Potomac Paddlesports Initiatives
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Conservation Initiatives/Overview Conservation Links About Potomac Paddlesports Client Feedback |
Potomac Paddlesports InitiativesAs kayakers, we have a responsibility to be stewards of the environment in which we paddle. And as a kayak school that is putting hundreds of people on the water each year, we have an even greater responsibility to ensure that those hundreds of people are actually benefitting the environment, rather than adding to the stress already placed upon it. To that end, Potomac Paddlesports has made conservation one of its most critical missions since its founding in 1999. CONSERVATION EFFORTS, PAST AND PRESENT Charter Member, 1% for the Planet. Since 1999, we have donated more than 3% of sales to local conservation groups such as the Potomac Conservancy, Potomac Riverkeeper, American Whitewater, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, and the C&O Canal Trust. Member, Adopt-a-Road Program. Since 2005, we have been the proud adoptive parents to the stretch of MacArthur Boulevard that stretches past the Angler's Lot in Potomac. PPS staff and students organize periodic clean-ups of this stretch of road, usually going beyond the roadsides and into the woods between MacArthur and the canal, and into the Angler's parking area. We encourage you to join us on our next clean-up!  Founders, Potomac River Access Foundation. In 2002 we started a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving boater access to the Potomac River and C&O Canal in a way that would lessen the degradation of this sensitive environment. Through various fundraisers and our own contributions, we raised nearly $8,000 which was used to revegetate areas of the canal bank and rebuild the steps leading down to the canal from the Angler's Lot. Going After Big Polluters. Potomac Paddlesports president Sunny Pitcher served on the board of The Potomac Riverkeeper, a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance whose sole mission is to identify illegal polluters and obtain injunctions against them. PRK is responsible for actions against the wastewater treatment plant in Hagerstown which resulted in tougher penalties for polluters. Other actions, like those taken against SIL Cleanwater, LLC and those with the town of Broadway, VA, will reduce the pollution that is released into our rivers and streams. 100% Wind-Powered. Since 2006, all of Potomac Paddlesports' electricity has come from local wind power, either through purchasing "green tags" or through direct purchase through Pepco's Energy Choice program. 
In-Store and On-Location Recycling Program. We support a comprehensive recycling program at our corporate offices, retail store, and at all lessons. At our retail store and office, we've minimized our landfill waste by recycling cans, bottles, scrap metal, paper, plastic bags, light bulbs, batteries, cardboard, packing peanuts, computer hardware, and even CD jewel cases. Vegetation is either composted or processed by Montgomery County's yard waste program. At each lesson we bring a recyling bin to ensure that our students' empty plastic water bottles don't end up in a landfill.Leave No Trace. As outdoor educators, we are firm supporters of Leave No Trace, a wilderness ethic defined by the belief that individual impacts caused by recreation can accumulate to degrade the land. We encourage all our students to abide by this set of principles and we teach them ways to minimize unavoidable impacts and prevent avoidable ones. |
Be Safe. Be Skilled!Potomac Paddlesports / All Out Adventures LLC
Office Hours: May-OctoberMon-Fri: 10:00am-6:00pm |