Each day at the Broad Street Inn, we strive to be as eco-friendly, or green, as possible. When the weather is enjoyable, we line dry the linens and open the windows and doors and turn off the thermostat. We have ceiling fans in every room to reduce the A/C usage. In the cooler months, we have small space heaters in each room to help heat the room for those who prefer a warmer room. We use energy efficient light bulbs, and have most lights on sensors to save energy. We always encourage our guests to walk to town for dinner, shopping, wine tasting and plays (plus we’re so close, why drive?). All of our cleaning products are eco-friendly and purchased in bulk to reduce waste. When deciding what kind of products to put in the bathrooms, we opted for a wall-mounted dispenser instead of small, disposable bottles. All of the bath products–the lotion, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash–are all natural or organic. We have appliances throughout the inn, for guests and ourselves alike, and we purchased as many Energy Star appliances as possible. We also encourage our guests who stay more than one night to reuse their towels to save water. We have applied to many green programs and are now members of the Sacramento Area Sustainable Business Program, Keep the Sierra Green, Think Local First, Green Life Pages and It’s a Green Green World. Whenever possible, we try to make any purchases from local and green businesses. When we opened our doors, we committed ourselves to be as eco-friendly as possible while still maintaining quality, comfort, and cleanliness.
green business
Green Life Eco Fest
This past weekend, we went to the Green Life Eco Fest. We had a great time. Many local merchants and businesses were there to offer their information. The A.P.P.L.E. Center for Sustainable Living was there as well as Reinette Senum, a local who is very involved in the community, who shared her new portable shelter for the homeless. The local co-op, Briar Patch, attended and displayed the healthy food they provide in their grocery store. Nevada County Grown, a local non-profit, was there sharing their information on how they connect local farmers and ranchers to the community. There was plenty to eat at the festival, like Horn of the Bull, a local taqueria. A family-owned frozen yogurt business, Yotasia,was selling a few of their frozen yogurt treats. Each of Yotasia’s flavors are hand-crafted and homemade with no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Each of their locations is on a college campus in the dining halls. We had a great time meeting other “green” businesses and getting new ideas on what we can do to be more eco-friendly.
