Greening the Inn

The Inn at Buena Vista began utilizing green practices in our planning process. First of all we repurposed an older building (a church) and didn't increase its footprint. For energy conservation we paid attention to the types of building materials that we used such as replacing the existing windows that wouldn't close any more with double pane windows with Low-E glass to reduce the heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. The additional benefit of the Low-E glass is that we will see less fading of our furnishings so we are careful about what we purchase knowing it will last for a long time. We added insulation to the attic and walls and installed two insulated jacket water heaters in tandem to reduce our pull on the natural gas used to heat them.

We also installed ceiling fans in each room and individual thermostats so heat can be turned up in rooms that are in use and down in rooms that are not occupied. We don't want rooms unoccupied so come and visit!

In the kitchen, we kept the church sink, a double stainless steel that looks great after a polish with baking soda. Our purchase of a new Energy Star refrigerator not only saves on the electric bill, but also displays the temperature so we know we are keeping our food at the right temperature to avoid spoilage and waste. I chose a model with a freezer on the bottom because cold air sinks, so it seemed logical.

We wash linens in cold water only and although we use a dryer, we spin on high speed to remove as much water as possible from the sheets and towels so they take a shorter time to dry. We don't use any fragrances in our wash or rinse cycles and do not use any fabric softeners. This helps to save wear and tear on the 100% cotton sheets and keeps our luxurious, fluffy towels absorbent. From all the information we can gather from industry experts, the very chemicals that we use to make our fabrics softer also break them down so we save on two fronts. The Inn will be celebrating its Fourth Anniversary on May 12th.

Our greener maintenance program has begun replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones (CFL). As more fixtures in the inn get the newer bulbs, they will need to be replaced less often. Getting up on a 25 foot ladder to replace flood lights is no picnic.

Cleaning has taken on a different slant with the use of natural products. Vinegar, Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap, Baking Soda, and Borax have become the staples of my cleaning basket instead of the harsh chemicals that could have been used. The Inn smells fresher and my hands are in better shape so a great side effect is that I don't have cracked, dry skin from harsh chemicals.

Guest amenities are still provided in small biodegradable bottles and we have just started to introduce bulk hand washing and lotion on the sinks.

From our headline, you can see that this is a process. Greening takes time and effort and we believe that every little bit helps. After all, we want to keep the view that you see in this photo in our back yard. Our guest, Linda Jungwirth, of Convening Conversations shared this photo.