Cabernet Inn Commitment to Sustainability – Striving to be Green
The Cabernet Inn in North Conway has 11 guest rooms, all with private baths. We cater to couples looking for a clean, relaxed and romantic getaway.
We feel very strongly about doing whatever we can to strive for a better tomorrow. Becoming aware and gaining knowledge regarding eco-tourism doesn’t just help us out, but it helps us provide a better environment for our current guests and generations to come.
By making a commitment to an organization such as the New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging and Restaurant program, we are encouraged to keep up with the efforts that we already have in place and with their help learn more about other guidelines and options
As we incorporate as many feasible green resolutions, we feel that this not only will start benefiting our environment but will overall enhance our guest’s experience.
As the environment around us is constantly changing, isn’t it up to us as small business owners and individuals to do whatever we can to protect it?
Jessica & Bruce Zarenko
Owners/Innkeepers of the Cabernet Inn
How We Try to Accomplish Our Commitment to Sustainability:
In the office:
- We recycle paper, glass, metal, and plastic and provide a recycle bin for our guests to place their recyclables.
- Use recycled paper when necessary
- Print double-sided
- Use single sided waste paper as office notepads
- Email documents as much as possible. This reduces paper usage and the use of fuel from your car or the USPS to deliver the mail.
- Reduce trips to post office, laundry, and stores.
In the Inn:
- Use natural light whenever it is possible.
- Replace light bulbs with energy efficient compact florescent light bulbs
- Turn out lights in guest areas when we do not have guests.
- Automatic timers on outside light
- LED night lights and decorative lights
- Added more insulation to walls and ceilings minimizing heat loss
- Replace old appliances with new high energy-efficient Energy Star models.
- Refurbish or donate old furniture
- Set thermostats down in common areas when not in use and in all rooms when we do not have guests.
- Reuse old towels and linens as cleaning cloths
- Use low-VOC paints.
- Dispose of Compact Florescent Lights, batteries and other waste properly
- Use as many environmentally friendly cleaning products as possible.
- Replace older appliances with new Energy Star appliances as needed.
In the guest rooms:
- Turn out lights in guest areas when we do not have guests.
- Turn off heat and air conditioning in unoccupied guest rooms
- Lower shades to keep guest rooms warm in the winter and cooler in the summer.
- Offer make-up removal towels so that our guests don’t stain our cotton towels, to avoid using bleach in the laundry.
- Decrease water usage with low-flow shower heads and faucets
- Change sheets every other day on stays longer than two days
- Installed Energy Saving windows in some of the rooms.
- In the winter we turn off the pilot lights in the gas fireplaces when rooms are unoccupied.
In the Kitchen and Dinning Room:
- Our breakfast is prepared with as many local and New Hampshire products as possible
- Buy local produce, meats, maple syrup, etc to reduce dependence on trucking
- Use our garden produce and herbs for breakfast and baked treats
- Use china, glassware, and cloth napkins
In the gardens:
- Practice organic gardening methods and plant primarily native species and perennials that require less water and are more pest-resistant.
- Water the vegetables and flowers only when necessary
- Installing rain barrels for watering
- Use a battery powered lawn mower to cut some of the grass.
We ask our guests to help:
- Encourage “green” activities, such as hiking, biking, climbing, swimming, and skiing.
- Ask guests to recycle paper, glass, metal and plastic in the Inns recycle bins.
- Ask guests to turn off lights, air conditioning, and fans when they leave the guest room
- Guest voluntary towel reuse
- Offer make-up removal towels so that our guests don’t stain our cotton towels, to avoid using bleach in the laundry.
- Ask our guests to turn down the heat when they leave the guest room.
- We encourage our guest to offer any comments and suggestions on what we can do better to be green.
For more information on going green please check the following web sites:
