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Bill and Carol are "old
dogs" learning "new tricks"
regarding energy conservation at The River Nest.
Our building project included:
- Geothermal heating and cooling.
- Individual climate control in guest
rooms.
- Ceiling fans for air circulation and
cooling.
- A "preheat" water tank that pulls
excess heat from the geothermal system, requiring less energy for
hot water.
- Low-flow plumbing fixtures.
- Energy Star appliances and water
heater.
- Six-inch insulated walls.
- Roof water run-off channels to
geothermal ground system.
- Solar powered landscape path
lighting.
Daily practices include:
- Reusing paper and containers
whenever possible.
- Recycling newspapers, magazines,
cardboard, tin, glass, aluminum, and #'s 1 and 2 plastics.
- Shunning paper and plastic
disposables in favor of cloth, glass, and silver.
- Transitioning to low-wattage,
compact fluorescent lighting.
Seasonal practices include:
- Air drying laundry.
- Raising garden produce,
strawberries, raspberries, and apples for guest consumption.
- Composting.
Energy Conservation:
- Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL
bulbs)
- Energy-star appliances and computers
- Timed lighting
- Individual climate control in guest
rooms
Watershed Protection and Water
Conservation:
- Environmentally-friendly cleaners
and detergents
- High-Efficiency Energy-Star laundry
equipment
- Only hypoallergenic soaps and
natural shampoos
- Implementing processes and equipment
to reduce water usage
Waste Reduction:
- We recycle
- No disposable tableware
- We use recycled paper products
- One set of newspapers for the entire
house, as opposed to room copies
- Two-sided copy and printing policy
- Extensive use of electronic
documents and records, including online banking and online
advertising
- We donate all towels, robes and
linens that are no longer usable to the local animal shelter.
- Limited use of disposable cleaning
products
In addition we buy as much produce,
meats and cheeses as we can from local producers and the farmer's
market. Most of our food comes from within a 100-mile radius of our
bed and breakfast. Our coffee is single source fair trade and locally
roasted. |
