are wondering about the island’s having their own Internet website, well, actually, Lasqueti is the only one of the larger islands in the Georgia Strait not connected to BC Hydro’s electrical power grid. Instead, solar, wind, micro-hydro, and fossil fueled generators power the island. With this freedom from modern conveniences comes a rather odd feeling to those living here, the freedom from money worries. Money is just not an issue.
People grow their own food, and barter is a primary way of getting what is needed. There is also a “Free Store” where residents can recycle items they don’t need anymore, like clothing, books or other items, and pick up something they do need. It’s a good system where very little is wasted. The island also has a school and volunteer fire department.
Currently, there are two Bread & Breakfasts as well as a combination restaurant, bakery and general store. This does not mean the island is looking to become a tourist destination, but they do occasionally have visitors, and they do need a place to stay. And the residents of Lasqueti don’t want to be thought of as living a “romanticized” and isolated lifestyle. The challenges of living in a more sustainable environmentally friendly atmosphere can be difficult.
The smallest and rarest of British Columbia’s 14 ecosystems
Lasqueti Island has a rare type of ecosystem. It is in the Coastal Douglas Fir Zone. This zone is the smallest of British Columbia’s 14 ecological zones. With a mild climate, it has the most interesting and diverse ecosystem in the province, as well as some of the rarest vegetation. Also found in this zone is a unique group of ecosystems known collectively as Saanich, meaning “place of fertile soil” in the language of the local aboriginal people.
The residents of Lasqueti realize the unique history and ecological and natural environment of the island is something to be protected, and to this end have already taken steps to preserve parts of the island as natural habitats for endangered plants and animals. One such project is the conservation of the native butterflies on Lasqueti Island. These efforts include the preservation of natural areas — especially forests, sheltered forest glades, wet places and streams, brushy areas and patches of willow and red alder, all areas with host plants for many local butterfly species.
