Nordic Island Hideout

Our environmental values and ongoing sustainability

Vision and the importance of responsibility for us as a company.

Ecology and responsibility are the values on which our entire company’s business is based on. From the very beginning, we have wanted to plan and implement a vision of a tourist destination whose operations are built in a long-term and environmentally friendly manner. We are enthusiastic about innovative solutions and want to bring our clients as close as possible to nature.

So how is this reflected in our operations? We put a lot of effort into planning and executing construction. We have used our own wind-felled tree trunks as building materials, for example, in furniture and in the implementation of the forest sauna.

The previous owners of the farm had their roots in Karelia. Before the main house was completed, they lived in a log cabin built at the end of the barn. This barn collapsed three years ago. We have recycled both the logs of the living space in our barbecue shelter and the outdoor boards in the interior of the Hideout Cafe. In the photos before and after.

Ennen

Jälkeen

Metsä Sauna before and after. The sauna is made from a recycled log frame, which we dismantled and rebuilt.

Ennen

Jälkeen

Our forest sauna is a used self-made log frame that the previous owner had made from scratch. However, he no longer felt able to finish the project. We went to Siilinjärvi to dismantle the frame, and we got a unique sauna for us. The windows and doors of the sauna have also been recycled from a nearby construction site. All our buildings are built on poles to avoid damaging the soil. We have received the poles from the electricity company, which would have disposed of them to make way for new ones.

We also use old objects as interior elements and build furniture from them

We buy and reuse old objects as much as possible.We have taken environmental sensitivity into account at every stage of building design. The structures of our forest terrace are made so that they follow the structure of the rocks, and the tree trunks are left inside the terrace. Handrail materials are trunks and branches of fallen trees that we have collected ourselves from the forest. All the structures we make are structures built on pillars. We do not alter the soil in any way and the structures are movable.

We have a vision of an ecological holiday destination where customers can enjoy nature, relax by the campfire, engage with nature, and experience authentic experiences. We also wanted our Villas to have only natural elements and materials, so that the relaxing experience could be maximized. Our Forest Villas have no electricity or running water. However, we have an auxiliary kitchen in the forest, which we run with solar energy. In our summer café, where the need for electricity is greater, we use green electricity from renewable energy sources.

The idea of ecological resort in an authentic Finnish forest started already from my school days when I specialized in nature tourism in connection with my own tourism studies. The idea has grown stronger when, at an older age, we worked as entrepreneurs in wellness industry over 15 years. Combining overall well-being with nature and outdoor activities is our way of creating an unforgettable and relaxing experience. Taking care of our clients and their wellbeing in an exclusive way is always our priority.

We have always enjoyed giving old goods and materials a new life. We think that unique, old objects have their own story to tell, and they make the atmosphere unique. One motivating factor to start this project in Vaajasalo has been to return to my childhood home, to be able to enliven the countryside is very important to us.

We wish to offer our visitors unique surroundings where you can enjoy nature, tasty food, and outdoor activities. We also want to bring international tourists to explore Finland’s unique nature, forests, and waterways.

Environmental responsibility

Our company has been awarded the EcoCompass environmental certificate. We are committed to an ongoing sustainability program which aims to reduce waste and make our operations less damaging as possible for the environment. We use green electricity produced from renewable energy. From the very beginning of our journey, we have made decisions that reduce energy consumption. Because we want our customers to have an authentic ecological nature experience, there is no electricity or running water in our accommodations.

In our forest sauna we have no running water and we want to instruct our customers to use less water. We also collect rainwater for rinsing. Toilets we have composting dry toilets. In addition, we have a bio-composter for customers to use.

We pay special attention to the longevity and quality of the goods, for example, we use 100% linen sheets and towels. Detergents and cleaning products are environmentally friendly, biodegradable products.

When it comes to food, we prefer Finnish and certified products, such as coffee, tea, and chocolate, whenever possible. We also try to take diets into account as comprehensively as possible. Local products are also an important part of our concept whenever possible. In our café, we try to plan our operations so that there is hardly any waste.

Social responsibility

As a workplace, we want to be open and equal for everyone. We also want to be inclusive for all minorities, both as a tourist destination and as a workplace. We want to be involved in cooperation projects and collaborate with students and educational institutions.

Partners and collaborators

When choosing partners, we want to make sure that our values and ways of working are similar. The ideology and objectives must align. The purpose of the cooperation is to bring added value to our concept.

Goals for the future

The goals of our operations are largely defined in accordance with the definitions of EcoCompass certification. We would like to draw attention to reducing the amount of waste and energy consumption. Our goal is to continue to engage in environmental cooperation and increase our customers’ awareness of environmental responsibility. We also want to engage in small-scale organic farming, which will be part of our activities. We already recycle and reuse a lot of materials, and we want to continuously develop this activity with new ideas.

Environmental promise

We have based our entire company’s operations around environmental values. With our business, we want to show that recycling and the reuse of objects and materials can enable and create something unique. We want to enable environmentally friendly tourism, as well as promote awareness of the importance of the environment for each of us.

We use recycled timber in construction, and we prefer durable natural materials such as linen in the interior. In our forest Villas there is no running water nor electricity. The energy in use is produced by solar panels and green electricity. In the interior, we only use natural materials such as wood, stones, jute ropes and branches.

We want to develop our company with innovative solutions and responsible operations. It is important to us that our customers find the beauty and calming power of nature when they visit us.