It's good to be green

There is a lot of talk lately about being green.  The lodging industry is doing it's best to promote green ideals.  There are many different kinds of certification companies out there as well.  Do you have to be certified to be green?

Well I don't think so.  After seeing that some certifications cost as much as $2,000, that's where the certifying company is getting the green, you know, the M-O-N-E-Y!  I understand there should be a minimum level of accountability to call your self green, but does having an icon on you web site really make you green?  Nope.

Being inspected is a good thing.  It proves to the consumer that you have done the minimum to get the certification.  But actions is what it's all about.

Currently at The Craftsman B&B, we are not officially certified as a green business.  That doesn't mean we are not doing our part to preserve resources and not damage the environment.  We ask our guests if they would like new linens every day.  We combine trips in the car.  We use safe cleaners.  We mulch and compost.  It can go on...

Living in a remote area like Pacific City increases our driving to get the basic supplies for our business.  We are too small for food companies to deliver to us, so we must go shopping for food weekly.  We always combine our errands to that one shopping day.  We shop in Tillamook or Lincoln City, depending on errands we need to run.  We go to Salem or Portland about every 2 weeks and run many errands to combine trips.

Last winter, Mike did not get in a car for about 2 months.  Living in a small, remote town has it's up side as well.  We walk most places we need to go.  Laura rides a scooter that gets about 80 mpg.  Mikes motorcycle gets about 37 mpg.  Errands that can be done on 2 wheels, are.  When I go for a ride, I go in style in the VW Touareg.  Did you know VW has a Carbon Neutral Project?  More on that later.

Well I just wanted you all to know that being green and saying you're green is about the action you take in your daily life.  A small B&B in a small town on the Oregon Coast is how much more or less green than a large hotel in a city?  Does that hotel have an icon on it's web site?  Is that icon important to you?  Are actions more important?  Call them and ask how green they are.