Sustainability at Deer Creek Homestead
The Work Behind a More Sustainable Business & Homestead
We operate Campfire Cabins year-round, so our electricity usage is high: water heaters, cove heaters, appliances, lights, air conditioning, etc. To help offset energy costs we installed a wood boiler system that heats all 12 cabins; we source the firewood for the boiler from dead or damaged trees off the national forest, private property, and our property. We have a remote thermostat in each cabin that we monitor and only need to run the boiler system about 45 days a year to keep the cabins above freezing. This reduces both electrical usage and wood consumption during the year.
It’s hard not to notice the 50KVA of solar panels we’ve installed on the hillside behind the high tunnel! This system feeds 5 inverters and 10 batteries and is distributed across the whole property. Al Sutton Electric designed & installed this system that generates enough electricity for us to be off grid 3⁄4 of the year. The panels themselves manually tilt to maximize the southernmost sun exposure winter to summer. It is common for this area of the Black Hills to lose power throughout the year during winter storms or high wind events, with solar we can maintain power to our property and cabins during these times.
These two systems save us money and provide significant environmental benefits by generating clean, renewable energy that reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, and preserves local water resources. We see them both as important investments on the property. Twice a year we clean out the barn, goat shed, and chicken coop adding the manure, bedding, and food waste to compost piles that we turn throughout the year. We also mix in the boiler and campfire pine wood ash. Composting turns our organic waste into a valuable resource here! Each spring we use the aged compost for soil amendments in our high tunnel, garden, and seed starts. By integrating composting into our homestead routine, we create a sustainable, self-contained system that feeds our soil and our family!
We use two types of watering systems on the property: mineral rich well water and our duck pond water to irrigate the high tunnel and garden. Al and Titus spent most of one summer running, shaping pipes, and building pumps to make watering the produce & trees as efficient as possible.
We recycle almost EVERYTHING, and not just food scraps! You might notice a cracked bucket holding tools, a bent fence panel or bricks covering a hole, a baby gate protecting plants, pallets used for fencing, a kitchen pan elevating a waterer, a pile of leftover lumber & roofing, or used baling twine holding all sorts of things together! One thing you learn real quick homesteading: almost everything has a second life!
Get to Know Life at the Deer Creek Homestead
Walk the grounds, meet the animals, and see how the homestead comes to life. A visit is the best way to understand the heart of Deer Creek and the way we live here. If you have a reservation with Campfire Cabins and would like to arrange a tour, please reach out! Check out campfire-cabins.com for information and reservations.
