Travel with a taste of authenticity: Eco-librium Sustainable Adventures Inc. promotes travel with community service.

• Author: Larmour, Adelle
• Position: GREEN REPORT

A large dose of passion for travel and adventure, mixed with health, healing, and community service, sprinkled with an indomitable entrepreneurial spirit has resulted in an invigorating business that for Kate Wannan.

The owner and executive director of Eco-librium Sustainable Adventures Inc., based in Elliot Lake, has created an adventure tourism business based on a philosophy of balance, and awareness of other cultures and environments through volunteering.

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"We get people from all walks of life" who are seeking balance, are unhappy, have experienced the death of a loved one or who want to make a difference in their lives, said Wannan. "It is life-changing for everybody."

Wannan has been involved in adventure travel for years before incorporating her business in 2007.

"People would come to me to help plan their trips," she said. "The comment I get a lot is: 'You've taken everything you've ever learned and synthesized it into an amazing business.'"

Wannan works with more than 50 operators and organizations, many of which are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) promoting conservation, health, education and small business startups like eco-tourism.

During the last three years, the business has tripled in growth annually, indicating all the work and acquired experience leading up to its start have paid off. Wannan's grooming for the business began in Grade 11 when she entered an international Mennonite school where volunteer service was part of the curriculum. There she met people from all over the world and learned about other cultures.

Growing up in Elliot Lake during an economically tumultuous period when the mines were closing also influenced her path.

"I saw the people and how the mine closures affected them," Wannan said. "It wasn't a very sustainable economic resource.""

Wannan holds an honours bachelor of outdoor recreation, parks and tourism and a bachelor of arts in geography She is also a registered massage therapist. Her specialty is therapeutic recreation. She creates programs that use the healing benefits of nature for people with mental illness, for troubled youth or those previously jailed.

After a year of working with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Wannan spent the next several years travelling and volunteering. This phase of life helped her build a repertoire of skills, establish relationships with people throughout the world, and provide more insight into sustainable practices in other...